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The incidents come to light via a federal memo following a deliberate attack last week in Moore County, North Carolina, that left tens of thousands of people without power for days as seasonal temperatures fall. In Washington state and Oregon, spokespeople for several energy companies - Puget Sound Energy, the Cowlitz County Public Utilities District and Bonneville Power Administration - confirmed the attacks occurred in November. A federal law enforcement memo revealed that the Pacific Northwest substations have described attacks using 'handtools, arson, firearms, and metal chains possibly in response to an online call for attacks on critical infrastructure.'

A major power outage caused by a fire at an electrical substation shut down the Oakland Airport in Northern California Sunday evening. More than 50,000 customers in the Bay Area were impacted and flights out of the area were halted after a fire broke out at a Pacific Gas and Electric substation around 1pm. Photos and videos posted on social media show stranded passengers at the airport waiting at their gates and to get through security which was shut down for hours.

One of the two men charged with vandalizing electrical substations in Washington state over the holidays to cover a burglary was ordered released from federal custody Friday to seek substance abuse help. A federal judge issued the order for Matthew Greenwood, 32, after renewed efforts by his attorney to get Greenwood into a drug-treatment facility, The News-Tribune reported. Greenwood and Jeremy Crahan, 40, both of Puyallup, have been charged with conspiracy to damage energy facilities. According to the complaint, Greenwood told investigators after his arrest that the two knocked out power so they could burglarize a business and steal from...

An overview of the substation attack in Moore County, North Carolina in December 2022. ---- This event highlights the need for making critical substations more secure and also making the grid more robust so that someone can’t rob tens of thousands of people of their lights, heat, comfort, and livelihood for four days with just a few well-placed bullets.

About 12,000 customers are without electricity in Madison, Wisconsin, during a dangerous heat wave, after fires at two downtown substations, according to local officials. An explosion and a fire occurred early Friday morning at a substation jointly owned by Madison Gas and Electric and the American Transmission Company, MG&E CEO Jeff Keebler told reporters at a news conference.

A transformer explosion in Queens sent an eerie blue light flooding the nighttime sky over New York City Thursday night, startling residents. Con Edison says a couple of transformers tripped offline at the substation at 20th Avenue and 32nd Street, sparking a fire. The explosion lit the sky so brightly that it briefly appeared to be daytime in neighborhoods like Astoria and Woodside, residents reported. Smoke arose from the source of the blue light, visible from as far as Manhattan.

A cat in Louisiana reportedly cut power to more than 7,500 people when it snuck into a substation early Monday. Entergy New Orleans tweeted around 9:30 a.m. the cat "got into a substation that feeds parts of Uptown, Central City, Mid-City, and the [Central Business District] and caused a flash when it came into contact with [their] equipment." Power was restored to customers hours later, around 11:30 a.m., the company said. The cat, which did not survive the incident, wasn't the first animal to find its way into a substation, but it was "unusual," Entergy said. "Generally, squirrels and other small...

• As many as two attackers cut all phone service - both landline and cellular - to PG&E's Metcalf substation • Over 100 rounds of ammunition were fired at several transformers • Several were damaged, others shut down after leaking coolant caused them to overheat •The FBI initially believed the attack may have been linked to the Boston Marathon bombing a day earlier

When U.S. officials warn about "attacks" on electric power facilities these days, the first thing that comes to mind is probably a computer hacker trying to shut the lights off in a city with malware. But a more traditional attack on a power station in California has U.S. officials puzzled and worried about the physical security of the the electrical grid--from attackers who come in with guns blazing. Around 1:00 AM on April 16, at least one individual (possibly two) entered two different manholes at the PG&E Metcalf power substation, southeast of San Jose, and cut fiber cables in the...

BAGHDAD — As the local government in northwest Baghdad's Hurriyah neighborhood has proven its ability to provide for its people, U.S. Soldiers handed over the Hurriyah Public Works Sub Station (PWSS) to the Government of Iraq during a ceremony held on the station's grounds here, June 17. The PWSS serves the people of Hurriyah by ridding its streets of sewage and trash. The land the PWSS was built on was once a trash dump, but after some cleaning and brick work, it was turned into the centerpiece of service in Hurriyah. The compound is equipped with two garages, four buildings...

BAGHDAD, Dec. 23, 2008 – U.S. soldiers and Baghdad’s deputy mayor met Dec. 21 to discuss progress at a public works substation in the Mansour district of the northwestern part of the Iraqi capital. Army Col. Louis Fazekas, left, shows Baghdad Deputy Mayor Naeem Aboub the progress made at the Ameriyah public works substation, Dec. 21, 2008. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Dustin Roberts  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division’s 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team and Naeem Aboub, elected as Baghdad’s deputy mayor in 2005, saw the refurbished substation building...

SULAYMANIYAH — More than 20,000 homes in the Sulaymaniyah province have reliable electrical service since a new substation became operational last month. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers turned the South Sulaymaniyah electrical substation project over to the Government of Iraq onc. 27. When Iraq’s Ministry of Energy installs three additional 132kV power lines this year, the project will service another 50,000 homes. The gas-insulated system, or GIS, is new technology for this province. “It’s the first time this technology has been used in the 33kV field here,” said Shafqat Malik, resident engineer in the Corps’ Sulaymaniyah Resident Office. Unlike...

A LARGE number of workers are trapped in lifts and 7000 others have been evacuated after an explosion rocked an office block in Melbourne's CBD this afternoon. About 7000 workers have been evacuated from two buidlings at 570 Bourke St and 600 Bourke St following the explosion at an electricity substation behind the 35-storey office tower at 570 Bourke St. Five workers are believed to be trapped in lifts at 570 Bourke with a yet-to-be determined number trapped at 600 Bourke. The fire brigade is in contact with the trapped workers via mobile phone and they are reported to be...

BASRAH — The Al-Garma 132kV substation, one of the key components of the Iraqi electrical infrastructure system in Basrah Province, has been successfully turned over to Iraqi Ministry of Electricity (MoE). “The $8.8 million project is the first of the five 132kV substation projects of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Gulf Region South district (GRS), in Basrah Province” said Andrew Schmieder, Basrah Area Office resident engineer. “Two substations are expected to be turned over later this month, with the energization of the final two expected in (late) November and December. “This project seeks to improve the electrical management...

Natalie J. Sudman, U.S. Army Corps of Engineer project engineer, (right) stands next to Shawn Russell, deputy regional manager with Gulf Region Division electrical sector. Russell signed the project completion papers with the contractor in the control room. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by A. Bahrani Umm Qasr Substation Provides Reliable Power Supply U.S. Army engineers turn over $13.8-million project to Iraqi government. By A. Al Bahrani Gulf Region South BASRAH, Iraq, March 13, 2007 -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently turned over a 132 kilovolt electrical substation at the port of Umm Qsar to the...

The construction work also benefitted the local economy, with 80 to 140 Iraqis working at the site each week. By U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region Division BAGHDAD, Iraq, Oct. 21, 2005 — A new $4.9 million electrical substation will provide approximately 20,000 Iraqis in the southwestern portion of Babil an increase in power reliability. The substation, completed in early October, replaces an existing facility. Local Iraqis performed the labor that included design and construction of a 33/11 kilovolt switch-gear building, a guard house and installation of two transformers and new switch gear equipment. The local Iraqi economy benefited...

Work is estimated to be completed in about one year at an estimated cost of $29 million and will be performed by Iraqi subcontractors. BAGHDAD, Iraq, Sept. 30, 2005 — A substation expansion project in Mosul will increase the existing capacity of the 400 kV Mosul substation to allow for an additional 400 kV transmission line between Mosul and Baghdad. The Mosul substation expansion is a critical, electric grid system element to increase the amount of available power to the entire country. The expansion provides the capacity to distribute power more reliably, thereby affecting six million people. The project serves...

"Lights Out!" Posted by Doc Farmer Saturday, August 16, 2003 On Thursday, the lights went out along a good stretch of the eastern seaboard. Some blamed lightning, some blamed mechanical failure, some blamed terrorists, and some just reserved judgment until the facts could be discerned. But the real reason behind the failure is not the material issue here. It is that the failure could happen in the first place that must be examined. For decades, America’s energy grid has been susceptible to damage, failure, and attack. Yes, safety measures are in place, but they do not address the root problem--the...