December 9, 2022 3:00 a.m.

The Bonneville Power Administration is seeking tips about trespassing, vandalism and malicious damage of equipment at a substation in Clackamas, near Portland.

BPA Transmission Vice President of Field Services John Lahti said, “Someone clearly wanted to damage equipment and possibly, cause a power outage”. Lahti said the damage and associated cleanup will cost Northwest rate payers hundreds of thousands of dollars. He said, “We were fortunate to avoid any power supply disruption, which would have jeopardized public safety, increased financial damages and presented challenges to the community on a holiday”.

A release said the physical attack took place in the early morning hours on Thursday, November 24th. BPA was able to respond quickly and minimize the damage. BPA is actively cooperating with the FBI on this incident and has encouraged other utilities throughout the region to increase their vigilance and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement.

Anyone with information related to this incident or other potential attacks or threats on electric infrastructure is asked to contact the FBI at 503-224-4181.