This article is from the source 'washpo' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/attack-last-year-on-calif-power-station-raises-wider-security-concerns-news-report-says/2014/02/05/f6429f02-8e98-11e3-b46a-5a3d0d2130da_story.html?wprss=rss_homepage

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Attack last year on Calif. power station raises wider security concerns, news report says San Jose power station attack raises wider security concerns, news report says
(about 3 hours later)
An unsolved attack on an electrical-power substation in California last year--in which vital transformers were riddled with gunfire and disabled--has left some experts worried that a chain of similar attacks could cause crippling damage to the U.S. power grid, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. An unsolved attack on an electrical-power substation in California last year, in which vital transformers were riddled with gunfire and disabled for nearly four weeks, has left some experts worried that a chain of similar attacks could cause crippling damage to the U.S. power grid.
The Journal’s story examined an April 16 incident at the Metcalf transmission station in San Jose. The attack did not cause major power disruptions, because officials were able to re-route electricity around the damaged substation. The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday provided new details about an April 16 incident at the Metcalf transmission station in San Jose. The attack did not cause major power disruptions because officials were able to re-route electricity around the damaged substation.
But, the Journal reported, it took 27 days to make the repairs necessary to bring the station back on line. The attack did not seem to be the work of amateurs. The shell casings left behind were devoid of fingerprints, and there were piles of small rocks near where the snipers took their shots that might have been placed by a scouting team, the Journal reported.
The attack did not seem to be the work of amateurs, the Journal reported. The shell casings left behind were devoid of fingerprints, and there were piles of small rocks near where the snipers took their shots. The piles may have been left by an advance scout, to show the best shooting locations, the Journal said. “It’s still an ongoing investigation,” said Brian Swanson, a spokesman for Pacific Gas and Electric, which owns the substation, said in a phone interview with The Washington Post. “We’re not going to speculate as to the possible motive before the investigation is complete.”
No one has been arrested in the case, and no motive has been publicly identified, the Journal said. The Journal’s account relied heavily on analysis from Jon Wellinghoff, the former chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Wellinghoff now works for a San Francisco law firm; he did not immediately return a call for comment.
“It’s still an ongoing investigation,” said Brian Swanson, a spokesman for Pacific Gas and Electric, which owns the substation, said in a phone interview with the Washington Post. “We’re not going to speculate as to the possible motive before the investigation is complete.” A spokeswoman for the FERC declined to comment Wednesday.
The Journal’s account relied heavily on analysis from Jon Wellinghoff, the former chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Wellinghoff now works for a San Francisco law firm: he was traveling Wednesday, and did not immediately return a call for comment. These transformers are a vital, and difficult-to-replace, part of the country’s electrical grid. In essence, they help transfer electricity from the freeways of the grid — high-voltage transmission lines — into the electrical equivalent of side streets. Those are the lines that lead to homes and businesses.
A spokeswoman for the FERC declined to comment Wednesday on the Journal’s report. In recent years, much of the concern about the safety of the electrical grid focused on cyberattacks. But the California incident demonstrated that a physical attack on a substation could also cause significant damage. For years, security experts have worried that if a number of these transformers were lost at once, the result could be a long-lasting breakdown in the grid.
According to the Journal, the attackers fired more than 100 shots at the substation, hitting the transformers’ oil-filled cooling systems. The paper said that 52,000 gallons of oil leaked out, and then 17 transformers over-heated and stopped working.
These transformers are a vital, and difficult-to-replace, part of the country’s electrical grid. In essence, they help transfer electricity from the freeways of the grid--high-voltage transmission lines--into the electrical equivalent of side-streets. Those are the lines that lead to homes and businesses.
In recent years, much of the concern about the safety of the electrical grid focused on cyber-attacks. But the California incident demonstrated that a physical attack on a substation could also cause significant damage. For years, security experts have worried that--if a number of these transformers were lost at once--the result could be a long-lasting breakdown in the grid.
In 2012, a report by the National Research Council found that high-voltage transformers “are the single most vulnerable component of the transmission and distribution system.”In 2012, a report by the National Research Council found that high-voltage transformers “are the single most vulnerable component of the transmission and distribution system.”
“This has been the principal thing that has worried a lot of us, about vulnerability of the power system. Because transformers, especially the higher-voltage ones, tend to be very unique. They’re very hard to replace. And they’re very vulnerable,” said M. Granger Morgan, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University who led the council’s study. Morgan spoke to the Washington Post by phone on Wednesday. “This has been the principal thing that has worried a lot of us, about vulnerability of the power system. Because transformers, especially the higher-voltage ones, tend to be very unique. They’re very hard to replace. And they’re very vulnerable,” M. Granger Morgan, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University who led the council’s study, said in a telephone interview.
“It’s probably a more serious issue than the cyber concerns,” Morgan said. “With cyber, it’s really hard to see that you could do much that caused long-term, serious damage. Whereas this is a strategy that could really mess up the power system--not just for weeks, but for months at a time.” “It’s probably a more serious issue than the cyber concerns,” Morgan said. “With cyber, it’s really hard to see that you could do much that caused long-term, serious damage. Whereas this is a strategy that could really mess up the power system not just for weeks, but for months at a time.”