The Grays Harbor PUD is turning to a new tactic to stop metal thieves from stealing copper wires.
PUD crews have begun installing copper grounding wire with a steel core.
“The new wire is extremely difficult to cut and contains very little copper, so it has little value as scrap,” said Wes Gray, Grays Harbor PUD Engineering Manager.
“In the last couple years, we estimate there have been hundreds of thefts of copper wire,” added Liz Anderson, PUD director of community and government relations.
The most serious case happened last July when thieves cut through a fence around an Aberdeen substation and removed grounding wire and a small amount of copper from the main electrical apparatus.
The PUD is installing the new wire throughout the electrical system. Similar wire is being installed in the PUD’s substations as well.
“Copper wire theft is a very serious crime,” said PUD General Manager Rick Lovely. “Theft of copper wire or vandalism of equipment can result in service interruptions to our customers and costly repairs. It can also result in serious injury or death to the person or persons committing the crime.”
The thefts and the safety issue they cause have become a major concern for electric utilities as prices for scrap copper have skyrocketed in recent years.
The Bonneville Power Administration recently launched a similar preventative program to install the copper-coated steel wire that the BPA says is “virtually worthless compared to solid copper wire.”
At least 10 break-ins have occurred at BPA substations in the past year, putting power delivery and lives at risk, and costing Northwest ratepayers well over $30,000 in damages, a BPA statement said. In addition to the copper-coated steel wire, BPA is installing new fencing that is much more difficult to cut, as well as surveillance cameras.
Removal of ground wire at a substation can impact the ability of the system to respond to a fault presenting a safety hazard for PUD personnel and the public, Anderson said.
“For example, if you have a downed wire in a storm, removal of ground wire can impact the system’s ability to respond to the fault, keeping the wire energized,” she said.
The PUD said there have been at least four break-ins at local substations.
Lovely said the new wire is a low-cost way to deter theft of grounding wire and “ensure safety and reliability of the system.” The new wire costs about 20 percent less than the copper wire previously being used.
