Explosive devices damage power lines near German coal plant

Improvised explosive devices were used on Tuesday in a sabotage attack near a coal-fired power plant in Germany, with several electricity lines damaged and supply briefly interrupted, officials said.

Several makeshift bombs were found around 8am local time at the Preilack substation, which distributes power from the nearby Jaenschwalde plant that runs on lignite and also burns rubbish, a police spokeswoman said.

At least one of the devices detonated but others failed to go off, she said, adding that no one was hurt and there was no major blackout in the area, about 100km (60 miles) southeast of Berlin.

Power plant operator LEAG said in a statement that “an attack was carried out on the Preilack substation, through which the electricity generated at the Jaenschwalde power plant is fed” into the grid.

LEAG said there was a “technical failure” in a unit at the power plant, and a possible connection with the incident was being investigated.

Grid operator 50 Hertz claimed that unidentified perpetrators damaged several lines in its grid.