Posted on 12/28/2013 2:15:07 PM PST by Daralundy
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 area around the substation. That knocked out some local 911 services, landline service to the substation, and cell phone service in the area, a senior U.S. intelligence official told Foreign Policy. The intruder(s) then fired more than 100 rounds from what two officials described as a high-powered rifle at several transformers in the facility. Ten transformers were damaged in one area of the facility, and three transformer banks -- or groups of transformers -- were hit in another, according to a PG&E spokesman.
Cooling oil then leaked from a transformer bank, causing the transformers to overheat and shut down. State regulators urged customers in the area to conserve energy over the following days, but there was no long-term damage reported at the facility and there were no major power outages. There were no injuries reported. That was the good news. The bad news is that officials don't know who the shooter(s) were, and most importantly, whether further attacks are planned.
(Excerpt) Read more at complex.foreignpolicy.com ...
Charley probing the wire.
Big difference between a power plant (station) and a substation.
Either Muzzie or, more likely, “greenie/Friends of the Earth” ecoterrorist.
Probably a false flag op to score more funding and curtail rights.
Power station terrorism Ping...
Ping.
...and the state of Tennessee near that time had someone try to breach the perimeter of a nuclear plant at 2:00 a.m. and who exchange gunfire with security guards before fleeing in a boat.
LOL, this is the same asshole that is doing his best to destroy the electrical grid in the name of Global Warming. FU Waxman.
These oil filled transformers, would they by any chance
have PCBs in them? I seem to remember they used to.
I need to get my security camera salesperson over there now!
Not if your goal is to disrupt service to the end user.
Of course, the elephant in the phonebooth is protecting the high power lines that stretch across the continent. Thermite or any number of industrial cutting technologies could knock down a lot of those towers in a hurry, and crews trying to erect new towers would be difficult to guard.
States like Kaliporno can’t provide their own power locally.
Sure sounds like someone knew what they were doing,
where to cut and where to shoot.
hmm
depends how old, not sure what dialetric they use now.
No, they have all been converted to non-PCB oils.
Didn’t this happen last December rather than recently? I recall the story being reported late last year.
Besides large transformers will have a concrete barrier container to capture all spillage.
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