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Thieves hit another power substation, stealing copper ground wires

For the second day in a row, a power station belonging to the same company has been found broken into, with thieves making off with copper grounding wire.

By Carly Swain
The latest case was discovered this morning at the Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative’s substation near Maysville in Jones County. Thieves made off with several hundred feet of wire.

Unlike Wednesday’s theft in Havelock, no power outages were reported, according to the utility. In that case, some 1900 customers were left in the dark because of the theft in Havelock.

The Maysville break-in was discovered around 7:30 a.m. and thieves took ground wire off 27 structures inside the substation. CCEC says it is possible the Maysville break-in also happened on Wednesday.

In both cases, thieves cut through a chain-link fence and a locked gate to get inside. Authorities have alerted area scrap metal recyclers to be on the lookout for the copper.

The utility says stealing wire from a substation is extremely dangerous, and it can easily lead to someone being killed.

Previous Story

Nearly 2,000 people in Havelock started their Wednesday in the dark and electric company officials said that huge inconvenience was thanks to thieves.

Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative said someone broke into a substation early Wednesday morning and took all of the copper ground wires. That action knocked out power.

“We are thankful no one was injured or killed,” said CCEC Communications Director Lisa Galizia. “Thefts from our substations will not only knock out power to our members, they can also cause fires, explosions and electrocution.”

Crews transferred power to another substation by 6:30 Wednesday morning to get everyone back on the grid.

Havelock police are now investigating the break-in and theft.

Original Content by WITN

Copper theft at Sheffield substation sparks power surge

Televisions and microwaves in some Sheffield homes have been damaged after copper thefts at two substations caused a power surge.

CE Electric UK said about 400 customers in the Batemoor area of the city were without power.

A spokeswoman said there had been reports of damage to some appliances.

The power surge is thought to have been caused by thieves cutting a conductor at the substations as they stole copper from the sites.

The spokeswoman said engineers were working to restore power to the homes as quickly as possible

South Yorkshire Police confirmed it was investigating the thefts on Saturday morning.

A spokesman said they were working with the fire service and CE Electric UK.

Source BBC

Substation vandals ‘risking lives’

Vandals who have carried out 17 attacks on electricity substations are endangering their lives, police have said. Security has been stepped up at sites in the Tandridge and Redhill areas of Surrey in response to the incidents.

But police and electricity suppliers EDF Energy, until recently known as Seeboard, said vandals were continuing to damage substation premises despite warnings before Christmas.

A spokesman for Surrey Police said: “In one recent incident, vandals were within a whisker of coming into 11,000 volts of electricity – the results of which would have been fatal.”

The attacks have also disrupted power supplies to homes and business.

‘Hefty fine’

Between the end of November and Christmas, there were 13 incidents, with a further four this month.

Barry Hatton, EDF Energy’s head of network services, said those responsible were using heavy duty cutting equipment to break into substation premises.

He said: “It is only a matter of time before luck runs out for these vandals.

“At best they will then be looking at a hefty fine or prison sentence, as we are working very closely with the police.

“At worst, their reckless actions could result in death.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact Surrey Police.

EDF Energy operates 70,000 substations across the South East, East and London.

Source BBC

Electricity substation metal theft reward offered

A REWARD of as much as £10,000 is being offered to anyone who can provide information to help convict thieves who steal metal from electricity substations.

A new Copped It advertising campaign by ScottishPower Energy Networks highlights the potentially fatal consequences of thefts in and around substations and power lines. A maximum reward of £10,000 will be given to any member of the public whose information leads to the conviction of someone stealing metal from ScottishPower.

The campaign has been launched in response to a surge in thefts and attempted thefts of metal, with 1,435 such incidents recorded at the company’s substations since January 2011, ScottishPower said. According to the firm, this has resulted in 140,000 homes put at increased risk of damage, 50,000 homes in Glasgow losing power for 30 minutes in November 2011 and the death of a 43-year-old man in July this year after an attempted theft from a substation in Lanarkshire. Around 11,000 hours have been spent on repairs and reinforcements, ScottishPower said.

ScottishPower Energy Networks is the licensed electricity distributor for central and southern Scotland and for Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales and North Shropshire, with 30,000 substations, 40,000km overhead lines and 70,000km underground cables. Frank Mitchell, chief executive of ScottishPower Energy Networks, said: “The worrying reality of this kind of criminal behaviour is the serious impact it can have on local communities.

“As well as continuing to increase our own security and working closely with the police, we want to raise awareness of the threats posed by these kinds of thefts and we want to encourage people in communities to report any suspicious behaviour they see beside our power lines and substations. “We are happy to pay rewards for information that leads to criminal convictions, and we want to work closely with communities to help catch the criminals responsible for this dangerous activity.” Any suspicious activity can be reported to ScottishPower via its 24-hour response line on 08452 727 999.

Source: The Scotsman

Reckless theft caused blast at electric substation

A RECKLESS theft at a Widnes electricity substation caused an explosion and major fire, putting homes and lives at risk.

More than 100 homes and businesses were left without power for nine hours on Moorfield Road in Halton View. ScottishPower has condemned the criminals and the police are appealing for witnesses. The power company is working closely with officers to catch those responsible. A reward of up to £10,000 will be paid to anyone who provides information that leads to a conviction. It is the latest in a spate of dangerous substation thefts across Merseyside and the north west. There have been 20 separate incidents reported across the region since April. Stephen Stewart, director of SP Energy Networks, said:

“The criminals involved in these kind of thefts are risking the safety and wellbeing of local residents. “Their irresponsible action shows a total disregard for members of the public. “They are all too aware that tampering with electrical equipment can result in power cuts and could even cause fires in nearby homes but they couldn’t care less about the harm and disruption they cause.”

One woman told her neighbours she saw a man running away from the substation seconds before the explosion.

The fire started at around 11am on Thursday. Staff working at nearby Joanne Claire hairdressers said they heard the blast. Left with no power, they had no alternative but to close the salon. They say they not only lost business on the day but also future appointments as their telephone line was also cut off. Elderly residents relied on their neighbours with gas cookers to make hot drinks and meals. Power was eventually restored at 8pm.

Anyone with information can call Cheshire Police on 101 quoting incident number 389 of May 5. Alternatively, people can call the power company SP Energy Networks’ 24-hour hotline on 0800 001 5400 from a landline or 0330 1010 400 from a mobile.

Source: The Argus

Distributech Themes

Cresatech business development Catherine Fulton attended Distributech as a delegate and attended the lectures, panels and keynotes alongside energy industry professionals.

Integration and smart aggregation were themes, along with smart metering and what seemed to be the most popular topic- cyber security. Helen Whittaker from BC Hydro presented one of the best discussions on the event. Big impacts were with drones and functional mobile apps. Cresatech had good friends in the exhibition hall, most notably Embedded Logix, who are making a big splash in the energy industry with their smart data integration for substation security. Learn more about Helen here.

Up next for Cresatech is the UK Metal Theft Summit 2/25 @ Scottish Fire and Rescue ServiceTraining Centre, Cambuslang G72 7NA.