RALEIGH, N.C. — The attacks on two power substations in Moore County last weekend came amid a multiyear effort by Duke Energy to “strengthen the grid” and reduce the number and severity of power outages.
Most of that effort is aimed not at sabotage but at more common and widespread threats to the energy system, including hurricanes, ice storms and squirrels.
More than five years ago, the utility began fortifying vulnerable power poles, lines and substations against wind, flooding and animal incursions. It also began installing a network of sensors and switches that can automatically reroute power around damaged parts of the grid, something the company calls “self-healing technology” that aims to minimize outages.
