The Terrorist and the Grid

By GREGORY S. McNEAL, The New York Times, Published: August 13, 2005

AFTER the blackout of 2003, addressing the vulnerabilities of America's electrical grid was a top priority. Not only was the creaky system going to be repaired and restructured, its key facilities were going to be reinforced to guard against terrorism. After all, Al Qaeda documents suggest that terrorists have considered attacking the grid, which would cause chaos, wreak economic havoc, and possibly cost lives.
So here we are, nearly two years later, and is the grid safer? Sadly, no. Terrorists could still send a nation as powerful and modernized as the United States into the dark ages for weeks.
Here's why. Our electrical grid distributes energy throughout the nation on an as-needed basis. Generators transmit power over high-voltage lines using electrical substations. These substations are controlled by an enormous computerized switching system. This system uses sophisticated and difficult-to-replace solid-state and electro-mechanical relays. The relays prevent overloads and other failures from crippling the grid's electrical equipment and transmission facilities. Herein lies the vulnerability.
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