It’s hard to overstate the importance of power grid safety.
According to a study by USA Today, there were 348 physical attacks on electric utilities between 2011 and 2014 -- and 22 gun-related substation attacks between July 2015 and March 2016. These sort of attacks cause outages and other disturbances to power systems.
As part of National Electrical Safety Month, Building Solutions is featuring how the Precast substation security walls can protect our nation’s power grid and keep our homes lit.
Power Failure Fallout
The U.S. power grid operates as an inter-dependent network - meaning failure of a transformer or single piece of equipment in the network causes an outage, unless electricity can be drawn from other substations.
If nine of the country’s 55,000 substations failed at once from a physical attack or a cyber-attack, there’s potential to leave millions in the dark for years.
That sort of power outage would have major consequences. Grocery stores would struggle to maintain produce, families would be unable to keep homes warm (or cool), and hospitals would be forced to operate on backup power. Many businesses couldn’t open, transportation systems could be shut down, and gas stations would be unable to operate.
In August 2003, a blackout in seven northeastern states and Ontario caused rail systems to shut down, flights to cancel, and water contamination due to loss of water pressure. It also cost eleven people their lives.
That sort of fallout is what makes precast substation security walls so important. People can’t afford to go without power for that long.
Potential for Costly Attack & Lengthy Repair
With the stakes of losing power so high, it's unfortunate that so many facilities have been subjected to attacks. But there have been too many incidents to ignore.
In just the last four years:
- $1 million worth of damage was caused to Lake Region Electric Co-Op in Tahlequah, Oklahoma when 4 shots hit a transformer and electrical breakers, knocking out power to 2,000 customers (Sept. 2012).
- $15 million in damage was dealt to PG&E in San Jose, California after a 19-minute shooting knocked out 17 transformers. Substation repair took 27 days, and PG&E alone has pledged to spend $100 million over three years to improve security at its facilities (April 2013).
- $250,000 of damage released 500 gallons of mineral oil at Northwestern Rural Electric Co-Op in Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania when nine bullets struck a transformer (Nov. 2014).
Production of a new transformer has a two-year lead time, with costs anywhere between $1 million and $7 million. Repairs are also time consuming and expensive, so preventative security measures are key to keeping our nation powered.
How Precast Substation Walls Help
Preemptive power grid security is critical to impede attacks. Oldcastle Infrastructure, A CRH company, offers two security wall options with UL 752 Level 8 ballistic rating, providing maximum substation protection.
The first option is a post and panel wall system installed directly around the transformer, with wall heights as tall as 40 ft.
The second option is a free-standing perimeter wall around the entire substation. It has a dual barrier, is vehicle impact resistant, and has features to prevent climbing. It also includes conduit for security lighting and cameras.
Prevent the Preventable
Concrete perimeter walls act as a deterrent, shielding assets from view. During extreme weather conditions, concrete walls can protect equipment from debris and winds in excess of 100 mph.
To the right, you can see how our walls performed against a test of 9 gunshots.
Oldcastle Infrastructure substation walls are a reliable solution that can help reinforce U.S. power grid security and protect against future attacks.
Learn more about how Oldcastle Infrastructure can help with your project:
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