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Greenland’s capital restores power, heating after storm damaged line

By Thomson Reuters Jan 25, 2026 | 6:38 AM

By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen

NUUK, Jan 25 (Reuters) – Greenland’s capital restored power early on Sunday ‍after a storm damaged a transmission cable and left thousands without electricity and heating through the cold winter night.

Electricity ‌suddenly cut off across ‌Nuuk late on Saturday, witnesses said.

The Nukissiorfiit utility – which supplies Nuuk from the Buksefjord hydropower plant southeast ​of the capital – said power came back online ‍around 4:30 ​a.m. (0630 GMT).

Greenlanders are used ​to outages, often caused by ‍harsh weather damaging the cable which runs through rugged terrain and spans two fjords.

Three days before the power cut, ‍the government updated recommendations for crisis preparedness – including advice for people ‍to ‍keep five days’ worth ​of water and ​food – ⁠in the wake of ‌tensions over U.S. President Donald Trump’s demands to acquire the Danish territory.

(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and ⁠Andrew Heavens)