The North American Reliability Corp (NERC) is a self-governing agency for power companies. Recently, they examined a Chinese-made transformer and discovered hidden backdoors that could allow the transformer to be remotely shut down. These backdoors could not be accessed or removed.
From January 1, 2006, to October 31, 2022, we imported 400 transformers over 10,000 KV from China. Among these, 20% are used in New York City, and 40% power Las Vegas.
There is no federal regulatory oversight for our electrical power, and there are absolutely no inspections. Private and public electrical companies self-regulate.
NERC spent over $1 billion over ten years on DC lobbying to prevent government intervention because they believe it would lead to unrealistic guidelines and rules, increasing operational costs without significant improvements.
Transformers are tested and required to endure 8 kV per meter, but this is only about 10% of what a significant solar flare could generate. In reality, they are not adequately protected.
TYPES OF GRID ATTACKS
Physical Attacks on the Grid:
Several years ago, in California, 2-3 individuals attacked a substation with AK-47s. Initially, they cut the communications from the substation underground and then shot the high-voltage transformer. However, they made a mistake, causing the transformer to slowly overheat instead of shorting out and burning up. At that time, the utility company rerouted power around the damaged transformer, preventing a power outage. If the power had tripped, Silicon Valley would have been without power for a month or more.
- In the US, we have approximately 55,000 substations.
- If attackers could take down as few as 9 of these substations, it could disrupt power coast to coast for a very extended period.
- We have virtually no spares, especially for the large transformers.
- It has been estimated that for about $10,000,000,000, the US could protect the entire nation. We spend more on debt service in just 6 days than this amount.
Cyber Threats:
The primary threat to our electrical grid from our enemies involves embedded backdoors and intrusions. Attackers exploit the back doors in our transformers. We do not have precise information about these intrusions.
Types of Threats: Nuclear EMP and Solar Flare or CME have Components E1 to E3.
Nuclear EMP:
E1 – Nano pulse, a very short pulse that directly attacks small microchips. This would affect electronics coast to coast.
E2 - Lightning – most houses are protected from this.
E3 – Slightly slower than an E1, this attacks the magnetosphere and anything with a long antenna, long transmission lines, essentially frying anything plugged in.
Solar Flare:
A Carrington-level Solar Flare ~ X80 to X100.
E3 – The pulse from the flare would knock out anything plugged in.
SCADAs: (supervisory control and data acquisition) have no internal security and are used extensively in modern equipment control and manufacturing processes. An intrusion could cause equipment and process crashes, inflicting massive damage on equipment and people.
Evidence indicates that each progressive event has consistently moved westward, occurring at a total of 4 locations globally. The upcoming event will strike in the Pacific, with the Flash occurring over Africa and Europe. The most significant catastrophe happens when the Sun's shell strikes, causing massive damage and species extinction. The flash results in extensive water evaporation and the burning of the Earth's surface. Following the flash, there is a delay in the shell's arrival due to the slower speed of larger materials and the Earth's rotation during that time delay.
While the flash is horrific, the cataclysmic destruction intensifies when the shell arrives. Material from the Sun binds together on its journey to Earth, and the debris can range from plasma to asteroid-sized materials. Additionally, induced currents cause the mantle and crust to shift, allowing centrifugal force to pull ice-laden areas like Greenland and Antarctica toward the Equator, causing the entire Earth's crust to move to new locations. The collision of boundary areas generates earthquakes of unimaginable magnitudes as they interact.
Depending on the depth of oceans and seas, tidal surges and waves could be quite dramatic. Some continents will be pelted by massive waves, while others will experience surges only. Depending on the location, everything could be destroyed; trees, buildings, highways, and elevation will be crucial factors.
The worst is yet to come; the outer dust shell of the Sun will arrive on Earth about 17 hours later. Some chunks could be very large; there is no way to know just how big they will be. Regardless, the side facing Earth at that time will be scorched by tremendous heat, boiling off the top surface of oceans and blasting away much of the atmosphere. Strong winds will race to the Sun-facing side of Earth as high-pressure air moves to lower-pressure areas. The temperature on the backside of the Earth will drop rapidly due to a quick pressure drop.