Snipers Coordinated an Attack on the Power Grid, but Why?

A story seemingly stolen from the pages of a crime thriller, but far less comprehensible.

Alexis C. Madrigal Feb 5 2014, 11:49 AM ET

Last April, unknown attackers shot up 17 transformers at a California substation in what the then-chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Jon Wellinghoff called "the most significant incident of domestic terrorism involving the grid that has ever occurred" in this country.

Though news reports about the incident at the Metcalf transmission facility came out in April, The Wall Street Journal just pieced together the larger story of the attack together from regulatory filings and outside reporting.

Various power-grid facilities are vandalized or damaged regularly, but the details of this particular attack are startling.

Before the attackers opened fire on the transformers, fiber optic lines running nearby were cut.

Whoever executed the maneuver knew where to shoot the transformers. They aimed at the oil-cooling systems, causing them to leak oil and eventually overheat. By the time that happened, the attackers were long gone.

Read more:

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/ar...but-why/283620/

February 06, 2014

Power Station Sniper

What motivated the sophisticated sniper attack on a San Jose power station last April? The Times wonders:

Months Later, Sniper Attack at Power Hub Still a Mystery

SAN FRANCISCO — A mysterious and sophisticated sniper attack last year on a Silicon Valley power substation has underscored concerns about the vulnerability of the country’s electrical grid and prompted debate over whether it was an act of terrorism.

The chain of events is not in dispute: Shortly before 1:30 a.m. on April 16, 2013, one or more people methodically cut communication cables near a Pacific Gas & Electric substation in San Jose, sprayed more than 100 rifle bullets and knocked out 17 of the station’s 23 transformers before fleeing and avoiding capture. A grainy black-and-white surveillance video released by the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s office in a search for leads shows shots being fired for about a minute at the substation.

Though the utility was able to prevent a power failure by diverting electricity from other areas, the damage took 27 days to repair, said Brian Swanson, a spokesman for Pacific Gas & Electric.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been investigating the attack, but says it has no evidence of terrorism nor any suspects.

Read more:

http://justoneminute.typepad.com/main/20...ion-sniper.html