The search for the exact cause of the incident continuesImage: DPA
Feb 5, 2026, 2:55 p.mFeb 5, 2026, 2:55 p.m
A brief voltage drop in the power grid led to a major power outage in Stuttgart, southern Germany. The network operator Netze Stuttgart said external influences could be ruled out.
Accordingly, the voltage drop in the high-voltage area was eliminated after less than a second. A company spokesman said the search for the exact cause of the incident was ongoing.
The power outage had a major impact in the city. The fire department had to go on several missions and fire alarms were triggered throughout the city. But there were no real fires. According to a fire department spokesman, there were also no major rescue operations, such as people trapped in elevators. At midday the number of missions fell significantly and they returned to normal mode, said the spokesman.
Light rail services stop at times
The police also went out on some operations. As a result of the power outage, alarm systems were triggered, for example in jewelry stores. Traffic lights were also out until the afternoon and emergency services had to regulate traffic at larger intersections. At times, light rail passengers had to wait on trains that stopped.
The network operator said that customers with a low-voltage connection, i.e. normal electricity customers, could only have noticed a flickering of the drop. However, customer systems that are equipped with automatic undervoltage protection would have to be reconnected manually by the customer.
Cell phones and the internet don’t work for minutes
However, people in the city were temporarily no longer able to make calls with their smartphones; according to the providers Telekom and Vodafone, the mobile phone network and the Internet were temporarily down.
“A total of 5,250 customers in the state capital were unable to use the Internet or make phone calls for around 15 to 20 minutes between 9:45 a.m. and 10:15 a.m.,” said a Vodafone spokesman. Both mobile and cable customers were affected. Telekom was initially unable to say how many users were affected. (sda/dpa)