There was an interesting article in The Wall Street Journal this week that discussed our country's vulnerability to attacks on our electrical grid.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-america-could-go-dark-1468423254
Excerpts from the piece:
Dozens of break-ins examined by The Wall Street Journal show how orders to secure the power grid have still left tens of thousands of utility substations vulnerable to terrorist saboteurs
The Bakersfield attacks last year were among dozens of break-ins examined by The Wall Street Journal that show how, despite federal orders to secure the power grid, tens of thousands of substations are still vulnerable to saboteurs.
The U.S. electric system is in danger of widespread blackouts lasting days, weeks or longer through the destruction of sensitive, hard-to-replace equipment. Yet records are so spotty that no government agency can offer an accurate tally of substation attacks, whether for vandalism, theft or more nefarious purposes.
Most substations are unmanned and often protected chiefly by chain-link fences. Many have no electronic security, leaving attacks unnoticed until after the damage is done. Even if there are security cameras, they often prove worthless. In some cases, alarms are simply ignored.
The following year, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which regulates the country's interstate power system, began requiring that utilities better protect any substation that could disable parts of the U.S. grid if attacked.
FERC's new rule, however, doesn't extend to tens of thousands of smaller substations, including Metcalf and the one in Bakersfield. Security experts say a simultaneous attack on several of these substations also could destabilize the grid and cause widespread blackouts.
Gerry Cauley, head of the North American Electric Reliability Corp., -which writes standards for the grid-was asked at a FERC hearing in June on grid security what kept him up at night. He said the prospect of "eight or 10 vans going to different sites and blowing things up." Recovery from a coordinated attack, he said, could take weeks or months.
Federal officials have long known about the vulnerability of electrical substations. A 1990 report from the federal Office of Technology Assessment warned that "virtually any region would suffer major, extended blackouts if more than three key substations were destroyed."
Security adviser James Holler said his company, Abidance Consulting, inspected nearly 1,000 substations over the past year for utilities in 14 states. "At least half had nothing but a padlock on the gate," he said. "No cameras. No motion sensors or alarms."
http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-america-could-go-dark-1468423254
Excerpts from the piece:
Dozens of break-ins examined by The Wall Street Journal show how orders to secure the power grid have still left tens of thousands of utility substations vulnerable to terrorist saboteurs
The Bakersfield attacks last year were among dozens of break-ins examined by The Wall Street Journal that show how, despite federal orders to secure the power grid, tens of thousands of substations are still vulnerable to saboteurs.
The U.S. electric system is in danger of widespread blackouts lasting days, weeks or longer through the destruction of sensitive, hard-to-replace equipment. Yet records are so spotty that no government agency can offer an accurate tally of substation attacks, whether for vandalism, theft or more nefarious purposes.
Most substations are unmanned and often protected chiefly by chain-link fences. Many have no electronic security, leaving attacks unnoticed until after the damage is done. Even if there are security cameras, they often prove worthless. In some cases, alarms are simply ignored.
The following year, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which regulates the country's interstate power system, began requiring that utilities better protect any substation that could disable parts of the U.S. grid if attacked.
FERC's new rule, however, doesn't extend to tens of thousands of smaller substations, including Metcalf and the one in Bakersfield. Security experts say a simultaneous attack on several of these substations also could destabilize the grid and cause widespread blackouts.
Gerry Cauley, head of the North American Electric Reliability Corp., -which writes standards for the grid-was asked at a FERC hearing in June on grid security what kept him up at night. He said the prospect of "eight or 10 vans going to different sites and blowing things up." Recovery from a coordinated attack, he said, could take weeks or months.
Federal officials have long known about the vulnerability of electrical substations. A 1990 report from the federal Office of Technology Assessment warned that "virtually any region would suffer major, extended blackouts if more than three key substations were destroyed."
Security adviser James Holler said his company, Abidance Consulting, inspected nearly 1,000 substations over the past year for utilities in 14 states. "At least half had nothing but a padlock on the gate," he said. "No cameras. No motion sensors or alarms."
