FBI joins South Carolina probe of possible sabotage at electric plant
Moore County, North Carolina, power restored
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The FBI is investigating gunfire near a South Carolina power plant that occurred just as electricity for tens of thousands in North Carolina was restored days after alleged sabotage to critical infrastructure at two substations.
"We are aware of reports of gunfire near the Wateree Hydro Station in Ridgeway, South Carolina," a Duke Energy spokesperson said in a statement emailed to Fox News Digital. "No individuals were harmed. There are no outages reported. There is no known property damage at this time."
"We are working closely with the FBI on this issue," the statement added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Multiple sources told CBS News that an individual pulled up in a truck outside the power plant in Kershaw County around 5:30 p.m. before opening fire. The person used what appeared to be a long gun before speeding away, and several Duke Energy employees witnessed the incident, the report says.
A view of the substation while work is in progress as tens of thousands are without power on Moore County on December 05, 2022. (Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office Thursday but did not immediately hear back.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kershaw County Sheriff Lee Boan told WLTX that he could not immediately confirm that the power plant was targeted, as some accounts suggested someone was firing at trees or someone near trees by the power plant.
He said his officers responded to the location to investigate, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) offered additional assistance. "We take this seriously," Boan told WLTX.
Meanwhile, a state of emergency and curfew lifted at 5 a.m. Thursday morning in Moore County, North Carolina.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Duke Energy’s outage map showed almost all households in Moore County had regained power as of 5 p.m. Wednesday. FBI Charlotte said that an "unknown" suspect or suspects fired multiple shots at two substations – about 10 miles apart from each other -- in Moore County on Saturday evening.
The damage caused power outages for approximately 45,000 customers at peak. The repair process took several days, and a state of emergency was declared in Moore County that included a 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew.
Moore County substation repair crews at work in Carthage, North Carolina, on December 5, 2022. (Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
On Wednesday, Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields announced a $75,000 reward offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the outages. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s office, Moore County and Duke Energy each contributed $25,000.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A federal law enforcement memo reportedly warned that the power grid in Oregon and Washington experienced physical attacks, including gunfire and arson, in recent days. The Department of Homeland Security, in a threat memo last week, reiterated concerns about attacks on critical infrastructure.
The outage in Moore County brought renewed attention to a substation that was vandalized last month in another North Carolina county about 150 miles southeast. A substation near Maysville in Jones County was damaged by vandals on Nov. 11, causing outages to 12,000 customers that lasted about two hours, according to the Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative.
Moore County substation repair crews at work on December 5, 2022. (Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The vandals damaged transformers and caused them to leak coolant oil, the cooperative said in a press release. It was not immediately clear how the damage was done or if there is a link to the Moore County outages.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Moore County schools remained closed through Thursday for students, though for the first time since the outages, staff had an optional workday until normal operations were expected to resume Friday.
The shelter in Carthage will remain open until noon on Thursday. Despite several accidents reported as traffic lights were out, none of the accidents resulted in fatalities. One resident was found dead in a house that was without power, and that case has been turned over to medical examiners to determine if the outages impacted the death or if another pre-existing condition was at play.
A view of a Moore County substation while work is in progress on Dec. 05, 2022. (Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital, a 402-bed acute care facility in Pinehurst, regained power shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday and gradually transitioned from emergency generators to normal power, the hospital website said. The county’s transportation services are operating only for clients who have scheduled dialysis, chemotherapy and radiation treatment, according to the Moore County website.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}At a Wednesday afternoon press conference, Duke Energy representative Jeff Brooks said all equipment was in place, installed and calibrated to the grid, and a few thousand customers were brought back online at a time. By then, 12,000 customers remained without power southeast from southern Pines, down from 35,000 customers earlier in the day. Repairs continued into the evening a day ahead of schedule.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.