Shooters Disable 17 PG&E Transformers in San Jose, Exposing Grid Vulnerability
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 18
Shooters Disable 17 PG&E Transformers in San Jose, Exposing Grid Vulnerability
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 18
Summary
About 120 rifle shots disabled 17 transformers at PG&E’s Metcalf substation near San Jose in the April 2013 attack, after assailants also cut communications links and nearby phone and internet cables.
The gunmen targeted oil-filled cooling fins, draining 52,000 gallons slowly enough to delay alarms; PG&E rerouted power quickly and avoided a blackout, though officials said the strike appeared designed to darken large parts of the Bay Area.
Police arrived at 1:51 a.m., minutes after the shooting stopped, but left without spotting the attackers; a utility worker did not grasp the full damage until 3:15 a.m.
FERC and the FBI were drawn in after the attack, which yielded no fingerprints or tracks and underscored how aging, hard-to-replace transformers could turn a coordinated assault into a prolonged U.S. blackout.