Vandals used firearms to shoot out insulators on a Bonneville Power Administration transmission line.
(LEBANON) - The Bonneville Power Administration is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for causing a four-hour outage to Consumers Power Inc.’s Lebanon Substation August 15th.
The vandalism to BPA’s Green Peter-Lebanon 115-kilovolt line occurred in a densely wooded area approximately 11 miles east of Lebanon.
The line faulted at 6:22 PM, and power to the Lebanon Substation was restored at 10:28 PM.
When insulators are damaged in this way, power flowing over the line can go to ground, presenting a serious safety hazard – even the potential for electrocution – to people or livestock in the vicinity of the transmission tower.
During dry, hot weather, this uninsulated flow of electricity to ground also presents a fire hazard.
In addition to safety issues, vandalism and other crimes cost BPA’s ratepayers $500,000 to $1 million a year in direct costs of replacing stolen or damaged equipment.
This figure does not account for lost revenues and economic losses to electricity customers due to power interruptions.
Anyone having any information on this case should call the BPA’s Crime Witness Hotline at (800) 437-2744.
The line is confidential, and rewards are issued in such a way that the caller’s identity remains confidential
Vandals Cause Power Outage in Lebanon Area; BPA Offering $25,000 RewardSalem-News.com