Electric Power Utility Substation Sabotage Megathread

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Last edited Thu Jan 19, 2023, 01:44 PM - Edit history (12)

I have posted about this in the past. I'll try to put the links in one place here.

https://news.google.com/search?for=substation+attacks+2022&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen

https://news.google.com/search?q=substation%20attacks&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen

Wed Feb 12, 2014: Assault on California Power Station Raises Alarm on Potential for Terrorism

Thu Nov 4, 2021: Drone at Pennsylvania electric substation was first to 'specifically target energy infrastructure,'

Sun Feb 27, 2022: Assault on California Power Station Raises Alarm on Potential for Terrorism

Mon Feb 28, 2022: We now have a link to a video of the segment on "60 Minutes."

Sun Dec 4, 2022: Vandalism suspected in outage that left thousands without power in Moore County

Sun Dec 4, 2022: 'Intentional, willful and malicious': 40K without power after substation attacks in Moore County

Tues Dec 6, 2022: 3 Men Plead Guilty to Conspiring to Provide Material Support to a Plot to Attack US Power Grids

Wed Dec 7, 2022: Physical Attacks on Power Substations in Multiple States--Report

Thurs Dec 8, 2022: PSE substations among five attacked in Pacific Northwest in November

Thurs Dec 8, 2022: BPA, PGE substations in Clackamas attacked over Thanksgiving holiday: officials

Sun Dec 25, 2022: Two Tacoma Power substations, one PSE facility vandalized Christmas Day, authorities say

Tues Dec 27, 2022: Joe.My.God.: Fourth Power Substation Found Damaged In WA [Video]

Tues Dec 27, 2022: Politico: Physical attacks on power grid surge to new peak

Tues Dec 27, 2022: New York Times: Attacks on 4 Washington Substations Cut Power to Thousands, Officials Say

Tue Jan 3, 2023: Two charged with attacks on four Pierce County power substations

Tue Jan 3, 2023: 2 Charged in Attacks on Substations in Washington State

Tue Jan 17, 2023: Gunfire damages North Carolina substation, no outage caused

Wed Jan 18, 2023: Another North Carolina power substation was damaged by gunfire

Wed Jan 18, 2023: Another North Carolina Power Station Hit With Gunfire

Thu Jan 19, 2023: FBI warns of neo-Nazi plots as attacks on Northwest power grid spike

[mahatmakanejeeves]

1. Assault on California Power Station Raises Alarm on Potential for Terrorism

Sun Feb 27, 2022: Assault on California Power Station Raises Alarm on Potential for Terrorism

They were talking about this in the opening segment on 60 Minutes tonight. I tuned in late, so I caught only the last half of the segment.

Wed Feb 12, 2014: Assault on California Power Station Raises Alarm on Potential for Terrorism

This is serious stuff.

Assault on California Power Station Raises Alarm on Potential for Terrorism

April Sniper Attack Knocked Out Substation, Raises Concern for Country's Power Grid

By Rebecca Smith
https://twitter.com/SmithRebecca
[e-mail]
Feb. 4, 2014 10:30 p.m. ET

SAN JOSE, Calif.—The attack began just before 1 a.m. on April 16 last year, when someone slipped into an underground vault not far from a busy freeway and cut telephone cables. ... Within half an hour, snipers opened fire on a nearby electrical substation. Shooting for 19 minutes, they surgically knocked out 17 giant transformers that funnel power to Silicon Valley. A minute before a police car arrived, the shooters disappeared into the night.

To avoid a blackout, electric-grid officials rerouted power around the site and asked power plants in Silicon Valley to produce more electricity. But it took utility workers 27 days to make repairs and bring the substation back to life.

Nobody has been arrested or charged in the attack at PG&E Corp.'s Metcalf transmission substation. It is an incident of which few Americans are aware. But one former federal regulator is calling it a terrorist act that, if it were widely replicated across the country, could take down the U.S. electric grid and black out much of the country. ... The attack was "the most significant incident of domestic terrorism involving the grid that has ever occurred" in the U.S., said Jon Wellinghoff, who was chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission at the time.

The Wall Street Journal assembled a chronology of the Metcalf attack from filings PG&E made to state and federal regulators; from other documents including a video released by the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department; and from interviews, including with Mr. Wellinghoff.

{snip}





{snip}

U.S. Moves to Protect Electric Grid

Congressional Leaders Seek Federal Standards After Report on Attack

By Rebecca Smith
https://twitter.com/SmithRebecca
[e-mail]
Feb. 6, 2014 7:55 p.m. ET

Congressional leaders in both parties are pushing to impose federal standards for protecting the electric grid from physical attacks in the wake of a Wall Street Journal report detailing a sophisticated attack on a California transmission substation last year.

{snip}

Peggy Noonan is right.

America's Power Is Under Threat

Declarations

The Metcalf incident is a reminder of our greatest vulnerability.

By Peggy Noonan
https://twitter.com/Peggynoonannyc
[e-mail]
Updated Feb. 7, 2014 10:20 a.m. ET

Welcome to my obsession. It is electricity. It makes everything run—the phone, the web, the TV, the radio, all the ways we talk to each other and receive information. The tools and lights in the operating room—electricity. All our computers in a nation run by them, all our defense structures, installations and communications. The pumps at the gas station, the factories in the food-supply chain, the ATM, the device on which you stream your music—all electricity. The premature infant's ventilator and the sound system at the rock concert—all our essentials and most of our diversions are dependent in some way on this.

{snip}

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. Drone at Pennsylvania electric substation was first to 'specifically target energy infrastructure,'

Last edited Thu Dec 8, 2022, 08:48 AM - Edit history (1)

Thu Nov 4, 2021: Drone at Pennsylvania electric substation was first to 'specifically target energy infrastructure,'

Source: ABC News, via CNN and KAKE

Drone at Pennsylvania electric substation was first to 'specifically target energy infrastructure,' according to federal law enforcement bulletin

48 mins ago
Updated: 17 mins ago

By Sean Lyngaas, CNN

A drone that crashed near a Pennsylvania power substation last year was likely meant to damage or disrupt the electric equipment, according to a federal law enforcement bulletin obtained by CNN.

The July 2020 incident is the first known case of a "modified unmanned aircraft system likely being used in the United States to specifically target energy infrastructure," states the October 28 memo from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and the National Counterterrorism Center. That statement is based on a review of drone incidents dating back to 2017.

No damage was done to the electricity supply or equipment, according to the memo. It is still unclear who was responsible for operating the drone that crashed on a rooftop near the unidentified substation.

Federal officials say they are distributing the intelligence bulletin now to state and local officials to raise awareness about the incident and the general threat of drones to critical infrastructure.

ABC News was first to report on the intelligence bulletin. (1)

Whoever modified the drone likely tried to create a "short circuit to cause damage to transformers or distribution lines, based on the design and recovery location," the intelligence memo says. The drone "appeared to be heavily worn, indicating it was flown previously and was modified for this single flight."

{snip}

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.

(1) https://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/intelligence-bulletin-reveals-potential-plot-disrupt-us-electrical-80961140

Read more: https://www.kake.com/story/45121724/drone-at-pennsylvania-electric-substation-was-first-to-specifically-target-energy-infrastructure-according-to-federal-law-enforcement-bulletin

https://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/intelligence-bulletin-reveals-potential-plot-disrupt-us-electrical-80961140

Intelligence bulletin reveals potential plot to disrupt US electrical grid
The July 2020 incident did not lead to any disruptions, but officials believe a drone was likely being used to try to deliberately damage U.S. infrastructure.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. We now have a link to a video of the segment on "60 Minutes."

Mon Feb 28, 2022: We now have a link to a video of the segment on "60 Minutes."

Mon Feb 28, 2022, 12:46 AM: 60 Minutes had a segment on how easy it is to bring down our power grid.

I believe they said only 9 substations across the country would need to be knocked out, to bring down all the power across the U.S.

They could knock them out either digitally, or with planes, bombs, drones, etc.

Now that it appears Russian banks have tanked, putin may want his revenge (that was my line, not 60 Minutes).

Very scary stuff.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/america-electric-grid-60-minutes-2022-02-27/

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. Vandalism suspected in outage that left thousands without power in Moore County

Sun Dec 4, 2022: Vandalism suspected in outage that left thousands without power in Moore County

Source: The News & Observer

Vandals are suspected to have intentionally damaged electrical substations in Moore County on Saturday night, shutting off power to 45,000 customers and prompting law enforcement officers to accompany crews sent to make repairs.

Jeff Brooks, a spokesman for Duke Energy, said the power went off after 8 p.m. When crews responded, they found “multiple equipment failures” at several substations and what appeared to be intentional damage, Brooks said.


Protest over drag show

Earlier in the day, protesters had gathered outside the Sunrise Theater in downtown Southern Pines, upset about a drag queen show planned for the small venue Saturday night. On her Facebook page, Emily Grace Rainey posted an invitation to the protest.

After the lights went out out, Rainey, who became known in Moore County during the pandemic for her opposition to mask mandates, posted on Facebook that, “The power is out in Moore County and I know why.”




Read more: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article269579392.html


Right wing nutjobs have threatened this sort of thing in the past. Article is behind a paywall. Open in private browser to read.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Moore+County,+NC/@35.280515,-79.4318825,10z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x89ab5777cbccf3dd:0x9b655a0ffb000e60!8m2!3d35.3674493!4d-79.4703885

Still out:

https://outagemap.duke-energy.com/#/current-outages/ncsc

[mahatmakanejeeves]

5. Attack on North Carolina Power Substations Leaves 45,000 Without Electricity

About 45,000 people are without power in Moore County, N.C., after what authorities said was an intentional act of vandalism on local substations.

wsj.com
Attack on North Carolina Power Substations Leaves 45,000 Without Electricity
Two substations were disabled by gunfire Saturday night, and Duke Energy says the outages could last days.

Link to tweet

U.S.

Attack on North Carolina Power Substations Leaves 45,000 Without Electricity

Authorities haven’t determined a motive or identified those responsible

Duke Energy workers examine an electrical substation that authorities said was hit by gunfire, causing the local power outages.

{snip picture}

PHOTO: JONATHAN DRAKE/REUTERS
By Dan Frosch and Ginger Adams Otis
https://twitter.com/djfroschWSJ
[e-mail]
https://twitter.com/gingerotis
[e-mail]
Updated Dec. 4, 2022 7:43 pm ET

About 45,000 people are without power Sunday in Moore County, N.C., after what authorities said was an intentional act of vandalism on local substations.

A spokesman for Duke Energy, which provides power to the area, said its equipment was seriously damaged and the outages could last for days.

{snip; paywall}

[Kennah]

6. 3 Men Plead Guilty to Conspiring to Provide Material Support to a Plot to Attack US Power Grids

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/three-men-plead-guilty-conspiring-provide-material-support-plot-attack-power-grids-united#:~:text=Cook%2C%20Frost%20and%20Sawall%20were,of%2015%20years%20in%20prison.

[progree]

7. Physical Attacks on Power Substations in Multiple States--Report

Newsweek, 12/7/22

There have been physical attacks on power substations in multiple states in recent months, according to a new report.

. . . Now NewsNation has reported that a memo from federal law enforcement revealed similar attacks have taken place in other states.

"Power companies in Oregon and Washington have reported physical attacks on substations using hand tools, arson, firearms and metal chains possibly in response to an online call for attacks on critical infrastructure," the memo says in part.

"In recent attacks, criminal actors bypassed security by cutting the fence links, lighting nearby fires, shooting equipment from a distance or throwing objects over the fence and onto equipment."

. . . skipping a lot of specifics about attacks in several other states . . .

[One loon example -Progree) In February, three men pleaded guilty to planning to recruit followers to attack substations with powerful rifles.

"The defendants believed their plan would cost the government millions of dollars and cause unrest for Americans in the region," the Department of Justice said in a news release. "They had conversations about how the possibility of the power being out for many months could cause war, even a race war, and induce the next Great Depression."

. . . MORE: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/physical-attacks-on-power-substations-in-multiple-states-report/ar-AA150rAD?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=b813d600d3294428b14df88b590d73bc

[mahatmakanejeeves]

8. PSE substations among five attacked in Pacific Northwest in November

PSE substations among five attacked in Pacific Northwest in November

Dec. 7, 2022 at 5:37 pm Updated Dec. 7, 2022 at 8:58 pm
By Lauren Girgis and Hal Bernton

At least five attacks at electricity substations in Washington and Oregon, including two at Puget Sound Energy substations, have been reported to the FBI in recent weeks.

Spokespeople for Puget Sound Energy, the Cowlitz County Public Utility District and Bonneville Power Administration confirmed the attacks happened in November, according to emails sent in response to Seattle Times inquiries. ... The FBI declined to confirm it is investigating the attacks, but the utilities say they are cooperating with a federal investigation. ... It wasn’t immediately known whether the damage to Northwest substations resulted in any disruption of power.

News of the attacks follow a shooting investigators say damaged substations in North Carolina on Saturday, leaving thousands without power. Energy experts have stressed the need to secure the power grid, warning that the nation’s vulnerable electricity infrastructure could be a target for domestic terrorists.

BPA spokesperson Douglas Johnson said a “deliberate physical attack” at a Clackamas, Ore., substation occurred over the Thanksgiving holiday. A fence was cut and equipment was damaged, Johnson wrote.

{snip}

[mahatmakanejeeves]

9. BPA, PGE substations in Clackamas attacked over Thanksgiving holiday: officials

OREGON

BPA, PGE substations in Clackamas attacked over Thanksgiving holiday: officials

by: Jenny Young
Posted: Dec 7, 2022 / 05:41 PM PST
Updated: Dec 7, 2022 / 06:03 PM PST

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A federal memo obtained by KOIN 6 News says power companies in Oregon and Washington have reported people physically attacking substations, with two of the recent attacks taking place at Clackamas substations. ... This comes after authorities in North Carolina say someone intentionally shot and damaged substations in that state, leaving tens of thousands of families without power.

That federal memo says that are criminals using hand tools, arson and firearms to attack substations. Federal authorities are saying it’s a response to an online call for attacks on critical infrastructure, with the aim of violent anti-government activity.

Doug Johnson with Bonneville Power Administration says the company is beefing up security after one of its substations in Clackamas was attacked over the Thanksgiving holiday, and Portland General Electric also confirmed one of their Clackamas substations was also attacked around the same time.

“This compromises public safety in a lot of ways and it’s a very serious offense,” Johnson said. “We know that it was suspicious activity. This was not an accident. Somebody meant to do harm to that facility.”

{snip}

[mahatmakanejeeves]

10. Two Tacoma Power substations, one PSE facility vandalized Christmas Day, authorities say

Sun Dec 25, 2022: Two Tacoma Power substations, one PSE facility vandalized Christmas Day, authorities say

Source: Seattle Times

PUYALLUP — Three Tacoma-area power substations were vandalized early Christmas morning, officials said Sunday, cutting off power to more than 14,000 people in eastern Pierce County.

The Pierce County Sherriff’s Department is investigating whether the incidents were coordinated and whether they could be connected to a string of recent attacks on power substations around the country by right-wing extremists.

Sgt. Darren Moss Jr. said the department received a burglary call at a Tacoma Power substation in Spanaway shortly after 5 a.m. When deputies arrived, they saw forced entry and vandalized equipment that caused a loss of power. A Tacoma Power substation in Graham revealed a similar scene: forced entry and damaged equipment.

The department also received a call from Puget Sound Energy later Sunday morning advising of another power outage at 2:39 a.m. from a third facility in Puyallup. Deputies at that scene said the facility had been broken into and vandalized. That outage lasted around 30 minutes and power has since been restored, said Moss.

Read more: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/tacoma-power-says-2-substations-attacked-christmas-day/

[peppertree]

11. The new normal - thanks to the modern GOP

They're turning this country into 1970s Italy - but without the Fiats, Vespas, or medieval architecture.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

12. Joe.My.God.: Fourth Power Substation Found Damaged In WA [Video]

Fourth Power Substation Found Damaged In WA [Video]
December 27, 2022 Crime, News

The Associated Press reports:

Officials confirmed that a fourth electrical substation in Washington state was found vandalized on Christmas Day, this coming after three others were attacked earlier in the day which left thousands without power.

According to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, the vandals broke into a fenced area and destroyed equipment at the substation which caused a fire.

Earlier on Christmas Day, thousands of residents woke up with no power after three other substations were vandalized in the early morning hours.

Read the full article.

Authorities say a fourth electrical substation was vandalized late on Christmas Day in Washington state.

Link to tweet

[mahatmakanejeeves]

13. Politico: Physical attacks on power grid surge to new peak

ENERGY

Physical attacks on power grid surge to new peak

People are shooting, sabotaging and vandalizing electrical equipment in the U.S. at a pace unseen in at least a decade, amid signs that domestic extremists hope to use blackouts to sow unrest.

By CATHERINE MOREHOUSE

12/26/2022 11:41 AM EST

The U.S. power grid is suffering a decade-high surge in attacks as extremists, vandals and cyber criminals increasingly take aim at the nation’s critical infrastructure. ... Physical and computerized assaults on the equipment that delivers electricity are at their highest level since at least 2012, including 101 reported this year through the end of August, according to federal records examined by POLITICO. The previous peak was the 97 incidents recorded for all of 2021.

This year’s tally doesn’t even include 2022’s most visible attack — the shootings of two Duke Energy substations that knocked out power to 45,000 people in Moore County, N.C. ... And the lights went dark on Christmas Day for 14,000 customers in Washington state after four Tacoma Public Utilities and Puget Sound Energy substations were vandalized, with no suspects in custody, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement on Sunday. ... “It is unknown if there are any motives or if this was a coordinated attack on the power systems,” the department said.

Authorities have yet to identify any suspects in the North Carolina attack, and have only been able to speculate about the motive. But white nationalists, neo-Nazis and other domestic extremists seeking to sow unrest have taken responsibility for other high-profile attempts to take down swaths of the grid — prompting security experts to grow increasingly concerned about the U.S. electricity system’s vulnerability. ... The risks have also caught the attention of federal regulators who oversee the interstate power network.

{snip}

Follow https://twitter.com/cmorehouse10

Catherine Morehouse is an energy reporter focused on the electric power sector, including FERC, DOE and the NRC. Prior to joining POLITICO in 2021, Catherine spent three years at Utility Dive, where she covered federal energy policy and regulations. Originally from northern Minnesota, she graduated from Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., with degrees in political science and journalism. She prefers to spend her time hiking, biking and kayaking on the North Shore of Lake Superior. She now lives in Washington, D.C.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

14. New York Times: Attacks on 4 Washington Substations Cut Power to Thousands, Officials Say

Attacks on 4 Washington Substations Cut Power to Thousands, Officials Say

Vandals broke into and damaged four power stations in Pierce County, Wash., on Sunday, leaving thousands in the dark, the authorities said.



A Tacoma Power crew worked at an electrical substation damaged by vandals early on Christmas morning in Graham, Wash.Credit...Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times, via Associated Press

By Livia Albeck-Ripka
Dec. 27, 2022, 5:29 a.m. ET

Local authorities in Washington State are investigating a series of Christmas Day attacks on four power substations that knocked out power to thousands of customers in the region and have raised concerns once again about the security of the nation’s power grid.

The attacks come just weeks after two substations in North Carolina were damaged by assailants who disabled equipment with gunfire, leaving about 45,000 customers in rural Moore County without power for days. Those attacks highlighted growing concerns that the power grid could be a target for extremist groups and prompted federal regulators to order a review of security standards for the nation’s power grid.

The authorities in Pierce County, Wash., said that they had no suspects and were still in the early stages of their investigation. ... “At this time, deputies are conducting the initial investigation” the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. “We do not have any suspects in custody. It is unknown if there are any motives or if this was a coordinated attack on the power systems.”

According to the sheriff’s department, the first attack occurred sometime before 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, when officers received a call that a Tacoma Public Utilities substation about 20 miles south of downtown Tacoma, had been broken into. ... “Nothing had been taken from the substation, but the suspect vandalized the equipment causing a power outage,” the sheriff’s department said. The authorities said that they were soon notified of a second break-in at another substation, just over 2.5 miles east.

{snip}

Livia Albeck-Ripka is a reporter for The Times based in California. She was previously a reporter in the Australia bureau. @livia_ar

[mahatmakanejeeves]

15. Two charged with attacks on four Pierce County power substations

From blogslug

Tue Jan 3, 2023: Two charged with attacks on four Pierce County power substations

https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/pr/two-charged-attacks-four-pierce-county-power-substations

Attacks over the Christmas holiday caused $3 million in damage and cut power to thousands

Tacoma – Two Puyallup, Washington, men will appear in U.S. District Court in Tacoma today charged with conspiracy to damage energy facilities and possession of an unregistered firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Matthew Greenwood, 32, and Jeremy Crahan, 40, were arrested Saturday, December 31, 2022, following a fast-moving investigation by the FBI. Prosecutors will ask that both men remain detained at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac pending future hearings.

“I commend the work by the FBI to quickly identify these suspects and disrupt any future attacks on the east Pierce County power grid,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. “We have seen attacks such as these increase in Western Washington and throughout the country and must treat each incident seriously. The outages on Christmas left thousands in the dark and cold and put some who need power for medical devices at extreme risk.”

“I am so thankful for how quickly and diligently our investigators and partners worked to bring this to a resolution,” said Richard A. Collodi, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Seattle field office. “This case took many of them away from their families during the holidays but through their efforts, we have two men in custody we believe to be responsible for all four power station attacks. This demonstrates the commitment by all levels of law enforcement to protect our infrastructure and hold those accountable who put our community in danger.”

According to the criminal complaint filed with the court late Saturday, December 31, 2022, and unsealed today, the two men were identified as possible suspects through the analysis of cell phone records. At one of the substations, Tacoma Power captured images of one suspect and the image of a pick-up truck that appeared to be connected with the attack. A similar pick-up truck was connected to the defendants. When law enforcement served a search warrant on the home of the suspects, they recovered distinctive clothing pictured in the surveillance photos. Agents also seized two short-barreled firearms that had not been registered as required by law. One of the firearms was equipped with a make-shift silencer...

[mahatmakanejeeves]

16. 2 Charged in Attacks on Substations in Washington State

Tue Jan 3, 2023: 2 Charged in Attacks on Substations in Washington State

Source: New York Times, No Paywall

One man told law enforcement officials that he and another person had planned to disrupt power in the area to commit a burglary, according to court documents. The attacks left thousands without power.

Two men were charged on Tuesday in connection with attacks on four power substations in Washington State on Dec. 25 that left thousands without power, a crime that the authorities said had been intended as a ruse so that the men could burglarize a local business.

The men, Matthew Greenwood, 32, and Jeremy Crahan, 40, of Puyallup, Wash., were arrested on Dec. 31 after an investigation led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Both were charged on Tuesday with conspiracy to damage energy facilities and possession of an unregistered firearm, the Justice Department said.

After he was arrested, Mr. Greenwood told law enforcement officials that he and Mr. Crahan had been planning to disrupt power in the area to commit a burglary, according to the U.S. attorney’s office for the Western District of Washington. Mr. Greenwood said that he and Mr. Crahan broke into the four substations by using bolt cutters. The men caused the outages using various methods, including manipulating breakers and tampering with switches, according to court documents.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/03/us/power-substation-attacks-arrest-washington.html?unlocked_article_code=fKiDoTbOBuDY4AOuz-of84sriEYnWnlky1iHYo2iVkPuDFLiY5axxfpUJ2B255_ErVEqXIrVl6fTvFfLRfaAE2YNwDesPoEGO3dS_IbtL_M9-d8_gmSoRhVv-rPQbnAZAXmVdHJOE7JClmuEEqgaMwDU7wKROBmy_iZQCBZJhhdOyD0xX9VtsA14ME2t3WYM73dJ1CPGgqHg_Jdn4R8_Z40FSzZrU8UVLjui1abxokUeWm9OlWLwbY3mRI6vmr9oeUjWfqFu3W-QIbPS_Ea5tT0LCjOqkFg9-561azfPN-HR1QBM03CocGAb11hRD8FpaXmvFGMFojmv1-m6sWuB67JZp5NIMZ-vVXqrTmUVZg&smid=share-url

[mahatmakanejeeves]

17. Gunfire damages North Carolina substation, no outage caused

Tue Jan 17, 2023: Gunfire damages North Carolina substation, no outage caused

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina utility said an electricity substation was damaged by gunfire early Tuesday but that it caused no power outages.

The damage comes after a gunfire attack on multiple substations in Moore County knocked out power to more than 45,000 customers for several days in early December. There have been no arrests in those shootings.

EnergyUnited said in a news release that an alarm early Tuesday alerted it to an equipment problem at the substation in Randolph County, northeast of Charlotte. It said crews found damage to the substation from an apparent gunshot and that law enforcement had been notified.

Investigators believe the attack occurred around 3 a.m. Tuesday, according to a news release from the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation was notified, and the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force responded to conduct a parallel investigation, the release said.

https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-charlotte-law-enforcement-3db28f8dcf0eacaa23224acd298f2cad

[mahatmakanejeeves]

18. Another North Carolina power substation was damaged by gunfire

NATIONAL

Another North Carolina power substation was damaged by gunfire

January 18, 2023 5:10 AM ET
JAMES DOUBEK

Twitter
A North Carolina power substation was damaged by gunfire early Tuesday in the third known power substation shooting in the state since early December.

Crews responded to an alarm at the substation in the city of Thomasville, southwest of Greensboro, where they discovered the substation transformer was struck by an "apparent gunshot," the electricity provider EnergyUnited said in a statement.

The utility said no customers experienced a power outage as a result.

The Randolph County Sheriff's Office said law enforcement investigators canvassed the scene and gathered evidence and believe the shooting happened at about 3 a.m.

An investigation is ongoing.

{snip}

[mahatmakanejeeves]

19. Another North Carolina Power Station Hit With Gunfire

Another North Carolina Power Station Hit With Gunfire

January 18, 2023 Crime, News

CBS News reports:

Another power substation in North Carolina has been damaged because of apparent gunfire, energy officials said Tuesday. The damage occurred at a power substation in Thomasville, about an hour away from Moore County, where just weeks ago two other substations were attacked by gunfire.

Energy United said that company officials learned of an “equipment issue” at the Pleasant Hill Substation on Tuesday morning, at which time crews were sent to assess the situation. There, they found that a transformer had been damaged “from an apparent gunshot” and law enforcement was notified.

Read the full article. No outage this time.

Another North Carolina power substation has been damaged by apparent gunfire, weeks after grid attacks left thousands without power in a nearby county.

cbsnews.com
Another North Carolina power substation damaged by apparent gunfire weeks after grid attacks left...
The North Carolina substation damaged in the apparent gunfire is not far from Moore County, where two other substations were attacked by gunfire in early

Link to tweet

[mahatmakanejeeves]

20. FBI warns of neo-Nazi plots as attacks on Northwest power grid spike

Thu Jan 19, 2023: FBI warns of neo-Nazi plots as attacks on Northwest power grid spike

Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting

By Conrad Wilson (OPB) and John Ryan (KUOW)
Jan. 19, 2023 5 a.m.

A white pickup truck with a rack of roof lights blazing pulled up to an electrical substation in the small town of Morton, Washington, about 70 miles south of Seattle on June 16. In the predawn dark next to the city cemetery, a man in a dark hoodie and baseball cap hopped out of the truck. He broke a steel gate apart, likely with a crowbar later found at the scene, and walked inside the fenced facility on his way to sabotaging its high-voltage transformers.

Electrical substations transform high-voltage electricity to the lower voltages that keep America’s lights on, its food cold, its medical devices operating and its phones charged. Far-flung substations can be difficult to secure. Damaging even a single one can shut off critical services to thousands of people.

Attacks like the one in Morton are on the rise in the Northwest – there have been 15 since June, more than in the previous six years combined. The recent attacks make this region a hotspot for such activity, according to a joint investigation by Oregon Public Broadcasting and KUOW. In most cases, the motives aren’t known. But as the FBI and extremism researchers have noted, neo-Nazis have been calling for just such attacks.

“The individuals of concern believe that an attack on electrical infrastructure will contribute to their ideological goal of causing societal collapse and a subsequent race war in the United States,” according to an FBI memo obtained by OPB and KUOW.

Read more: https://www.opb.org/article/2023/01/19/surge-in-oregon-washington-substation-attacks-as-fbi-warns-neo-nazi-plots/