This comes amid warnings that the power grid faces heightened threat from Russia and China.
Domestic terrorists have been developing “credible, specific” plans to attack the U.S. power grid, the Department of Homeland Security warned power companies Monday. The memo comes amid warnings by federal authorities that the country faces a heightened threat from domestic violent extremists, including those specifically fueled by racist ideology.
“DVEs (domestic violent extremists) have developed credible, specific plans to attack electricity infrastructure since at least 2020, identifying the electric grid as a particularly attractive target given its interdependency with other infrastructure sectors," the bulletin read, according to The Daily Beast.
Authorities believe that the extremists “will likely continue to plot and encourage physical attacks against electrical infrastructure,” the memo stated.
While authorities clarified “small scale attacks are unlikely to cause widespread, multi-state power loss,” any attack could damage equipment or harm employees.
Authorities said in a statement that information such as this is “regularly” shared “to ensure the safety and security of all communities across the country.”
Last month, officials warned utility companies that their operations could be a target of attack from Russia amid escalating tensions related to a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, and earlier this month asked for companies to check for any sign of a Russian cyberattack, according to Bloomberg.
The Department of Defense also warned of an attack from China last month. “There is a real possibility that if we ever got into a conflict, you could see attacks on our power grid or the transportation sector for example,” Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth said in a statement.
