According to reports by Bloomberg News, following an incident wherein two power substations were disabled and plunged 45,000 people into total darkness, the FBI is investigating the incident. The incident occurred in central North Carolina, as revealed by the officials on Sunday.
While speaking at a news conference, the county sheriff Ronnie Fields said that this “extensive damage” was discovered on Saturday around 7 pm. They found a firearm that disabled Moore County, North Carolina’s substations. Following the incident, a curfew country wide around 9 pm was imposed on Sunday to protect the business entities and the citizens.
According to state senator Tom McInnis, the attack was intentional, malicious, and willful, adding that the individual perpetuating the same will receive the fullest punishment as per law.
Power Restoration
It is also anticipated that it may not be until Thursday when power will be restored fully, as stated by utility Duke Energy Corp in a statement that it released, adding that multiple equipment failures and drawbacks were being repaired.
This event occurs at a time when federal officials are apprehensive about the vulnerability of the country’s power grid to terrorism aside from the key pieces of equipment security. The critical links are the substations that take care of the transmission system of the nation, which is yet to be guarded.
Trying to Figure Out a Link!
Bloomberg News also reported that way back in 2013, there was a sniper attack that knocked out PG&E Corp’s electrical substations, which used to power California’s Silicon Valley. There was a power outage for 27 days. On Sunday, in a statement, the North Carolina representative Richard Hudson stated that the motive behind the attack is not known yet. Authorities are also trying to find out whether there is a link between a local drag show’s protester and the attack that ensued. However, there has been no evidence obtained yet.
Jennifer Granholm, the Energy Secretary, revealed that she would be contacting the utility and agency’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response as they are working on the incident with the other federal government departments.
