Protecting Our Power From Terrorists

Protecting Our Power From Terrorists

Jun 06 - The Record

It may not be as beautiful or symbolic as the Golden Gate Bridge, but the electricity transmission substation located west of Tracy may be just as valuable a target to terrorists.

So officials from various government and energy organizations have begun working together to secure substations throughout the country -- including the one in the Tracy Hills. The idea is to hoard a big enough reserve of electricity-producing gear -- such as transformers, switches and generators -- in discreet locations close to the substations that are thought to be the most likely targets.

That could help get the substations working again quickly after an attack or other problem, power industry officials say.

And it's about time, said local energy activist Bob Sarvey.

"All it would take is for someone to jump the fence and wire up a couple of explosives," Sarvey said. "It could bring Northern California to its knees."

The PG&E-owned substation west of Tracy is an important link in what's known as the Pacific Intertie, the system that transmits and transfers power up and down the West Coast. A severe interruption could cripple millions of homeowners and businesses for weeks, if not months, industry officials and watchdogs say.

"Groups are working on a stockpile initiative," confirmed Jon Tremayne, a Pacific Gas and Electric Co. spokesman.

That way, if an attack or natural disaster were to disable a substation, work could quickly begin to restore the flow of energy.

"Substations have a lot of complicated and expensive equipment," said Kwin Peterson, a spokesman for the Western Electricity Coordinating Council, a Salt Lake City-based organization that helps coordinate reliable power operation to 14 states. "They are designed to be hard to break down under any circumstances."

The substation west of Tracy is one of the 12 biggest in Northern California, Tremayne said. Whether it is considered more of a potential target than others was not disclosed.

"If we have a list, we're certainly not going to tell people about it," Peterson said.

Power companies bear the responsibility of maintaining and securing their lines.

"When it comes to the availability of supplies, the onus is really on the utility," said Lorie O'Donley, a spokeswoman for the California Independent System Operator, the organization that runs the state's power grid. "Everybody's on a heightened alert, but when it comes to ensuring power security, the companies do a good job of that."

Sarvey disagrees.

"You don't see any security out there," he said after driving past the facility Friday afternoon. "I think it's at risk."

The hazards always have been there, Tremayne said, adding that cooperation among utility companies during emergency situations already is common. For example, PG&E crews were sent out to help Florida utilities repair their systems during the 2004 hurricane season.

In 1989, the Bay Area received a new substation quickly after the Loma Prieta earthquake because of the need to restore power.

Those natural disasters illustrate how impractical it would be to physically protect the voluminous pieces of infrastructure that comprise the nation's electricity system from potential attacks. Experts say having a strategy in place to restore energy as quickly as possible in the event of attack is more feasible.

"The concept is to know where the stuff is and be able to get to it quickly," Tremayne said.

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