Posted: 2/5/2014 1:56:04 PM EDT
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Another way to shut down the grid: WSJ Article: Assault on California Power Station Raises Alarm on Potential for Terrorism
The article contains many interesting facts; here are a few excerpts: "SAN JOSE, Calif.—The attack began just before 1 a.m. on April 16 last year, when someone slipped into an underground vault not far from a busy freeway and cut telephone cables. Within half an hour, snipers opened fire on a nearby electrical substation. Shooting for 19 minutes, they surgically knocked out 17 giant transformers that funnel power to Silicon Valley. A minute before a police car arrived, the shooters disappeared into the night." "Nobody has been arrested or charged in the attack at PG&E Corp.'s Metcalf transmission substation. It is an incident of which few Americans are aware. But one former federal regulator is calling it a terrorist act that, if it were widely replicated across the country, could take down the U.S. electric grid and black out much of the country." ""This wasn't an incident where Billy-Bob and Joe decided, after a few brewskis, to come in and shoot up a substation," Mark Johnson, retired vice president of transmission for PG&E, told the utility security conference, according to a video of his presentation. "This was an event that was well thought out, well planned and they targeted certain components." When reached, Mr. Johnson declined to comment further." "Mr. Wellinghoff, then chairman of FERC, said that after he heard about the scope of the attack, he flew to California, bringing with him experts from the U.S. Navy's Dahlgren Surface Warfare Center in Virginia, which trains Navy SEALs. After walking the site with PG&E officials and FBI agents, Mr. Wellinghoff said, the military experts told him it looked like a professional job. In addition to fingerprint-free shell casings, they pointed out small piles of rocks, which they said could have been left by an advance scout to tell the attackers where to get the best shots. "They said it was a targeting package just like they would put together for an attack," Mr. Wellinghoff said." "The country's roughly 2,000 very large transformers are expensive to build, often costing millions of dollars each, and hard to replace. Each is custom made and weighs up to 500,000 pounds, and "I can only build 10 units a month," said Dennis Blake, general manager of Pennsylvania Transformer in Pittsburgh, one of seven U.S. manufacturers. The utility industry keeps some spares on hand." |
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Some power companies are trying to do this themselves, although it should be a regional thing, it could expand to other areas.
A lot of power companies are going with "deferred maintenance" on their infrastructure and opting to wait until they can include wear and tear items into a capital improvement project. The reason being is they can go to the regulating authority with a capital improvement project as a reason to increase rates, They can't pass normal maintenance costs along in rate increases. First Energy sort of did this back prior to '03, when after scaling back on tree trimming, they caused the east coast blackout. |
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It sure sounds like they were reluctant to publicize this . . . copy-cat concerns?. Some unnamed "former official at PG&E" fears the incident could be a "a dress rehearsal for a larger event."
I'll admit I've been reading a bunch of SHTF books recently (mostly related to cyber attacks on the grid or EMP), but this was something else. The past chairman of the FERC admitted in the article that "if a surprisingly small number of U.S. substations were knocked out at once, that could destabilize the system enough to cause a blackout that could encompass most of the U.S." Well, we'll plug along working to be as self-sufficient as an suburban family can be regardless of the perils we might encounter. |
| And in other news, terrorists atacked a traffic control device at a major intersections used by school buses each day in Alabama. Forensic analysis of shell casings confirms the use of SKS assault rifles to destroy the traffic control device. The county sherriff noted they found beer bottles near the shooters location which may have been placed by an advance crew to indicate prefered shooting locations. The stop sign has been sent to the FBI lab in Washington DC for additional testing. |
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The past chairman of the FERC admitted in the article that "if a surprisingly small number of U.S. substations were knocked out at once, that could destabilize the system enough to cause a blackout that could encompass most of the U.S." Meh - So we experience a temporary blackout until the "destabilized" power system is restored to normal operation. So what? A long-term blackout would require major damage to a lot of substations - And would require a lot of terrorists to accomplish. |
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I often wonder why things like this don't happen more often. There are so may things related to infrastructure, power, water, oil and gas lines and so on, many in remote and/or unguarded areas. It doesn't have the same instant shock and fear, but you could probably do more damage staying low key. It would seem difficult they could take out enough transformers to do any real damage though. You would need to hit all 2000 transformers at once, I imagine of they tired to hit one after another some sort of security would be posted. It is kind of odd what the media decides to go crazy about, and what you don't hear much about.
Eta... I guess I do remember hearing about this last year, although they hadn't gone into the details if I remember correctly. I find this quote kind of funny "The FBI is still not prepared to say that this was a terrorist attack, even though this power station was attacked with AK47s," Fleitz told Malzberg. 7.62x39 casings = ak 47 = terrorist. |
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I often wonder why things like this don't happen more often. There are so may things related to infrastructure, power, water, oil and gas lines and so on, many in remote and/or unguarded areas. It doesn't have the same instant shock and fear, but you could probably do more damage staying low key. It would seem difficult they could take out enough transformers to do any real damage though. You would need to hit all 2000 transformers at once, I imagine of they tired to hit one after another some sort of security would be posted. It is kind of odd what the media decides to go crazy about, and what you don't hear much about. Eta... I guess I do remember hearing about this last year, although they hadn't gone into the details if I remember correctly. I find this quote kind of funny "The FBI is still not prepared to say that this was a terrorist attack, even though this power station was attacked with AK47s," Fleitz told Malzberg. 7.62x39 casings = ak 47 = terrorist. 1. Because hurting innocent people is wrong, and when you are not a Euro-Asian shithead, like our ancestors' stay-at-home decendents are, you don't hurt women and children. 2. Back in the '70s the American Indian Movement was give real full-auto AK 47s by the Communists. Look up a picture of the girl holding one at the Wounded Knee protest in 1973. There were no commercially available semi-auto AKs back then. Putin only knows how many US hate groups (ones the SPLC does not recognize as bad) got weapons for free. Here is a man with one http://www.nuttyhistory.com/uploads/1/2/1/5/12150034/__7788394_orig.jpg |
First time I have heard of this but not surprised. I work for a high end network security firm and handle quite a few utility clients and prospects. It is scary how unprotected many of the major electric, oil and gas, and other utility companies are. They spend a fortune on all the crap with blinking lights and disaster recovery sites, and yet could be completely taken offline for days or even longer very easily. The rest have gear running their networks that is so old public schools wouldn't even use it if it were donated. 
If anyone every really wanted to go after us, we'd be screwed. |
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Currently where I live along the I-94 corridor in western Minnesota, new giant power lines are being strung up. There were attacks on the giant towers in the 1970's here by farmers who were fighting the installation of the lines. They actually blew up some of the towers requiring armed guards be present for awhile. The system is very vulnerable if the terrorists actually wanted to wreak havoc. Look at the east coast several years ago during their major black out.
Link for Coop powerline protests |
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There was a report on the news today that the attack that knocked out a Silicon Valley substation a while back, was officially labeled as terrorism. Apparently they cut some comms cables, then fell back and sniped at the transformers. It took months to repair.
news report |
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I used to work for the power co about 16 years ago. Been working for the telco for the last 15+. I started off doing POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) and then upgraded to T1's, fiber, and cellsites. I have worked around them when they broke and the fragility of these system is SCARY! I am glad these ass-clowns don't know a whole lot about this or it could have been much worse.
Redman |
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I used to work for the power co about 16 years ago. Been working for the telco for the last 15+. I started off doing POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) and then upgraded to T1's, fiber, and cellsites. I have worked around them when they broke and the fragility of these system is SCARY! I am glad these ass-clowns don't know a whole lot about this or it could have been much worse. Single sites or circuits are fragile as hell, but there's a ton of redundancy in the system. Whats going to be interesting is the Verizion and AT&T push to Uverse/FiOS, metro ethernet, or wireless. When all of the copper is gone, there is a hell of a lot of critical traffic going through the cell sites, even more so because of city requirements to colo on the same tower. If everythign ever really goes to IP, it will make the switching to surviving facilities automatic, prehaps at the cost of the grocery store POS terminal competiting for bandwidth with the guy trying to watch streaming video of the event. |
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Single sites or circuits are fragile as hell, but there's a ton of redundancy in the system. Whats going to be interesting is the Verizion and AT&T push to Uverse/FiOS, metro ethernet, or wireless. When all of the copper is gone, there is a hell of a lot of critical traffic going through the cell sites, even more so because of city requirements to colo on the same tower. If everythign ever really goes to IP, it will make the switching to surviving facilities automatic, prehaps at the cost of the grocery store POS terminal competiting for bandwidth with the guy trying to watch streaming video of the event. Quoted:
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I used to work for the power co about 16 years ago. Been working for the telco for the last 15+. I started off doing POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) and then upgraded to T1's, fiber, and cellsites. I have worked around them when they broke and the fragility of these system is SCARY! I am glad these ass-clowns don't know a whole lot about this or it could have been much worse. Single sites or circuits are fragile as hell, but there's a ton of redundancy in the system. Whats going to be interesting is the Verizion and AT&T push to Uverse/FiOS, metro ethernet, or wireless. When all of the copper is gone, there is a hell of a lot of critical traffic going through the cell sites, even more so because of city requirements to colo on the same tower. If everythign ever really goes to IP, it will make the switching to surviving facilities automatic, prehaps at the cost of the grocery store POS terminal competiting for bandwidth with the guy trying to watch streaming video of the event. Thats what I understand we are going to. I dont work that side of the house anymore...Next time I'm in AL, I need to look you up and us have a drink..  After years with this, we think alike.
Redman |
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Quoted:A long-term blackout would require major damage to a lot of substations - And would require a lot of terrorists to accomplish. Per a local radio news story there are about 2000 of these very large transformers in the US. They are not "standard" and are custom wound to order. The factory that makes them can put out about 10 per month. These are large and expensive things weighing thousands of pounds. So if the terrorist can shoot 20-30 of them a month we're fucked. Nobody armor plates their sub-stations and they're easy to find and are big targets. Back in September of 2001 I suggested shooting high voltage line insulators and transformers as a means of asymmetrical warfare. Stupid simple and tremendously expensive with a huge impact. Every hunting season a Bubba does it shooting the ceramic tower insulators. I also suggested parking broken down vehicles on bridges in the major cities as a way to economically impact Americans. There was a big thread on asymmetrical and economical warfare. |
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Per a local radio news story there are about 2000 of these very large transformers in the US. They are not "standard" and are custom wound to order. The factory that makes them can put out about 10 per month. These are large and expensive things weighing thousands of pounds. So if the terrorist can shoot 20-30 of them a month we're fucked. Nobody armor plates their sub-stations and they're easy to find and are big targets. Back in September of 2001 I suggested shooting high voltage line insulators and transformers as a means of asymmetrical warfare. Stupid simple and tremendously expensive with a huge impact. Every hunting season a Bubba does it shooting the ceramic tower insulators. I also suggested parking broken down vehicles on bridges in the major cities as a way to economically impact Americans. There was a big thread on asymmetrical and economical warfare. Quoted:
Quoted:A long-term blackout would require major damage to a lot of substations - And would require a lot of terrorists to accomplish. Per a local radio news story there are about 2000 of these very large transformers in the US. They are not "standard" and are custom wound to order. The factory that makes them can put out about 10 per month. These are large and expensive things weighing thousands of pounds. So if the terrorist can shoot 20-30 of them a month we're fucked. Nobody armor plates their sub-stations and they're easy to find and are big targets. Back in September of 2001 I suggested shooting high voltage line insulators and transformers as a means of asymmetrical warfare. Stupid simple and tremendously expensive with a huge impact. Every hunting season a Bubba does it shooting the ceramic tower insulators. I also suggested parking broken down vehicles on bridges in the major cities as a way to economically impact Americans. There was a big thread on asymmetrical and economical warfare. ^ What he said. Think of a big city near your house. Now think of how many cars stuck on bridges it take to stop all traffic in or out. Sure there are going to be alternate routs, but not all of them can accommodate an articulated truck and trailer. No fule or food. Scary easy. |
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Per a local radio news story there are about 2000 of these very large transformers in the US. They are not "standard" and are custom wound to order. The factory that makes them can put out about 10 per month. These are large and expensive things weighing thousands of pounds. So if the terrorist can shoot 20-30 of them a month we're fucked. Quoted:
Quoted:A long-term blackout would require major damage to a lot of substations - And would require a lot of terrorists to accomplish. Per a local radio news story there are about 2000 of these very large transformers in the US. They are not "standard" and are custom wound to order. The factory that makes them can put out about 10 per month. These are large and expensive things weighing thousands of pounds. So if the terrorist can shoot 20-30 of them a month we're fucked. First, as a terrorist, you have to assume that your very expensive targets have no protection against coolant leaks - no SCADA temperature monitoring or automatic overtemperature cut-outs. In other words, you have to assume that something as simple as an oil leak will result in the transformer destroying itself - rather than merely shutting down until the leak can be patched. Next, you have to assume that the utilities you're targeting don't keep spares around - or can't truck them in from other areas of the country. Next, you have to assume that even with you shooting 20-30 of them a month, nobody is going to initiate preventative measures at substations - security guards, stakeouts to catch you, etc. It ain't as easy as it seems. |
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First, as a terrorist, you have to assume that your very expensive targets have no protection against coolant leaks - no SCADA temperature monitoring or automatic overtemperature cut-outs. In other words, you have to assume that something as simple as an oil leak will result in the transformer destroying itself - rather than merely shutting down until the leak can be patched. Next, you have to assume that the utilities you're targeting don't keep spares around - or can't truck them in from other areas of the country. Next, you have to assume that even with you shooting 20-30 of them a month, nobody is going to initiate preventative measures at substations - security guards, stakeouts to catch you, etc. It ain't as easy as it seems. Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:A long-term blackout would require major damage to a lot of substations - And would require a lot of terrorists to accomplish. Per a local radio news story there are about 2000 of these very large transformers in the US. They are not "standard" and are custom wound to order. The factory that makes them can put out about 10 per month. These are large and expensive things weighing thousands of pounds. So if the terrorist can shoot 20-30 of them a month we're fucked. First, as a terrorist, you have to assume that your very expensive targets have no protection against coolant leaks - no SCADA temperature monitoring or automatic overtemperature cut-outs. In other words, you have to assume that something as simple as an oil leak will result in the transformer destroying itself - rather than merely shutting down until the leak can be patched. Next, you have to assume that the utilities you're targeting don't keep spares around - or can't truck them in from other areas of the country. Next, you have to assume that even with you shooting 20-30 of them a month, nobody is going to initiate preventative measures at substations - security guards, stakeouts to catch you, etc. It ain't as easy as it seems. Right, because it's actually easier. This is only one thing, in only one utility. This is something that has been publically ignored or at most played down because it would be such a daunting task to even attempt to plug all the vulnerabilities. Water, power, gas, roads, air, communications... the list goes on. A small but coordinated effort on just a few, combined with a more direct attack of some kind or natural disaster would bring chaos. It doesn't necessarily need to be extended long term. |
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Quoted: First, as a terrorist, you have to assume that your very expensive targets have no protection against coolant leaks - no SCADA temperature monitoring or automatic overtemperature cut-outs. In other words, you have to assume that something as simple as an oil leak will result in the transformer destroying itself - rather than merely shutting down until the leak can be patched. Next, you have to assume that the utilities you're targeting don't keep spares around - or can't truck them in from other areas of the country. Next, you have to assume that even with you shooting 20-30 of them a month, nobody is going to initiate preventative measures at substations - security guards, stakeouts to catch you, etc. It ain't as easy as it seems. Quoted: Quoted: Quoted:A long-term blackout would require major damage to a lot of substations - And would require a lot of terrorists to accomplish. Per a local radio news story there are about 2000 of these very large transformers in the US. They are not "standard" and are custom wound to order. The factory that makes them can put out about 10 per month. These are large and expensive things weighing thousands of pounds. So if the terrorist can shoot 20-30 of them a month we're fucked. First, as a terrorist, you have to assume that your very expensive targets have no protection against coolant leaks - no SCADA temperature monitoring or automatic overtemperature cut-outs. In other words, you have to assume that something as simple as an oil leak will result in the transformer destroying itself - rather than merely shutting down until the leak can be patched. Next, you have to assume that the utilities you're targeting don't keep spares around - or can't truck them in from other areas of the country. Next, you have to assume that even with you shooting 20-30 of them a month, nobody is going to initiate preventative measures at substations - security guards, stakeouts to catch you, etc. It ain't as easy as it seems. I live near the area those 2 "beltway snipers" were killing people randomly. It just about shutdown commerce in some parts. I remember going shopping at Sam's one night and the parking lot was empty. Normally it would have been at least half full. People were afraid to pump their own gas. Just imagine the chaos if a country like Iran sent teams of trained people to do the same along with hitting infrastructure targets. There's no way to protect against that kind of attack in a free country |
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Right, because it's actually easier. This is only one thing, in only one utility. This is something that has been publically ignored or at most played down because it would be such a daunting task to even attempt to plug all the vulnerabilities. Water, power, gas, roads, air, communications... the list goes on. A small but coordinated effort on just a few, combined with a more direct attack of some kind or natural disaster would bring chaos. It doesn't necessarily need to be extended long term. Quoted:
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Quoted:A long-term blackout would require major damage to a lot of substations - And would require a lot of terrorists to accomplish. Per a local radio news story there are about 2000 of these very large transformers in the US. They are not "standard" and are custom wound to order. The factory that makes them can put out about 10 per month. These are large and expensive things weighing thousands of pounds. So if the terrorist can shoot 20-30 of them a month we're fucked. First, as a terrorist, you have to assume that your very expensive targets have no protection against coolant leaks - no SCADA temperature monitoring or automatic overtemperature cut-outs. In other words, you have to assume that something as simple as an oil leak will result in the transformer destroying itself - rather than merely shutting down until the leak can be patched. Next, you have to assume that the utilities you're targeting don't keep spares around - or can't truck them in from other areas of the country. Next, you have to assume that even with you shooting 20-30 of them a month, nobody is going to initiate preventative measures at substations - security guards, stakeouts to catch you, etc. It ain't as easy as it seems. Right, because it's actually easier. This is only one thing, in only one utility. This is something that has been publically ignored or at most played down because it would be such a daunting task to even attempt to plug all the vulnerabilities. Water, power, gas, roads, air, communications... the list goes on. A small but coordinated effort on just a few, combined with a more direct attack of some kind or natural disaster would bring chaos. It doesn't necessarily need to be extended long term. It's only "easier" if you ignore practical considerations - like the ones I posted above. |
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Quoted:A long-term blackout would require major damage to a lot of substations - And would require a lot of terrorists to accomplish. Per a local radio news story there are about 2000 of these very large transformers in the US. They are not "standard" and are custom wound to order. The factory that makes them can put out about 10 per month. These are large and expensive things weighing thousands of pounds. So if the terrorist can shoot 20-30 of them a month we're fucked. First, as a terrorist, you have to assume that your very expensive targets have no protection against coolant leaks - no SCADA temperature monitoring or automatic overtemperature cut-outs. In other words, you have to assume that something as simple as an oil leak will result in the transformer destroying itself - rather than merely shutting down until the leak can be patched. Next, you have to assume that the utilities you're targeting don't keep spares around - or can't truck them in from other areas of the country. Next, you have to assume that even with you shooting 20-30 of them a month, nobody is going to initiate preventative measures at substations - security guards, stakeouts to catch you, etc. It ain't as easy as it seems. I live near the area those 2 "beltway snipers" were killing people randomly. It just about shutdown commerce in some parts. I remember going shopping at Sam's one night and the parking lot was empty. Normally it would have been at least half full. People were afraid to pump their own gas. Just imagine the chaos if a country like Iran sent teams of trained people to do the same along with hitting infrastructure targets. There's no way to protect against that kind of attack in a free country I know someone who was on the jury that convicted John Allen Muhammad. It was a crazy time. And yes, it is tough to defend. |