BEE urges Germany to build grid backup after sabotage attacks

The German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE) has called on the government to establish a national power grid emergency backup system to safeguard the country against possible infrastructural attacks. Following suspected sabotage incidents at two substations in Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia, BEE president Ursula Heinen-Esser (CDU) is advocating for the development of a "backup system for emergencies."

Heinen-Esser stated to Rheinische Post that there is "no complete protection against such attacks" but urged the nation to "minimize risks and set up our energy supply so that possible attacks can be detected earlier and have smaller consequences."

The former North Rhine-Westphalia environment minister proposed that increasing bioenergy and hydropower facilities, which can be restarted without relying on an external electricity source, could enhance protection and minimize disruptions in future outages. These decentralized generators could play a crucial role. Meanwhile, Kerstin Andreae, head of the Federal Association of Energy and Water Industries, suggested that looser data protection rules could facilitate more CCTV surveillance around critical infrastructure installations.

The recent sabotage attacks occurred at the Turnow-Preilack substation in southeastern Brandenburg and the Bergheim substation near Cologne. Brandenburg's Interior Minister Jan Redmann (CDU) confirmed to the press that explosive devices had been discovered near the Turnow-Preilack plant on September 1. In North Rhine-Westphalia, Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) stated that police suspect anti-constitutional sabotage and that the two affected units in Bergheim would be reconnected over the coming weekend.

However, the incidents in Bergheim have not resulted in significant power outages, according to Deutschlandfunk.