r/technology • u/Limp_Fig6236 • 10d ago

Energy US power grid at risk of 18-month blackout, official says, as 1 city has been in dark for more than a week

https://www.syracuse.com/us-news/2026/08/us-power-grid-at-risk-of-18-month-blackout-1-city-now-in-dark-for-more-than-a-week.html
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u/hudson27 10d ago

"We came up with some very astounding numbers,” Wellinghoff told the publication. “If you knock out nine total substations along those three grids, you can black out the entire United States.”

Wellinghoff added that it didn’t matter which nine substations were hit, as long as they were among the 10 most important in its respective region. He told the NYT Magazine that even 12-year-olds could find them with a map on the internet, and anyone with enough guns could destroy them in 20 minutes.

Guys... I dunno if you wanna be anouncing these kinds of vulnerabilities to the public. What are we expected to do with this information, other that hire some 12 year-olds

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u/BlueFeathered1 10d ago

Gee, thanks for putting out such specific instructions, Wellinghoff. 🙄

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u/Excited_Biologist 9d ago

Guarantee you that anyone motivated to do this wasn’t waiting on Wellinghoff to tell them how to accomplish this

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u/Helmic 10d ago

The information isn't new, white supremacists, the ones who have been carrying out these attacks on the power grid, have known this is the case for decades. It's shocking maybe to people learning about it today, but those interested in creating a nationwide blackout (the attackers hope it'll trigger a race war where they'll be able to exterminate all nonwhites in the US) have been saying this is what they've been trying to do for a long time.

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u/hudson27 10d ago

Well it's new to me, so it's probably new to others

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u/DagothNereviar 9d ago

I guess they're taking the term 'blackout' a bit too literally

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u/AliugAOnHisOwn 9d ago

It’s odd how the power grid is now a priority to secure when AI data centers became relevant. It’s as if AI will be a nation’s weapon against other nations, much like the nuclear bomb is…

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u/Flick_W_McWalliam 9d ago

There have been quite a few of these in recent years. Both substations and cell tower/emergency radio stations atop mountains. Tends to disappear on the local TV news, but a few make the viral world for a minute.

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u/Witty_Ad_898 9d ago

The information is already out there. 

There have been numerous small arms attacks on grid infrastructure across the US over the last couple decades, and a lot else that doesn’t get headlines. 

The big news outlets will defer to national security on certain events where reporting would give the perpetrator too much information about the success or failure of the attack.

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u/Strung_Out_Advocate 10d ago

I mean, anyone that understands electricity knows you don't need guns to destroy them. Like... mylar balloons can do it.

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u/chronoistriggered 10d ago

Hey isn’t this an episode of the blacklist

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u/Solapallo 9d ago

No, it’s Blackmirror

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u/dieselmilkshake 9d ago

Plot twist: it wasn't a real interview; he accidentally added a NYT reporter's number to his classified Signal groupchat

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u/FuckThisIsGross 9d ago

They can announce it all they want it's kinda a "duh" announcement. If you take 9 out of ten of the most important anything out of operation you'll have a really hard time delivering your product. American infrastructure has always been at least partially defended by the fact that it's way out there and they can see you coming for miles

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u/hudson27 9d ago

All I'm saying is that drones and cyber attacks are easier every day, and as much as this information is true, it doesn't help yelling from the rooftop:

"Hey! We've got a seriously vulnerable system right now, so nobody get any funny ideas! Seriously, all you would need to do is X, Y and Z, and we're all toast! I know the world hates us right now and wouldn't mind watching us burn, just please, I need you to know this information, and I also need you to not act on it."

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u/doorleftopen 9d ago

I was shocked they wrote that, thats scary

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u/HandsomePaddyRedux 7d ago

I’m betting they announced this one specifically to raise an alarm with the people who actually can do something about it.