More Than 20 Homemade Rockets Found in Germany Power Grid Sabotage Probe

German police uncovered Wednesday more than 20 homemade rockets prepared for an apparent coordinated attack on high-voltage infrastructure near the Jänschwalde power plant in Brandenburg.

The probe's findings came to light even as another attack at an Amprion substation forced five RWE power units with 4.2GW of capacity offline.

The attacks are the latest in a series of such attempts in Germany, intensifying concerns over a widening pattern of sabotage against the country’s electricity network.

The devices in Brandenburg were designed to carry conductive material onto extra-high-voltage lines, creating short circuits.

At least two rockets reached the lines and caused minor damage, and timers were installed to launch more than 20 projectiles simultaneously.

Police are investigating the Brandenburg incident as possible terrorism and sabotage of critical infrastructure.

Rockets Target Critical Grid Node

The attack centered on the Turnow-Preilack substation, a major high-voltage node connecting the Jänschwalde power plant to the 50Hertz transmission network.

Brandenburg Interior Minister Jan Redmann said rockets carrying conductive material had caused two short circuits. Authorities continued searching the site as the number of devices recovered increased.

The projectiles had been specifically modified rather than used as conventional fireworks, according to Redmann, who said their preparation required significant work.

“When it comes to our critical infrastructure, we in Germany are far too vulnerable,” Redmann said.

The incident caused a brief interruption and triggered the automatic shutdown of one unit at Jänschwalde.

Grid operator 50Hertz said the wider electricity supply remained unaffected and all transmission lines returned to operation.

Second Attack Raises Pressure

The Brandenburg case was followed by another suspected act of sabotage at an Amprion substation in Bergheim-Rheidt near Cologne.

Investigators there found six launch devices in a field. Police said the equipment appeared designed to propel wire over power lines using pyrotechnic devices, again creating the conditions for a deliberate short circuit.

Several lines failed after the incident. Five generating units with a combined capacity of 4,200MW were disconnected at nearby RWE Power facilities, although no general power outage occurred.

North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Minister Herbert Reul said investigators were treating the episode as anti-constitutional sabotage.

“That was intentional, that was a criminal offense,” Reul said.

Authorities have not excluded either foreign-directed sabotage or a left-wing extremist motive. Police are also examining whether the Bergheim and Brandenburg incidents are connected.

Infrastructure Under Scrutiny

The two cases have put renewed attention on the vulnerability of Germany’s power infrastructure.

In Brandenburg, the discovery of timed launch systems capable of firing more than 20 rockets at once points to a more elaborate operation than an isolated attempt to damage a transmission line.

The Bergheim attack, occurring shortly afterward and employing an apparently similar method of placing conductive material across high-voltage infrastructure, has broadened the investigation.

German authorities are now examining both incidents as deliberate attacks on critical energy assets, with the perpetrators and motive still undetermined.