Attacks on at least six electric substations in the Pacific Northwest have alarmed law enforcement and utility providers. The incidents resemble those that left 40,000 North Carolinians without electricity for days in early December.
Though the attacks against facilities of Portland General Electric, the Bonneville Power Administration, and Puget Sound Energy, caused limited service disruption, they rekindled long-standing concerns about terrorists targeting the U.S. power grid.
All three utilities stated they were cooperating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s “active investigation” of these incidents.
PGE reports that the attack on its Clackamas substation briefly impacted power for approximately 6,400 customers.
“PGE is coordinating closely with multiple law enforcement agencies on the investigation, including the FBI,” the company reported on its website.
“Attacks on electric infrastructure are serious crimes regardless of whether inspired by malicious intent or simple vandalism, and community members who see evidence of vandalism to electrical equipment or suspect a threat should report these to law enforcement,” PGE stated.
The Bonneville Power Administration also confirmed at least one “deliberate physical attack” at a Clackamas substation on Nov. 24.
“Someone clearly wanted to damage equipment and possibly cause a power outage,” wrote transmission vice president of field services John Lahti on the BPA website.
Two people reportedly cut through the fence surrounding a high-voltage substation, then used small caliber firearms to cause “significant damage” to equipment, setting fires, and sabotaging electrical systems.
Pacific Power did not acknowledge any attacks on its facilities.
“We have security measures in place to protect our assets and keep our customers and employees safe and secure,” the company stated on its website.
“We are working closely with industry partners and law enforcement to monitor the situation and will apply any emerging threat information to evaluate our security measures to reduce the likelihood or impact of an attack where possible.”
The FBI issued a statement last week.
“The FBI routinely shares information with our law enforcement partners in order to assist in protecting the communities they serve,” Joy Jiras, a spokeswoman for the FBI in Portland, said in a statement. “We urge the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement.”
Fears of an attack on the U.S. power grid are nothing new.
Authorities have long warned that the nation’s electricity infrastructure could be a target for terrorists.
In January, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security report warned that domestic extremists have been developing “credible, specific plans” to attack electricity infrastructure since at least 2020.
The report warned that extremists “will likely continue to plot and encourage physical attacks against electrical infrastructure,” which includes more than 6,400 power plants and 450,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines that span the country.
DHS reiterated that concern in a terrorism alert bulletin issued on Nov. 30.
The DHS report also notes that attackers, without inside help at least, would be unlikely to produce widespread, multistate outages, though they could still do damage and cause injuries.
Oregon’s Public Utility Commission (PUC) acknowledged that it is working with the regulated utilities to “support increased vigilance and monitoring of their systems.”
“The Oregon PUC is closely monitoring the deliberate physical attacks to energy infrastructure in various states, including Oregon, which authorities are currently investigating,” PUCs public information officer Kandi Young told The Epoch Times in an email.
“The PUC requires the regulated utilities to proactively manage emerging safety and reliability risks, including physical and cyber security threats, and report select incidents.”
Many in the energy sector are reluctant to discuss specifics “out of concern about making potentially sensitive information public and enabling or encouraging vandals,” explained one utility company engineer on background.
