Security guards and portable toilets spotted at PG&E substations around San Francisco could be linked to a recent break-in at a facility, raising safety concerns among consumer advocates amid attacks on power grids across the country.
According to the San Francisco Police Department, the break-in occurred at 8:39 p.m. on June 9 at the PG&E substation on Leidesdorff Street near Commercial Street.
“We witnessed an unauthorized break-in at a San Francisco substation and are working with law enforcement to investigate,” PG&E spokesman Jason King confirmed, adding that there were no power outages related to the incident.
According to initial police investigations, an unknown person gained access to the facility and manipulated a control panel in the electrical system. PG&E security personnel notified the FBI after the incident.
Dispatch audio recordings from the time of the incident described it as “sabotage” and classified it as malicious mischief or vandalism.
District Manager Aaron Peskin, who represents the area, didn’t know if guards were stationed at other PG&E substations in San Francisco, but said the incident may have been a reason to add them.
“If there are guards, I’m assuming it’s not because of broken transformers, but because they hacked into one of their substations,” Peskin said.
When asked if the incident resulted in an increased security presence around the utility’s San Francisco substations, King said he couldn’t name specific security measures to “avoid giving anyone a roadmap.”
Security guards and mobile toilets were spotted at three substations in different parts of the city.
Attacks on the power grid in the United States
Recent attacks on nine substations in North Carolina, Washington and Oregon have increased concerns about power grid security.
The New York Times reported in February that the FBI had offered two $25,000 rewards for information leading to the conviction of those responsible for two shootings at a North Carolina substation in December and January. The January incident left 45,000 people without power for five days.
Recent attacks have made network security a key priority for North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC).
“The increase in physical attacks on the nation’s power infrastructure underscores the need to continue to assess potential grid vulnerabilities and determine whether additional security controls are needed to more fully protect this critical infrastructure going forward,” said Rachel Sherrard, spokeswoman for NERC. in an opinion.
According to one report, PG&E spent $300 million protecting substations after a San Jose substation was hit by gunfire in 2013, causing $15 million in damage.
The San Jose incident prompted a brief statewide safety assessment, according to Thomas Long, director of regulatory strategy at the Utility Reform Network, a California consumer advocacy group for utilities.
“There was some effort [California] “The Public Utilities Commission needs to look into whether PG&E and other utilities are taking care of the adequate security of these substations, but that was many years ago and I don’t recall there being a public inquiry,” Long said.
It has long been questioned whether regulators will hold PG&E accountable for making proper use of its revenue, which is funded by the high utility fees paid by consumers.
“I don’t know if PG&E is doing enough security efforts given the money taxpayers are paying,” he said. “Our tariffs fund PG&E to provide these security guards at the substations.”
The California Public Utilities Commission did not respond to comment at the time of publication.
In late April, thousands of customers in Downtown and Chinatown were without power for five days after a fire at a PG&E underground vault at 640 Clay St. The San Francisco Fire Department responded in less than four minutes, but it took PG&E 20 minutes to arrive at the scene.
The delay in emergency response time and restoration of power prompted Peskin to convene a May 18 hearing where residents of affected areas criticized the utility.
“There have been numerous failures of vaults and other PG&E equipment over many years,” Peskin said at the hearing. “This particular incident is characterized by the fact that […] power was restored to the last buildings and individuals 123 hours later.”
