Physical Attacks on Substations Are on the Rise

in 2022 alone, the United States power grid experienced more than 100 physical attacks. These outages and the damage that followed affected tens of thousands of Americans. It is important to note that these attacks are only expected to increase with time. 

Utility Dive interviewed Jason Christopher, director of cyber risk at Dragos Cybersecurity, who said, “Unfortunately, with 55,000 substations nationally, there are obvious risk-based limitations on addressing physical threats that need to be managed. The industry should expect further regulatory inquiries and potential actions from the federal government in response.”

Irby Construction Company’s Executive Vice President, Rick Shouse, also weighed in for the Irby Insider by saying: “These physical attacks on substations are a relatively new threat and challenge that can be very serious and expensive for our clients. As with any power infrastructure issue, Irby stands ready to help our clients however we can with the security and integrity of the grid.”

You can read more about this important topic in the articles linked below: 

Politico – Physical Attacks on Power Grid Surge to New Peak

Utility Dive – Substation Attacks May Lead to New Energy Security Rules in 2023, Experts Say