Substation burglary causes power outage to thousands

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Copper thieves at Warren RECC’s Plano substation caused a power outage for about 3,000 customers Friday night.

At about 6:45 p.m. Friday the utility company began receiving notifications of a widespread outage in the area. Repair crews saw that the substation fence was intentionally compromised and copper wire had been disconnected and stolen, according to a press release.

Crews worked overnight to repair the damage, replace missing equipment, and restore power to all Warren RECC members by 3 a.m.

“I would like to thank our employees for their hard work and dedication​. Repairing damage to a substation, especially damage at the level we experienced, is difficult and time consuming. I would also like to thank the Warren County Sheriff’s Office for their quick response,” said Dewayne McDonald, interim president and chief executive officer of Warren RECC.

Substations are high voltage areas and should only be entered by fully trained, authorized personnel. Careless activity in a substation can quickly lead to electrocution and death. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 270-842-1633.