Electric Power Utility Substation Sabotage Megathread

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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.

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