Substation Safety – Copper Theft and Substation Safety – Cresatech

Cresatech shows how to make Electricity Substations safer at CEATI’s Spring Conference

Mark Cowan — Tue, 06 Mar 2018 13:14:29 +0000

Cresatech contribute at CEATI’s Stations, P&C and Hydro conference in Tucson

by Mark Cowan

Cresatech are contributing at CEATI’s Stations, P&C and Hydro conference in Tucson this week.

We will be talking about the need for the Electricity utilities industry to make substations safer and how to mitigate the safety risks arising from copper theft using IoT technology.

Cresatech booth in Tucson

Copper theft is always high on any utilities list of problems. Thefts in the USA, Canada and Europe are escalating, driven by the consistently rising copper price, which is back at record highs. Copper theft often remains undetected until either a scheduled site visit takes place or an asset fails, necessitating emergency repairs. Compromised grounding infrastructure can – silently – lead to substation failure. In addition, whilst substations often continue to function following grounding theft, they present significant safety risks to both the public and workers.

Cresatech’s low cost CuTS® solution permanently and automatically monitors grounding and transformer neutrals on electricity substations, alerting in real time for disconnection, theft or damage.

CEATI (The Centre for Energy Advancement through Technological Innovation) is an influential user driven organization that provides technology solutions to its electrical utility participants through collaboration and joint action to advance the industry through sharing and developing practical and applicable knowledge.

Tags: CEATI, copper theft, cresatech, Substation Safety

Blog Home

The post Cresatech shows how to make Electricity Substations safer at CEATI’s Spring Conference appeared first on Copper Theft and Substation Safety - Cresatech.

Kentucky Power (AEP) offers reward for Copper theft information

Mark Cowan — Tue, 16 Jan 2018 10:40:53 +0000

Kentucky Power (AEP) offers reward for Copper theft information

by Mark Cowan

A reward is being offered to stop copper thieves targeting facilities in eastern Kentucky.

Kentucky Power an AEP company, says thieves cut fencing around the Beckham substation in Knott County on Tuesday 19th December 2017 and stole about 900 feet of copper wire from spools leftover from recent construction.

The cost of the copper wire and damage to the fence is estimated at about $2,000.

Kentucky Power says many of its substations are located in remote areas, often making it difficult to detect copper theft. Copper theft often results in power surges that can damage equipment in homes and businesses and cause power outages. The cost due to loss of equipment, materials and repairs is high.

Kentucky Powers says the risk thieves take to steal copper isn’t worth it.

“Anytime you go into a substation, you’re dealing with high voltage lines,” said Everett Phillips, Kentucky Power’s managing director distribution region operations.

“Stealing copper is extremely dangerous and a foolish thing to do. The copper theft causes damage to Kentucky Power property, impacts substation safety creating hazards for customers and employees, and puts people at risk for fatalities and injuries for minimal gain.”

Kentucky Power is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to prosecution. Anyone who sees suspicious activity near a substation is asked to call 1-866-747-5845.

Content: aepnationalaccounts.com

Tags: AEP, copper theft, Kentucky Power, Substation Safety

Blog Home

The post Kentucky Power (AEP) offers reward for Copper theft information appeared first on Copper Theft and Substation Safety - Cresatech.

Electric Vehicles drive copper price and theft to new heights

Mark Cowan — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 15:57:00 +0000

Electric Vehicles drive copper price and theft to new heights

by Mark Cowan

As we start the new year, the indications are that copper theft will continue to be a challenging and accelerating problem in 2018.

A recent report from the US National Insurance Crime Bureau (NIBC) states that 28,040 metal theft claims were processed from 2014 through 2016, with over 98 percent of these instances relating to copper.

Tesla Canary Wharf

The NICB report also confirms what the industry has suspected for some time – “When the number of metal theft claims and copper prices are compared, a statistically significant positive correlation was found to exist.”

Ohio is the metal theft capital of the United States with 3,060 metal theft claims. Other states in the top five were New Jersey (2,661), Pennsylvania (2,435), New York (2,005) and Illinois (1,448). However, anecdotal evidence suggests this is just the tip of the iceberg, as the majority of thefts are not ever claimed or reported.

Substation Safety

For utility companies, the safe operation of electricity distribution infrastructure is paramount, and the theft of copper jeopardizes the safety of utility employees and the public, not to mention the thieves themselves; and all for a few bucks in scrap metal cost. Metal plays a vital part in the Electricity transmission and distribution system. One wrong cut of copper on a substation can cause a grounded component to become energized at thousands of volts, leading to death or severe injury, potential supply outages and damage to expensive equipment that customers ultimately pay for.

Demand for Copper

Last year saw the price of copper surge 40 percent to its highest level in four years. According to Bloomberg, COMEX copper prices reached their highest peak of $3.69 per pound on 4th January 2013. Now, after a short dip they are again rising to similar levels, closing at $3.23 a pound on 5th January 2018. According to analysis from Bank of America Merrill Lynch, global economic growth and demand from China in particular, means that copper will continue to remain in high demand and at a high price. In addition, the seemingly unstoppable move towards electric vehicles (EV’s) and increased investment in renewable energy will create significant further demand.

Electric Vehicles

Take autos; according to the Financial Times, today’s conventional internal combustion engine cars contain about 20kg of copper. Hybrids use about 40kg and an average pure battery powered electric car requires about 80kg – four times the amount used in a conventional vehicle. Building the EV fleet will use about 11m tonnes of copper. Subtract the amount that would have been used in the conventional vehicles ‘displaced’ by EVs, and that still results in about 8.5m tonnes of genuine new demand, equivalent to more than a third of total global copper demand today. Such additional demand can only drive copper prices up to new highs over the next few years.

Cresatech CuTS®

To combat the growing risk and ensure electricity substation safety and they are kept operational, utility companies are increasingly investing in monitoring the critical copper grounding infrastructure. Cresatech’s low cost CuTS® solution permanently and automatically monitors metal grounding and transformer neutrals on electricity substations for integrity, alerting in real time for disconnection, theft or damage.

If you want to learn more, meet Cresatech at the CEATI conference March 6th to 7th in Tucson http://www.ceati.com/SPRING2018/

or contact Cresatech directly at any time.

Tags: copper theft, Electric Vehicles, NICB, ohio, Substation Safety

Blog Home

The post Electric Vehicles drive copper price and theft to new heights appeared first on Copper Theft and Substation Safety - Cresatech.

Copper Metal Thefts Still a Problem according to NICB

Mark Cowan — Fri, 29 Dec 2017 10:17:06 +0000

Copper Metal Thefts Still a Problem according to NICB

by Mark Cowan

Insurance claims for metal theft continue to fall, but the problem is far from over for electric cooperatives and others, a new report shows. The National Insurance Crime Bureau said 28,040 claims were processed from 2014 through 2016. That’s down 22 percent from the period of 2013 through 2015.

Throughout all four years, copper accounted for 98 percent of the metals reported stolen and, for the most part, copper prices fell over that time—meaning thieves got less for their efforts.
According to the NICB report “When the number of metal theft claims and copper prices are compared, a statistically significant positive correlation was found to exist.”

Copper prices
According to Bloomberg, COMEX copper prices went from $3.69 per pound on Jan. 4, 2013, to $2.50 per pound on Dec. 30, 2016. However, prices have been rising this year, and on Nov. 24, 2017, copper closed at $3.19 a pound.

NICB
NICB also said laws targeting metal theft have helped, including measures requiring sellers to show identification and receive payments by checks. “Some states and local governments have increased the penalties associated with metal theft or are charging thieves with additional crimes if the theft caused damage to infrastructure or created a hazard to the public,” the report noted. As co-ops can testify, fixing the damage is often far more expensive than replacing the copper.

Laws aren’t a foolproof solution. “Identifying stolen metal is not always possible, and opposition to these laws has made it difficult to get effective measures passed in some areas. Even in areas where such laws exist, some unscrupulous scrap dealers may not abide by them, and enforcement of the laws has not always been a major priority until recent years when increases in metal thefts brought more attention to the problem.” And it is a problem, because as the report points out, “thieves have been willing to go to almost any length to obtain the metal.”

Co-ops are among the victims, with NICB noting that “electrical substations are frequently targeted, and some thieves have been electrocuted trying to steal live electrical wiring.”

It’s something Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives knows all too well. NICB said Ohio had 3,060 metal theft claims from 2014 through 2016, the most of any state, though it’s down from the 4,042 recorded 2013-2015. “We are glad to see the overall numbers coming down, and we have noticed some decline in Ohio, but we remain on top of this tarnished list of states for metal theft,” said Dwight Miller, director of safety and loss control at Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives. “Thieves in Ohio continue to jeopardize the safety of Ohio’s cooperative employees, the public, and especially themselves for a few bucks in scrap metal cost.”
Miller noted that different types of metal play a vital part in the transmission and distribution system. “And one wrong cut of copper—the most popular type of metal to steal—can cause a grounded component to become energized at thousands of volts, leading to severe injury and damage to expensive equipment that the member ultimately pays for.”

Following Ohio, the other states in the top five for metal theft claims were New Jersey (2,661), Pennsylvania (2,435), New York (2,005) and Illinois (1,448).

Content: cooperative.com

Tags: copper theft, NICB, ohio, substation copper theft, Substation Safety

Blog Home

The post Copper Metal Thefts Still a Problem according to NICB appeared first on Copper Theft and Substation Safety - Cresatech.

Cresatech CuTS success at CEATI 9th Grounding and Lightning meeting

Mark Cowan — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 12:20:45 +0000

Cresatech CuTS success at CEATI 9th Grounding and Lightning meeting

by Mark Cowan

Mark Cowan, Head of Sales at Cresatech presented an introduction to the patented Cresatech CuTS® solution which monitors remotely all grounding infrastructure and Transformer Neutrals. The solution alerts in real-time the location of metal theft, disconnection, degradation and failure, providing automatic alerting enabling early intervention.

To download the presentation: http://bit.ly/2gImKa7

Mark Cowan presenting Cresatech Solution in San Antonio October 2017

Grounding of substations and cell towers is critical for their safe operation, yet despite its criticality, it’s not monitored. It is increasingly the target of theft on an industrial scale and consequently, electricity operators are unaware of grounding and transformer neutral removal which in turn, leaves sites in a dangerous condition, putting people, assets and service supply at risk. Cresatech CuTS is a low-cost real-time monitoring solution, easy to install requiring minimal ongoing maintenance.

Tags: CEATI, copper theft, cresatech, grounding, grounding and lightning, Substation Safety, Transformer neutrals

Blog Home

The post Cresatech CuTS success at CEATI 9th Grounding and Lightning meeting appeared first on Copper Theft and Substation Safety - Cresatech.

Cresatech joins forces with Kansas City Power and Light

Mark Cowan — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 02:09:29 +0000

Cresatech joins forces with Kansas City Power and Light to improve safety in Electricity utilities

by Mark Cowan

Cresatech today announces it is working with Kansas City Power and Light (KCPL) to monitor substations in real-time to address the safety issues associated with copper theft.

Copper theft is a rising epidemic in the United States the Department of Energy estimated that copper theft costs U.S. businesses nearly $1 billion (USD) in losses annually.

KCP&L Site

Copper theft is a significant issue in the electricity distribution sector and often goes unnoticed until things go wrong.

The result is that until now utilities have been unaware of copper theft until a fault occurred, leaving both its employees and the wider public exposed to the potentially deadly combination of live electricity and unearthed equipment.

Using Cresatech’s CuTS ZM monitoring solution, KCPL is leading the field in addressing the safety issues associated with copper theft. It is now able to immediately know where safety has been compromised and take immediate action to address the safety risk. The live data can also be used to help identify any patterns, such as if thieves are targeting a specific area, and take proactive action to prevent further theft.

Bill Herrington, Senior Manager Transmission and substation construction and maintenance, KCPL commented, “Copper theft is a significant issue for electricity utilities and we have seen a surge in incidents over recent years. It is vital to us that our substations remain safe at all times and by working with Cresatech, we will be able to significantly reduce the risks of copper theft across 400 substations, spanning Missouri and Eastern Kansas.”

Cresatech CEO Simon Nash added, “Improving substation safety in the utility industry is at the heart of our business and we are keen to show utilities across the globe that technology now exists to pro- actively and cost effectively mitigate the safety risks of copper theft. We are delighted to be working with KCPL as a utility that is committed to improving the safety of not only its employees, but the wider public by monitoring its substations in real-time.”

Tags: copper theft, cresatech, KCPL, Substation Safety

Blog Home

The post Cresatech joins forces with Kansas City Power and Light appeared first on Copper Theft and Substation Safety - Cresatech.

Copper Theft Continues To Be A Problem Across Alberta

Mark Cowan — Fri, 15 Sep 2017 12:52:30 +0000

Copper Theft continues to be a problem across Alberta

by Mark Cowan

Copper theft continues to be a problem around the area and across Alberta. Infrastructure authorities are urging residents to call police if they spot something suspicious near electrical substations

“In fact part of it is related to just the increase of the price of copper, which has grown by over 200 per cent in the last 10 years,” said Scott Schreiner, vice president of communications with infrastructure provider AltaLink.

“Thieves are taking unnecessary risks when they break into substations to take copper wire as they are not only endangering themselves, but hydro workers and first responders”.

Copper theft across Alberta

Copper helps to insulate and ground a power substation, so when the wire is stripped by thieves it makes for a potential dangerous if not hazardous situation. When that copper is removed we are sometimes required to de-energize the substation.

That can mean a power outage for people or something significantly worse as far as injuries.

Substations are particularly attractive to thieves as most of them are in remote areas, far away from populated areas.”

Schreiner asked people who live near substations to keep an eye on roads leading to the facilities and to report what they think are unusual movements to police or Crimestoppers.

Most substations are equipped with security measures such as cameras and fences with razor but it often isn’t enough to deter thieves. Those who steal copper wire often take them to scrap metal dealers. Utility and telecom partners are working together to try and convince the province to bring in a law which would make it tougher for thieves to sell copper wire.“We’re seeking a provincial law requiring ID to be shown when selling scrap metal. Some municipalities have that law but it is not a province-wide requirement,” Schreiner said. “This could go a long way to deter thieves from stealing copper wire.”

Risk to life
The main worry for utility and infrastructure utility companies is not theft of the copper wire itself, but the danger it poses, not only to the thieves, but for first responders such as police, firefighters and utility workers. We want everybody to go home safe, We need to ensure that our system is safe and that the lights stay on.”

Two substations were recently preyed on in the last couple of months, both of them southwest of Edson. Both power stations had to be de-energized so that the necessary repairs could be made, Schreiner said the provincial economy has been at a low ebb and that people who steal copper wire are putting themselves at great risk of injury or death. He urges the public to report any suspicious activities near substations. “If you see something – say something.”

For a copper theft crime in progress, call 911. There are three ways to report a suspected copper theft crime to Crimestoppers. Call 1-800-222-8477 or go online to crimestoppers.ab.ca or text tttTIPS and send your tip to CRIMES (274637).

Tags: Alberta, Altalink, copper, copper theft, Substation Safety

Blog Home

The post Copper Theft Continues To Be A Problem Across Alberta appeared first on Copper Theft and Substation Safety - Cresatech.

Copper theft: gain a buck, lose a life. Nebraska PPD

Mark Cowan — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 08:00:38 +0000

Copper theft: gain a buck, lose a life. Nebraska PPD

by Mark Cowan

Columbus, Neb. – The price of copper has been inching up slightly in 2017, and so have copper thefts. Copper theft, done specifically to pick up a small amount of cash quickly, is especially harmful because of the safety risks it creates when taken from electric utility property, such as substations and power poles. The risk can cause fires, explosions, power outages, electric shock, or even loss of life.

In the past week, Nebraska Public Power District has seen a significant jump in copper theft from its locked substations. Individuals have entered several substations illegally and have taken grounds, typically an eight inch copper rod used to direct stray current to the ground and minimize equipment damage.

There is no way to know by looking at the ground rod and wiring whether it is carrying electricity or not at any given time. It compromises substation safety.

“We are asking the public to be our ‘eyes and ears’ and be on the lookout for the potential theft of copper wiring from transmission poles and substations across the state,” said NPPD Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Tom Kent. “The substations targeted are located in rural areas as opposed to those located in communities. Stealing copper or other metals from substations or electric facilities is a crime.”
Kent explained that copper theft is a significant safety issue for the thieves, but it can potentially cause harm to members of the public and utility workers. Copper thefts can cause power outages that can be inconvenient for customers and costly to business.

NPPD urges anyone who may see suspicious activity at electric substations to contact their local law enforcement agency with a description of the individuals and vehicles involved. Kent emphasised that individuals should not attempt to apprehend the intruders.

He also stressed that NPPD’s service vehicles are well-marked with bright orange bumpers. Other utilities serving specific areas have wording or logos on their vehicles identifying them as an electric utility, too. “The public should alert local law enforcement of any vehicles that are not identified as being from a utility and activities that appear to be unusual, or individuals that appear to be acting suspicious around electric facilities including power line poles.”

NPPD works with law enforcement agencies across the state to make them aware of the signs of potential copper theft and their personal safety when investigating these thefts.

Some of the signs of copper theft to watch for include:

Loose or broken wires;
Broken utility pole attachments;
Open gates at unattended substations or holes in the security fence;
Burn marks on utility equipment; and
Electrical arcing

July 17, 2017

Source: nppd.com

Tags: copper theft, Nabraska PPD, Substation Safety

Blog Home

The post Copper theft: gain a buck, lose a life. Nebraska PPD appeared first on Copper Theft and Substation Safety - Cresatech.

Copper Thefts Continue At Newfoundland Power High Voltage Substations

Mark Cowan — Sat, 26 Aug 2017 18:45:33 +0000

Copper Thefts Continue At Newfoundland Power High Voltage Substations

by Mark Cowan

Vandalism and copper theft continue at High Voltage Substations despite strong warnings.

Newfoundland Power is extremely concerned that vandals are continuing to illegally enter its high voltage substations and damaging the province’s electricity system. Warnings regarding the significant danger of entering these high voltage facilities that put the lives of the Company’s employees and the public at risk are not being respected or followed.

On or before Sunday, December 4, vandals illegally entered the Company’s Lethbridge Substation on the Bonavista Peninsula. The vandals cut a hole in the substation fence, caused damage to electrical equipment and stole copper grounding wire that was connected to the high voltage electricity grid, compromising the integrity and reliability of the electricity system. There was also a break-in at the Company’s Boyd’s Cove Substation near Twillingate at the end of November.

“This illegal activity has to stop before it is too late and someone is seriously injured or killed,” stressed Gary Murray, Vice President, Engineering and Operations, Newfoundland Power. “We responded as soon as the alarm system in the building was activated which appeared to deter the vandals.” The grounding wire that was stolen is an important part of the substation safety protection system. Once tampered with or removed, it makes it extremely dangerous for employees to enter to make repairs, putting them in harm’s way unnecessarily. Recent acts of vandalism have also had a direct impact on customers with lengthy outages required in several instances to safely make repairs.

“We are taking this very seriously and every incident is reported to the police for investigation. We are appealing to the public to help put a stop to this dangerous, illegal activity and have increased the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of these individuals from $5,000 to $10,000,” added Murray.

Newfoundland Power will pay $10,000 to any individual for the information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person, or persons, responsible for this crime. Anyone with information regarding this incident, or any act of theft or vandalism to electrical equipment, is encouraged to contact their local Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Royal Newfoundland Constabulary detachment or Crime Stoppers.

Newfoundland Power is the primary distributer of electricity on the island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador, and purchases 93% of its energy needs from Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro. With a customer base of approximately 263,000 accounts, Newfoundland Power is committed to safety, dedicated to the highest level of customer service and delivers reliable electricity at the lowest possible cost. For more information on Newfoundland Power’s programs, services and community partnerships, please visit newfoundlandpower.com.

Source: newfoundlandpower.com

Tags: copper theft, grounding, Newfoundland Power, Substation Safety

Blog Home

The post Copper Thefts Continue At Newfoundland Power High Voltage Substations appeared first on Copper Theft and Substation Safety - Cresatech.

Copper Theft at Northwestern Rural Electric Co-op

Mark Cowan — Sat, 26 Aug 2017 02:14:15 +0000

Copper Theft at Northwestern Rural Electric Co-op

by Mark Cowan

There’s a warning out for people trying to get their hands on copper wiring to sell for money. It’s after more than one person stole copper from a substation in the Cochranton area, putting people who work at that substation, at risk.

The Northwestern Rural Electric Co-operative substations, like the one that was broken into, have keep out signs all around.

The recent copper theft happened between April 1 – May 1 and that the thieves left with less than $100 worth of copper. Northwestern Rural Electric says the secure fencing are there to protect the public and ensure substation safety

6th May 2017

Source: erienewsnow.com

Tags: copper theft, Northwestern Rural Electric, Substation Safety

Blog Home

The post Copper Theft at Northwestern Rural Electric Co-op appeared first on Copper Theft and Substation Safety - Cresatech.

Substation Safety – Copper Theft and Substation Safety – Cresatech

Cresatech shows how to make Electricity Substations safer at CEATI’s Spring Conference

Cresatech contribute at CEATI’s Stations, P&C and Hydro conference in Tucson

Cresatech are contributing at CEATI’s Stations, P&C and Hydro conference in Tucson this week.

We will be talking about the need for the Electricity utilities industry to make substations safer and how to mitigate the safety risks arising from copper theft using IoT technology.

Share this entry

Kentucky Power (AEP) offers reward for Copper theft information

Kentucky Power (AEP) offers reward for Copper theft information

A reward is being offered to stop copper thieves targeting facilities in eastern Kentucky.

Kentucky Power an AEP company, says thieves cut fencing around the Beckham substation in Knott County on Tuesday 19th December 2017 and stole about 900 feet of copper wire from spools leftover from recent construction.

Share this entry

Electric Vehicles drive copper price and theft to new heights

Electric Vehicles drive copper price and theft to new heights

As we start the new year, the indications are that copper theft will continue to be a challenging and accelerating problem in 2018.

A recent report from the US National Insurance Crime Bureau (NIBC) states that 28,040 metal theft claims were processed from 2014 through 2016, with over 98 percent of these instances relating to copper.

Share this entry

Copper Metal Thefts Still a Problem according to NICB

Copper Metal Thefts Still a Problem according to NICB

Insurance claims for metal theft continue to fall, but the problem is far from over for electric cooperatives and others, a new report shows. The National Insurance Crime Bureau said 28,040 claims were processed from 2014 through 2016. That’s down 22 percent from the period of 2013 through 2015.

Share this entry

Cresatech CuTS success at CEATI 9th Grounding and Lightning meeting

Cresatech CuTS success at CEATI 9th Grounding and Lightning meeting

Share this entry

Cresatech joins forces with Kansas City Power and Light

Cresatech joins forces with Kansas City Power and Light to improve safety in Electricity utilities

Cresatech today announces it is working with Kansas City Power and Light (KCPL) to monitor substations in real-time to address the safety issues associated with copper theft.

Copper theft is a rising epidemic in the United States the Department of Energy estimated that copper theft costs U.S. businesses nearly $1 billion (USD) in losses annually.

Share this entry

Copper Theft Continues To Be A Problem Across Alberta

Copper Theft continues to be a problem across Alberta

Copper theft continues to be a problem around the area and across Alberta. Infrastructure authorities are urging residents to call police if they spot something suspicious near electrical substations

“In fact part of it is related to just the increase of the price of copper, which has grown by over 200 per cent in the last 10 years,” said Scott Schreiner, vice president of communications with infrastructure provider AltaLink.

“Thieves are taking unnecessary risks when they break into substations to take copper wire as they are not only endangering themselves, but hydro workers and first responders”.

Share this entry

Copper theft: gain a buck, lose a life. Nebraska PPD

Copper theft: gain a buck, lose a life. Nebraska PPD

Share this entry

Copper Thefts Continue At Newfoundland Power High Voltage Substations

Copper Thefts Continue At Newfoundland Power High Voltage Substations

Vandalism and copper theft continue at High Voltage Substations despite strong warnings.

Share this entry

Copper Theft at Northwestern Rural Electric Co-op

Copper Theft at Northwestern Rural Electric Co-op

There’s a warning out for people trying to get their hands on copper wiring to sell for money. It’s after more than one person stole copper from a substation in the Cochranton area, putting people who work at that substation, at risk.

The Northwestern Rural Electric Co-operative substations, like the one that was broken into, have keep out signs all around.

Share this entry