Schleswig-Holstein power cuts: network broadly restored, SH Netz says
SH Netz says electricity supply was generally restored from 17:00 CEST on 18 October 2026 after interruptions in western Schleswig-Holstein. Its evening statement still allows for isolated supply problems. The report therefore does not establish restoration at every address after a morning outage and a later fault at Linden substation.
Status of this incident
Partial / reduced supply
Last known status: partly restored · 18 October, 19:05 CEST: SH Netz reports general network restoration since 17:00 CEST; isolated supply problems may remain.
Source moment: Oct 18, 2026, 05:05 PM UTC (07:05 PM local time)
In 20 seconds
Up to 40,000 connected households were affected at the morning peak, according to SH Netz.
A further outage at Linden substation caused a switchbay fire and renewed interruptions for several thousand households.
General network restoration is reported from 17:00 CEST; isolated problems may remain and the initial cause is under investigation.
Morning peak and a further Linden interruption
The operator places the start of the morning interruption at 09:31 CEST on 18 October. It affected parts of five Schleswig-Holstein districts. The stated peak of up to 40,000 connected households describes that morning disruption. It is not a count of people, a claim that entire districts lost power, or a total of households still disconnected in the evening.
In an afternoon update published at 15:24 CEST, SH Netz reported a further outage at Linden substation, causing a switchbay fire and renewed interruptions for several thousand households. The exact afternoon start time and household count are not established. The morning and afternoon figures cannot be added: affected supplies may overlap, and the two figures describe different stages of the disruption.
What the sources tell us, and what they do not
- Reported area
- Parts of five districts in western Schleswig-Holstein; later interruption at Linden
- Morning peak
- Up to 40,000 connected households, according to SH Netz; not a current remaining count
- Evening network report
- Generally restored from 17:00 CEST, according to SH Netz; isolated impairments possible
- Initial short-circuit cause
- Under investigation
What the evening restoration report means
The operator’s 19:05 CEST statement reports general network restoration since 17:00, while acknowledging that isolated impairments may still occur and are being handled by regional teams. The publication time and the reported restoration time are separate. This system-level report does not verify supply at every property or provide an exact count of households with remaining problems.
The cause of the initial short circuit remains under investigation. The later Linden switchbay fire should not be substituted for that unresolved initial cause. Individual property damage is also unverified. An earlier district warning still describes outages but supplies only a date, without a publication clock. The newer, timed operator statement provides the evening network position; that older warning does not establish continuing disruption across the whole region.
Preparing essential devices for interruptions
For household planning, the outage essentials guide provides a preparation checklist. The runtime calculator estimates battery support for essential devices, while the internet backup guide covers communications planning. These resources cannot establish whether electricity has returned at a particular address.