Vulnerable power grid puts nation at risk

The power grid that keeps the U.S. up and running is under attack — and not just from snipers bearing arms. Myriad natural disasters, distant hackers bent on disruption and plain old age all are factors that make the grid vulnerable to failure.

Last week, unknown assailants shot up two electricity substations in North Carolina. The attack left more than 40,000 customers without power for several days. Schools had to close. Disaster shelters opened. Hospitals and senior care facilities struggled to operate. Governments put curfews in place.

The crime remains unsolved, but that it happened at all shows the nation how vulnerable critical infrastructure can be. In the case of the North Carolina substations, the shooter or shooters knew where to cause maximum damage. This was no yahoo out to take potshots at a transformer. Restoring power took days.

And it can happen again.

Across the nation, there are more than 55,000 transmission substations, structures at which high-voltage power is transformed so it can be used locally (and vice versa). Such facilities — there are 300 in New Mexico — can be made more secure with better fencing or barriers. Some utilities have cameras, but they won’t capture a gunman using a long-range rifle. It is impossible to stop all sabotage.

Then there’s the weather — and more. We have seen power failures after the Texas freeze in 2021, plus hurricanes, wildfires and high summer temperatures. Last year, a cyberattack on Colonial Pipelines shut off the gasoline supply to much of the East Coast. In a world dominated by conflict and extreme climate, the risks will keep growing.

The Department of Homeland Security has said extremists have developed specific, credible threats against the U.S. power grid. A bulletin last month from the department warned the United States is in a “heightened threat environment” and critical infrastructure could be among the “targets of potential violence.”

Shoring up energy infrastructure is expensive, but long overdue investments are being made. The Edison Electric Institute is estimating utilities are spending $155 billion this year, up from $90 billion a decade ago. That’s a record. The money is being used to increase the ability to deal with emergencies — in some cases, even stocking up on extra transformers to use in crisis. We saw during the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire last summer how essential having backup equipment could be to restoring power.

Public Service Company of New Mexico is filing a rate increase case with the Public Regulation Commission, in large part to raise money to invest in strengthening the grid. Rate adjustment aside, grid investments are essential. PNM hopes to begin a six-year modernization project by making $344 million in upgrades to its distribution system. Whether that necessitates a rate increase, the PRC will decide. But everyone can agree that strengthening the grid is the right move.

Meanwhile, many individual property owners are choosing to install solar systems in their homes or businesses and avoid potential grid instability altogether. Gunshots to a substation that eliminate power won’t cut off rooftop solar.

New Mexico also is in the beginning stages of developing community solar projects, where people come together to pay for renewable energy in their neighborhoods or villages. Such systems also won’t fail if the grid goes down. Still, renewable energy purchased one home or even one neighborhood at a time remains expensive for many.

The ideal is for the nation to operate an updated and less vulnerable power grid. What happened in North Carolina is just another reminder our grid is at risk. The damage may come from hurricane-force winds or angry domestic terrorists. Ignoring the threat is not an option.