A new report says that the United States electrical grid is extremely vulnerable to terrorist attack.
New Jersey’s Regional Operations Intelligence Center released an oversight report that shows an increase in unauthorized access to electrical facilities by unknown persons.
From October 2013 to January 2014, there were at least eight intrusions at New Jersey electrical grid facilities. The group said that these kinds of intrusions are not unusual given the weak security in place at most of the electrical grid sites.
The report says that the intrusions show the vulnerability of the grid to attack.
“The electrical grid – a network of power generating plants, transmission lines, substations and distribution lines – is inherently vulnerable,” the report reads. “Transmission substations are critical links in the electrical grid, making it possible for electricity to move long distances and serving as hubs for intersecting power lines. Many of the grid’s important components sit out in the open, often in remote locations, protected by little more than cameras and chain-link fences.”
Other examples of sabotage on the power grid were displayed including someone removing the bolts from an electric tower’s support structure, which increased the potential for collapse.
In April, a group of gunmen destroyed transformers with a series of sniper rounds and cut underground fiber optic cables at a California power substation.
England is facing a double whammy of flooding and heavy snowfall that is disrupting travel and electrical services.
Large parts of the upper Midwest are without power as a massive snowstorm dumps up to a foot of snow in some areas. The storm seems to not be weakening as it bears down on the east coast, putting cities like Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. in danger of outages.
Angry residents of Bridgeport, Connecticut threw eggs at utility crews trying to restore electricity.
Tensions have reached boiling points at the few open gas stations in the northeastern U.S. resulting in State Police and National Guard being called out to protect them and keep the peace.
Three nuclear power units are shut down amid water pump problems and downed power lines throughout the northeast have left over 8 million people without power in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.
The UK could run out of energy generating capacity by 2015 according to a report from energy regulator Ofgem. The report blames the potential shortage on coal-fired power stations connected to European Union environmental regulations.
Unlike Hurricane Katrina which rushed through New Orleans and Louisiana, the remnants of Hurricane Isaac have stalled sending over two feet of rain that has flooded the areas around New Orleans.
