JACKSON, Mich. — After recent attacks on power substations in Oregon, Washington and North Carolina, federal officials warn this kind of sabotage is becoming a trend nationally.
“One time back when I worked in a utility in Australia and we had people using substation equipment, transmission lines [were used] for target practice back 30 years ago, so it’s not a new phenomenon," University of Michigan Engineering Professor Ian Hiskens said. "What is sort of newer is the effectiveness of taking out a substation like in North Carolina that they succeeded in doing a significant amount of damage."
Why are substations vulnerable to attack?
“In the case of North Carolina, they targeted some pieces of equipment that were hard to replicate, so it took some days to get back into service. And the other things is in the really high voltage substations across the country, if damage is done to transformers, then it could be six months to get a replacement,” Hiskens said. “It could be longer than six months because these things are all very uniquely designed for that particular location.”
But how can utilities better protect their substations? It’s not an easy answer.
According to Hiskens, a lot of substations have chained wire fences because it’s cheap, but it makes it easy to shoot through.
“I think the main issue is one of economics that you could build elaborate buildings over the substation,” he said. “In a city, substations are built in the basement of a large building. You don’t walk around downtown in whatever city and see substations, so it can be done but the price factor is much, much higher. Who pays for that?”
Locally, Consumers Energy says what happened in North Carolina was a unique situation and that customers should know that there are no history of threats or cause for concern in Michigan, and their teams are ready and experienced in getting power back on as quickly as possible.
“Ultimately, these people who are performing terrorist attacks on substations are costing the community,” Hiskens said. “Not just the community that’s directly impacted, but the whole community has to end up paying for the damage by a few rogue players.”
Want to see more local news? Visit the FOX47News Website.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox.
Select from these options: Neighborhood News, Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines, and Daily Forecasts.
