Another Power Substation Damaged by Alleged Gunfire: Officials

An electrical substation after winter weather caused electricity blackouts in Houston, Texas, on Feb. 20, 2021. (Go Nakamura/Reuters)

Another power substation in North Carolina was damaged due to alleged gunfire—the third such incident in recent weeks—officials have confirmed.

EnergyUnited said officials discovered an “equipment issue” at the Pleasant Hill Substation in Thomasville on Jan. 17. Thomasville is about an hour from Moore County, where two other substations were damaged.

When crew members were sent to investigate the matter, they “discovered damage to the substation transformer from an apparent gunshot,” the firm said. “The damage was quickly assessed and contained to mitigate the impact to members in the Pleasant Hill area and law enforcement officials were notified.”

Customers who are served by the Pleasant Hill Substation didn’t experience any power outages due to the damage, EnergyUnited added. The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office said that investigators canvassed the station and later said they believe the shooting occurred at around 3 a.m. local time on Jan. 17.

The FBI and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations were notified about the alleged gunfire, the sheriff’s office said. Investigations are ongoing.

“The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force responded to conduct a parallel investigation,” the statement also said. No suspects have been named, and no arrests were made.

“EnergyUnited continually strives to deliver safe, reliable energy to its members,” Steve McCachern, vice president of energy delivery for EnergyUnited, said in a statement. “While we are glad that our members did not experience any service interruptions, we take this matter very seriously and are currently investigating the incident.”

On Dec. 3, 2022, gunshots were fired at two substations in Moore County that left some 45,000 customers without power for several days. In that case, no suspects have been apprehended and no motive has been disclosed.

Officials said that a person or persons drove to the Duke Energy-operated substations and opened fire, causing significant damage. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said at the time that the Moore County incident “raises a new level of threat” while adding that federal and state officials are working to “harden our infrastructure where that’s necessary and work to prevent future damage.”

Duke Energy spokesperson Jeff Brooks said in a news conference last month that damage was done to major equipment.

“Some of this equipment does take a significant amount of work [to be installed]” he said. New substation equipment must be handled carefully and tested before it’s ready to serve the grid.

Workers work on equipment at the West End Substation, at 6910 NC Hwy 211 in West End, N.C., on Dec. 5, 2022, where a serious attack on critical infrastructure has caused a power outage to many around Southern Pines, N.C. (Karl B DeBlaker/AP Photo)

Around the same time, the Department of Homeland Security issued a bulletin warning of a “heightened threat environment” ahead of the Christmas holiday season. Faith-based institutions, government buildings, U.S. infrastructure, schools, and public gatherings could be targeted by groups with “a range of ideological beliefs” and “personal grievances,” the agency said on Nov. 30, 2022.

Nevada Incident

Earlier in January, officials in Nevada said a man was facing terrorism-related charges after driving his car to a solar power plant, dousing it with gasoline, and setting it on fire. An employee told local media that the fire caused “major damage” and estimated it would take two years to receive replacement parts.

Mohammed Mesmarian, 34, was identified as the suspect in the case and is facing charges of committing an act of terrorism, first-degree arson, third-degree arson, destroying or injuring real or personal property, and escape by a felony prisoner, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said. Other details about Mesmarian’s motive were not revealed.

“Mesmarian clarified he burned the Toyota Camry a couple of days ago,” Las Vegas Police said, according to reports. “Mesmarian [said] he burned the vehicle at a Tesla solar plant and did it ‘for the future.’”

“I burned it,” Mesmarian told police detectives during questioning following his arrest on Jan. 5 at a trailer home parked at a campsite near Lake Mead, the Colorado River reservoir outside Las Vegas.

“Mesmarian admitted he knew setting a vehicle on fire could cause damage to the (transformer) unit, but stated he did it for the big message, larger picture, greater good,” an arrest report said. “He explained the greater good was clean energy.”

Mesmarian, who told officials he was born in Iran, remains jailed without bail pending mental health evaluations and a court hearing on Feb. 1. He also told police the fire early Jan. 4 that damaged Chicago-based Invenergy’s Mega Solar Array “represented moving forward in the world,” the report said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.