Contractor accused of tampering with power grid's computer system
Lonnie Charles Denison, 32, was employed by an unnamed company that contracted with the Independent System Operator, said a spokeswoman for the agency. He was arrested around 1:30 p.m. by the FBI and faces federal charges of destruction of an energy facility, officials said.
On April 15 around midnight, authorities began investigating why the internal power supply had been cut off to several computer systems that handle ISO market data. The ISO oversees electricity purchases and distribution in California.
The computers were fully restored by 6 a.m., officials said, and built-in redundancies prevented the tampering from affecting the power grid.
On April 16 around 12 noon, the ISO received a "credible threat" to the facility through an e-mail "from the same suspect," officials said. Five hundred employees in all three ISO buildings at the Folsom campus were evacuated, according to the agency.
Authorities searched the building but found no potential problems and allowed employees back in at about 5 p.m. During that time, grid operations were transferred to another facility, and service was not affected.
A spokeswoman said the ISO is conducting an internal investigation to "review security policies and procedures."
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MONTREAL - Following the adoption of Bill 34 in December 2019, a total amount of $535 million will be refunded to customers who were Hydro-Québec account holders in 2018 or 2019. This amount was accumulated in variance accounts required under the previous rate system between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2019.
If you are still a Hydro-Québec customer, a credit will be applied to your bill in the coming weeks. The amount will be indicated on your bill.
An average refund amount of $60. The refund amount is calculated based on the quantity of electricity that each customer consumed in 2018…
