Electric Power Utility Substation Sabotage Megathread

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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.

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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.