North Carolina substation attacks part of dozens across US

The power is back on in Moore County, North Carolina. Residents there went without electricity for five days after attacks on two electrical substations.

According to the Department of Energy, the attacks in Moore County were just two of the dozens of intentional attacks reported on the U.S. power grid this year.

According to Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields, gunmen opened fire on two electrical substations in rural North Carolina last Saturday. Duke Energy, the company that owns the damaged substations, said all the impacted equipment has either been repaired or replaced. Duke said damage estimates are in the millions. Local law enforcement is coordinating with the FBI, but no suspects have been arrested yet. If history holds true, they likely won’t.

The Department of Energy said there have been at least 70 reported incidents of intentional, physical attacks on U.S. substations in 2022. The most recent appears to have happened Wednesday night near a hydro station in South Carolina. Shots were fired near the facility, but no damage was done, and no injuries were reported. The FBI is investigating there as well.

In November alone, the Seattle Times reported there were at least five attacks on electrical substations in Washington and Oregon. The attacks involved hand tools, arson, firearms and metal chains. CBS News reported a federal bulletin to law enforcement said the attacks could be in response to online calls to attack critical infrastructure.

In January, the Department of Homeland Security said domestic extremists had developed “credible plans to attack electrical infrastructure.” According to DHS, extremists think if they damage the electrical grid enough, it will cause a cascading effect that knocks out power to the country and plunges it into chaos.

Thankfully, experts said it would be difficult to knock out power to the nation because of the sheer size and decentralized nature of the grid.