Saturday night, it happened again. Thieves cut through a chain-link fence on their way into a Newfoundland Power substation in Freshwater, where they proceeded to cut away ground wires connected to high-voltage electrical equipment. The thieves also ripped the wires out of an underground safety grid at the facility.
The copper grounding wire can be valuable as scrap, but it's nowhere near as valuable as it is when it remains in place, protecting workers and passers-by from potentially dangerous shocks, and protecting electrical customers from potential loss of service.
It's only the latest case.
Newfoundland Hydro lost a significant amount of copper grounding wire in Chapel Arm on Aug. 27, and the company said theft is a growing problem.
In July, it was copper grounding wire being stripped - shortly after installation - from telephone poles in the southside area of Carbonear.
It's a potentially deadly act: across Canada, people die every year removing grounding cable from power towers, charged equipment, and other parts of the electrical grid. It may be tempting for some to shrug their shoulders and say the fatalities and deaths are just desserts for the thefts, but there's far more involved concerns than that.
That's because it's dangerous not only to the thieves making off with the wire, but to others as well - it can be months before the missing wire is discovered, meaning systems that should be grounded are not. Removing grounding wires puts anyone working on electrical or cable systems at risk.
In a relatively recent case, three people were charged after $100,000 in damage was done by thieves stealing grounding wires at the Stephenville airport. The theft compromised part of the airport's runway lighting system, something the airport wasn't aware of until airport employees tried to activate landing lights for an incoming aircraft.
This is a theft that always has the potential to have far more wide-ranging effects than those of the thefts themselves itself. There have even been serious environmental effects in this province - and expensive cleanups - after people trying to reclaim copper cores from electrical transformers emptied PCB-contaminated oil onto the ground in their rush to obtain the coppery spoils.
It's more than a triumph of greed over common sense: these are situations where the simple theft of a relatively low-value commodity can have life-threatening consequences further down the line.
In that way, it should share the same moral opprobrium as drunk-driving: anyone removing the wires has to know the long-term potential of their actions, and should bear a penalty for creating a situation where fatalities might occur.
Utility companies put grounding systems in place for obvious reasons; the fact that they spend thousands of dollars making sure the systems are in place and are operational should be an indication to potential thieves about how essential those systems are.
It makes you wonder: if guardrails were valuable as recycled metal, would people be stealing them off dangerous curves as well?
Stop, thief
Saturday night, it happened again. Thieves cut through a chain-link fence on their way into a Newfoundland Power substation in Freshwater, where they proceeded to cut away ground wires connected to high-voltage electrical equipment. The thieves also ripped the wires out of an underground safety grid at the facility.
The copper grounding wire can be valuable as scrap, but it's nowhere near as valuable as it is when it remains in place, protecting workers and passers-by from potentially dangerous shocks, and protecting electrical customers from potential loss of service.
- Number of views : 16
- Rate
- Top of the page
Comments
-
- Angelica
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:35:11
Scrap companies need to stop buying this kind of material. I don't know anything about the stuff - is it easlily recognizable as plunder from these stations? If so, monies should not be paid out to those willing to compromise their own lives, as well as the lives of others.
-
- Calvin
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:31:37
Well, the thieves melt the stuff down and can say it came from anywhere (ie; an old house, workplace scrap, college scrap, etc). And with the value of the stuff companies will buy it, they dont care where it came from. Some power companies are starting to use conductors that have an aluminum coating, making it harder for the thieves to sell. The coating does not seperate from the copper when it is melted and therefore the copper is tainted. However, that particular conductor is expensive and therefore not used much, though with the rate of thefts across Canada it should become mandatory.
-
- Calvin
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:31:27
Anyone caught stealing ground conductors from Newfoundland substations should be severely disciplined. If you ask me, who cares if they electrocute themselves. Its the workers with Newfoundland Power and Hydro that need to be protected. These people have children and families and deserve to have a safe work environment. Their families deserve to have their mom or dad come home safe every night. I really wish some moron stealing copper from electrical facilities would get electrocuted so they could be made an example of. Getting a shock from a household outlet is not even the least bit comparable to being killed by 66 000 volts of electricity running through conductors in a substation. Attempted manslaughter charges may be enough to deter these idiots from trying this again. With that said, Newfoundland Power and Hydro need to step up security measures at their substations and generation plants. Cameras, alarms, sirens, whatever. Hell, electrocute the fences and stop the thieves before they even get on the premises.
-
- NT
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:30:10
I agree 110% with Calvin. Who are you Willie to think you are better than everyone and steal whats not yours to begin with? Too bad this isnt more like the middle east and you get your hands cut off when you get caught. mans gotta eat really? Im sure youre the same J.A. who poaches moose and salmon every year too thinking its your right. Im glad not everyone thinks like you. Grow up and get a real job.
-
- david
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:27:39
way to incriminate yourself willy, maybe the rnc should investigate this willie hunt and lay charges of theft of these copper wires considering he admits doing it or mischief at the very least. just because you post on the internet doesn't mean your invisable willie!! you must be awefully lazy to choose to steal these grounding cables instead of working a job. pathetic really.
-
- Gord
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:25:30
How much money are we talking about for the wires that were stolen? How much material does this represent (# truckloads?). There are only a few places to dispose of this kind of material, and I am sure ground wires must be recognizable for these collection places. Perhaps more documentation is needed for what is declared for scrap, where it came from, etc. That would make tracking the stolen material easier. The problem is, I am sure the scrap places don't want the hassle of a paper chase for their own reasons (perhaps knowingly paying rock bottom prices for stolen ground wire?).
-
- Eli
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:24:52
Mention hard-time punishment for these robbers and the do-gooders go ballistic! Like the pity shown inmates at the Lakeside Hotel. Get back to some roadside labor with essential victuals and nothing else. You don't like the accomodation don't come back! I hear the bells ringing already.
-
- Great
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:20:27
Does anyone connect the dots here? Have you noticed how crime stories are dominating Newfoundland newspapers? Society is changing. Companies in this province need to begin resource protection programs to protect their companies and investments. Shouldn't a power substation be equipped with closed circuit television cameras? These systems today are a lot more affordable than losing thousands to theft. It is time for companies and the government to take a proactive response to protecting assets, property, and people.
-
- Calvin
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:14:12
Way to go Willie, I hope you burn in a substation. A guy I went to high-school with, who left behind two young children, was killed on the job a little over a year ago. He worked with Newfoundland Power and was killed because morons like you were shooting insulators off of a transmission line structure. As for knowing what you are doing, do you know how to recognize a groudning condition in a substation? I doubt it. It is not always as obvious as a downed power line. When the guy mentioned above was killed, there was no line down. He stpped out of the truck and was killed, without warning. If you want to get some idea of what it would be like to get electrocuted in a substation, go grab onto a 600V line in a commercial or industrial setting, and then amplify the agonizing pain you feel by 10 000 times. Jackass,
-
- Willie
- - July 2nd, 2010 at 13:12:55
Stealing the airport lighting cable was a little different and a lot less dangerous than a substation but money is money and a man's gotta eat. As long as you have these stations, unmanned and in isolated areas the bounty is too much to resist. They never get electrocuted on the premises while doing the deed. We've been doing it for years! We know what we're doin. Willie Hunt Pouch Cove NL
-
- Angelica
- - July 1st, 2010 at 20:25:05
Scrap companies need to stop buying this kind of material. I don't know anything about the stuff - is it easlily recognizable as plunder from these stations? If so, monies should not be paid out to those willing to compromise their own lives, as well as the lives of others.
-
- Calvin
- - July 1st, 2010 at 20:20:15
Well, the thieves melt the stuff down and can say it came from anywhere (ie; an old house, workplace scrap, college scrap, etc). And with the value of the stuff companies will buy it, they dont care where it came from. Some power companies are starting to use conductors that have an aluminum coating, making it harder for the thieves to sell. The coating does not seperate from the copper when it is melted and therefore the copper is tainted. However, that particular conductor is expensive and therefore not used much, though with the rate of thefts across Canada it should become mandatory.
-
- Calvin
- - July 1st, 2010 at 20:19:58
Anyone caught stealing ground conductors from Newfoundland substations should be severely disciplined. If you ask me, who cares if they electrocute themselves. Its the workers with Newfoundland Power and Hydro that need to be protected. These people have children and families and deserve to have a safe work environment. Their families deserve to have their mom or dad come home safe every night. I really wish some moron stealing copper from electrical facilities would get electrocuted so they could be made an example of. Getting a shock from a household outlet is not even the least bit comparable to being killed by 66 000 volts of electricity running through conductors in a substation. Attempted manslaughter charges may be enough to deter these idiots from trying this again. With that said, Newfoundland Power and Hydro need to step up security measures at their substations and generation plants. Cameras, alarms, sirens, whatever. Hell, electrocute the fences and stop the thieves before they even get on the premises.
-
- NT
- - July 1st, 2010 at 20:17:51
I agree 110% with Calvin. Who are you Willie to think you are better than everyone and steal whats not yours to begin with? Too bad this isnt more like the middle east and you get your hands cut off when you get caught. mans gotta eat really? Im sure youre the same J.A. who poaches moose and salmon every year too thinking its your right. Im glad not everyone thinks like you. Grow up and get a real job.
-
- david
- - July 1st, 2010 at 20:15:16
way to incriminate yourself willy, maybe the rnc should investigate this willie hunt and lay charges of theft of these copper wires considering he admits doing it or mischief at the very least. just because you post on the internet doesn't mean your invisable willie!! you must be awefully lazy to choose to steal these grounding cables instead of working a job. pathetic really.
-
- Gord
- - July 1st, 2010 at 20:11:52
How much money are we talking about for the wires that were stolen? How much material does this represent (# truckloads?). There are only a few places to dispose of this kind of material, and I am sure ground wires must be recognizable for these collection places. Perhaps more documentation is needed for what is declared for scrap, where it came from, etc. That would make tracking the stolen material easier. The problem is, I am sure the scrap places don't want the hassle of a paper chase for their own reasons (perhaps knowingly paying rock bottom prices for stolen ground wire?).
-
- Eli
- - July 1st, 2010 at 20:10:46
Mention hard-time punishment for these robbers and the do-gooders go ballistic! Like the pity shown inmates at the Lakeside Hotel. Get back to some roadside labor with essential victuals and nothing else. You don't like the accomodation don't come back! I hear the bells ringing already.
-
- Great
- - July 1st, 2010 at 20:03:13
Does anyone connect the dots here? Have you noticed how crime stories are dominating Newfoundland newspapers? Society is changing. Companies in this province need to begin resource protection programs to protect their companies and investments. Shouldn't a power substation be equipped with closed circuit television cameras? These systems today are a lot more affordable than losing thousands to theft. It is time for companies and the government to take a proactive response to protecting assets, property, and people.
-
- Calvin
- - July 1st, 2010 at 19:52:58
Way to go Willie, I hope you burn in a substation. A guy I went to high-school with, who left behind two young children, was killed on the job a little over a year ago. He worked with Newfoundland Power and was killed because morons like you were shooting insulators off of a transmission line structure. As for knowing what you are doing, do you know how to recognize a groudning condition in a substation? I doubt it. It is not always as obvious as a downed power line. When the guy mentioned above was killed, there was no line down. He stpped out of the truck and was killed, without warning. If you want to get some idea of what it would be like to get electrocuted in a substation, go grab onto a 600V line in a commercial or industrial setting, and then amplify the agonizing pain you feel by 10 000 times. Jackass,
-
- Willie
- - July 1st, 2010 at 19:50:30
Stealing the airport lighting cable was a little different and a lot less dangerous than a substation but money is money and a man's gotta eat. As long as you have these stations, unmanned and in isolated areas the bounty is too much to resist. They never get electrocuted on the premises while doing the deed. We've been doing it for years! We know what we're doin. Willie Hunt Pouch Cove NL
