Greenland capital’s power back after storm damages line

Power was restored in Greenland’s capital after a storm damaged a transmission cable and left thousands of people without electricity and heat throughout the cold winter night.

Eyewitnesses said electricity suddenly went out in Nuuk late on Saturday.

Public utility Nukissiorfiit, which supplies ‍Nuuk from the Buksefjord hydroelectric power plant in the southeast of the capital, said electricity was restored around 4.30am on Sunday.

ℹ️ Update: Internet connectivity in Greenland has returned to normal levels after power was reconnected following an overnight outage in power lines due to strong winds that left the capital #Nuuk in darkness; event duration ~6 hours 📈 pic.twitter.com/EdmhxOIVbm— NetBlocks (@netblocks) January 25, 2026

Greenlanders are accustomed to outages caused by harsh weather, which often damages the cable that runs through rugged terrain and stretches across two fjords.

Three days before the blackout, the government updated its crisis preparedness recommendations – including advice for people to have five days’ worth of water and food – amid tensions over US President Donald Trump’s offer to buy Danish territory.