On December 3rd, Duke Energy responded to two electrical substation failures in Moore County. Both were described as intentional vandalism and are being investigated by the FBI and the state Department of Public Safety. Three weeks before the Moore County vandalism, another substation was deliberately disabled in Maysville, located in Jones County.

“While our stations are surrounded by fencing and monitored the nature of electrical equipment requires that it be out in the open which can make it vulnerable to vandalism,” said Kinston City Manager Rhonda Barwick.

In August of 2021, Kinston Public Services announced they were close to completing Kinston’s second Point of Delivery (POD) project. The second POD was necessary to keep the electrical system reliable and resilient to interruptions from transmission line outages. The project has since been completed.

“The City of Kinston over the years has invested millions of dollars in dual feeds to our substations including a 115 kV transmission loop around the City, a second POD, and keeping inventory on hand for most equipment,” said Barwick. “These steps will allow fast restoration. Our mutual aid agreements through ElectriCities give us support from 32 other cities who can provide labor and equipment as needed should we fall victim to damage.”

The equipment at the substations in Moore County were damaged when someone shot them. North Carolina is not alone in the recent attacks on electrical substations. In the last three months, gunfire was reported at a hydroelectric power plant in South Carolina. In both Oregon and Washington states, two more incidents of sabotage were reported at power facilities.