Officials at the state’s largest utility, Green Mountain Power (GMP), say copper thefts from their grid are becoming more common. Those thefts, they say, present a serious safety hazard.
GMPs problem mirrors a statewide trend, which was previously pointed out on VTDigger.org in August. As the price of copper has risen over the past four years, from about 60 cents to $4 a pound, so too has its theft.
In the past two months, GMP officials say four copper thefts from ground wire on the electrical grid have cost the company $2,500 in raw material and labor costs. But that’s not what they’re worried about.
“Our greatest fear is that there will be an incident where a life will be lost,” said GMP safety director Matt McCoy in a press statement. “Whether it is that of a vandal, one of our employees or an unsuspecting child wandering into a substation left unsecured by thieves, these events could quickly turn into tragedies.”
Copper ground wire plays a crucial role in stabilizing the grid. When a high voltage surge comes through a section of the grid, ground wires provide a safe path for the energy to release. The absence of ground wires can present a shock hazard. Ground wires are hooked up to meters on homes and wires strung across electric poles that line neighborhoods. Copper is used for ground wire because it’s extremely conductive.
“Ground wire provides a path from the (electricity) source to the ground,” said GMP spokesman Jeremy Baker. “In the absence of a copper ground wire, a human can become that path.”
In addition to safety concerns, the theft of copper ground wire also leads to power outages. Baker said an instant outage can occur if a particular wire is removed or it can cause an outage when the utility shuts down portions of the grid to repair it.
“When we find that grounds have been removed, there has to be an outage,” he said. “Directly or indirectly, the removal of copper ground wire will cause outages.”
Last weekend, GMP shut off power for customers in Newfane to repair a portion of the grid that was hampered by copper theft.
