There have been thousands of attacks on energy infrastructure worldwide, and the United States is by no means immune to these types of domestic terrorist acts. The most recent attack in North Carolina reminds everyone in the industry how important it is to have the right protection for their equipment. High security fencing may not be able to prevent all damage, but it is a known deterrent to terrorist plans.
After Duke Energy was attacked in Moore County with gunfire, 45,000 customers faced a 5-day outage. Many of these people were in Ben Moss’ state house district, which led him to draft a bill that would require 24-hour security monitoring for all substations. We’ll look at the nature of different attacks and how all decision-makers can make smarter decisions to keep their team, equipment, and facilities safe.
While North Carolina may have had more memorable headlines because it left people without power during a cold snap, they were certainly not the only ones who saw problems. The criminals of the operation are still at large, but authorities did apprehend the suspects of substation attacks in Oregon and Washington.
The men arrested targeted several substations and caused millions of dollars worth of damage. Weapons used during these attacks can include anything from fire to firearms to metal chains. Outlets like CBS have hinted that there are more attacks across the country than we know. It’s not always easy to detangle the motives of the criminals, but what experts do understand is that safety measures like high security fencing can play a role in keeping these kinds of criminal acts at bay.
When Moss sat down to write the draft for the law, it was because he saw people in need. His constituents were left in the dark and he wanted to do something about it. Of course, he’s a politician, not a security expert. His law was very short and intentionally left vague. He wanted to allow for discrepancies at the many utility companies in the area. Some substations would need more protection than others, and he didn’t want to implement one set of rules as a blanket for all substations. That being said, he also reminded everyone that there are security options than ever before to consider.
ARX offers temporary high security fence options for substations. Barbed wire, lighting, and intrusion detection systems can all be added to increase the efficacy of the barrier. ARX can even certify their fences with the help of attack-testing and delay features for cutting or breaching the fence. For anyone that needs their substation to pass LPS 1175 standards, ARX can help it pass with flying colors.
Wedge barriers, guard towers, and high security fencing are just the beginning of the solutions offered at ARX Perimeters. The panels of our High Security Fence cannot be lifted or pulled from their positions. It’s anti-scalable and can be assembled quickly in the event of anything from planned attacks to mob retaliation. Contact us today if you’re interested in a security system that won’t let you down.