Expert Commission Presents Report on Berlin Power Outage – 150 Measures Recommended

Key Recommendations

The central finding of the report is the recommendation to establish a Chief Resilience Officer (CRO) at the Senate Chancellery at state secretary level. This new position is intended to coordinate crisis preparation across departments in the future, thereby creating a central point of contact that has been missing until now.

In addition, the commission suggests building a Situation and Crisis Center to connect all crisis teams in the state with the federal level. This is intended to prevent information breakdowns that had hampered a rapid response in January 2026. Communication with the public also needs to be fundamentally improved.

Another focus is on emergency power supply. The commission finds that there were in some cases significant shortcomings here and recommends, among other things, setting up so-called Katastrophenschutz-Leuchttürme (civil protection lighthouses). These are to serve as local points of contact to which those affected can turn in an emergency. So-called Kiezboxen (neighborhood boxes) are also planned as a complement.

Timeline and Investments

In addition, the panel proposes the establishment of resilience hubs. These contact points are to centrally provide emergency power, heat, and information, thereby supporting above all those people who depend on rapid assistance in an emergency. The proposals for strengthening resilience in Berlin also include significantly more exercises as preparation for crisis situations.

As a timeline, the commission formulates the goal that all actors affected in a Berlin crisis must be able to maintain their core functions for ten days by 2029 at the latest. According to Interior Senator Iris Spranger (SPD), investments in the triple-digit million range are required for this.

Members of the Commission

According to Albrecht Broemme, former president of the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) and member of the panel, the commission is working under high pressure to strengthen the city's resilience. Dieser Stromausfall war ein Weckruf, der vieles verbessert hat und auch verbessern wird. With regard to the involvement of many agencies, he added, mittlerweile habe auch die letzte Schnarchnase begriffen, dass sie Teil der Resilienz-Strategie ist.

Other members of the commission include Sigrid Nikutta, former rail executive, and Heyo Kroemer, CEO of Charité. This brings expertise from public transport and hospital care directly into the deliberations. A former brigadier general, Uwe Nerger, is also a member of the panel and pointed out that a military intervention would not take place in Wanne-Eickel, but in Berlin—a reference to the particular threat situation facing the federal capital.

Political Reactions

Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) underscored the political dimension of the issue: Berlin als Bundeshauptstadt hat natürlich eine besondere Bedrohungslage. He also announced fiscal consequences: Wir werden im Haushalt umsteuern müssen, wir müssen andere Prioritäten setzen. At the same time, he set the goal that, in his vision, Berlin should become a model city for crisis resilience.

In addition to the specific power outage, the report also addresses other scenarios, including a possible climate emergency due to heat as well as a theoretical military intervention. This is intended to prepare the city for a broad spectrum of conceivable crises—from extreme weather to attacks to hybrid threats.

In total, the experts developed 150 individual measures, which are now to be implemented. The commission also makes clear: Die Hauptstadt ist nicht ausreichend auf Krisen und Katastrophen vorbereitet. The report is therefore expressly understood as a call to action, not merely a stocktaking.

Further Crisis Scenarios

Inadequate emergency power supply had led in January to hospitals, care facilities, and other critical infrastructure being able to operate only on a restricted basis at times. Heyo Kroemer pointed out in this context the particular responsibility of Charité and stressed that the care of seriously ill patients must be ensured under all circumstances.

Communication with the public also showed, in the commission's view, significant shortcomings. Warnings were in some cases issued too late, imprecisely, or through different channels, leading to uncertainty. The commission therefore recommends a unified warning and information system that links the city and the federal government.

Finally, the panel assesses the attack itself as a targeted assault on critical infrastructure. Die Täter hätten eine Kabelbrücke am Teltowkanal attackiert und damit eine Kaskade von Ausfällen ausgelöst. The investigations are ongoing; the commission expressly does not comment on the question of the perpetrators, but focuses instead on consequences for civil protection.

With the presentation of the report, the political implementation phase now begins. By 2029, the central structures are to be in place—from the Chief Resilience Officer to the Situation and Crisis Center to the Katastrophenschutz-Leuchttürme. Whether the ambitious timetable can be met also depends on how quickly the necessary funds are made available in the state budget.