Posted on Dec 26, 2022
Christmas brings new round of attacks on Northwest power grid
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Electrical utilities reported physical attacks on the power grid at three locations outside of Tacoma, Washington, before dawn Christmas morning.
About 15,000 people lost power, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
The sheriff’s department is calling the incidents “burglaries,” though nothing was stolen from the three substations.
Substations are a key part of the electrical grid that keeps the nation’s lights on. They convert high-voltage electricity to the lower voltages utility customers use.
“It is unknown if there are any motives or if this was a coordinated attack on the power systems,” according to a statement from the sheriff’s department.
Tacoma Public Utilities, which suffered damage at substations in suburban Spanaway and Graham, called the incidents “attacks” and said its facilities were “deliberately targeted.”
About 15,000 people lost power, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
The sheriff’s department is calling the incidents “burglaries,” though nothing was stolen from the three substations.
Substations are a key part of the electrical grid that keeps the nation’s lights on. They convert high-voltage electricity to the lower voltages utility customers use.
“It is unknown if there are any motives or if this was a coordinated attack on the power systems,” according to a statement from the sheriff’s department.
Tacoma Public Utilities, which suffered damage at substations in suburban Spanaway and Graham, called the incidents “attacks” and said its facilities were “deliberately targeted.”
Christmas brings new round of attacks on Northwest power grid
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Tacoma
Posted >1 y ago
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Vandalism, environmental sabotage, or small-scale terrorism?
Our Grid system is highly important but poorly protected. Time to do something.
Our Grid system is highly important but poorly protected. Time to do something.
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."U.S. Department of Energy data shows the Northwest grid has been physically attacked more in 2022 than in the past six years combined.
Federal agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bonneville Power Administration have been alerting Northwest utilities of the threat of sabotage since before unknown attackers shot up a substation in North Carolina Dec. 3, cutting power to tens of thousands of customers.
In January, the Associated Press reported a U.S. Department of Homeland Security warning that domestic terrorists have been developing “credible, specific plans” to attack electrical infrastructure since at least 2020.
In February, three white supremacists from Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin pleaded guilty to crimes related to a plot to attack the power grid in several regions of the United States.
“The defendants in this case wanted to attack regional power substations and expected the damage would lead to economic distress and civil unrest,” FBI counterterrorism division assistant director Timothy Langan said in a press release.
The Puyallup substation is Puget Sound Energy’s third to be attacked since November. The Bellevue-based private utility has provided few details on any of the incidents, citing an ongoing FBI investigation."
..."U.S. Department of Energy data shows the Northwest grid has been physically attacked more in 2022 than in the past six years combined.
Federal agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bonneville Power Administration have been alerting Northwest utilities of the threat of sabotage since before unknown attackers shot up a substation in North Carolina Dec. 3, cutting power to tens of thousands of customers.
In January, the Associated Press reported a U.S. Department of Homeland Security warning that domestic terrorists have been developing “credible, specific plans” to attack electrical infrastructure since at least 2020.
In February, three white supremacists from Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin pleaded guilty to crimes related to a plot to attack the power grid in several regions of the United States.
“The defendants in this case wanted to attack regional power substations and expected the damage would lead to economic distress and civil unrest,” FBI counterterrorism division assistant director Timothy Langan said in a press release.
The Puyallup substation is Puget Sound Energy’s third to be attacked since November. The Bellevue-based private utility has provided few details on any of the incidents, citing an ongoing FBI investigation."
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