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What is a substation? What to know after NC attack leaves thousands without power

Many Moore County residents are still without power after two electrical substations were vandalized Saturday night.

The outages are the result of intentional damage by firearms, The Charlotte Observer reported.

As of 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, 36,000 homes and businesses remained without power, according to the Duke Energy power outage map. It could take until Thursday to restore power to all customers since some electrical equipment needs to be replaced, according to Duke Energy spokesperson Jeff Brooks.

Substations are critical parts of electrical infrastructure that allow customers to access reliable electricity. Here’s what to know about them.

RELATED: Power substation attack leaves Moore County, NC in the dark. Here’s what we know

What is a substation?

A substation is a high-voltage electric system facility, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Some substations are small with one transformer and a few switches, while others are large with several transformers and dozens of switches, according to the labor department.

How many substations are there in Charlotte?

There are at least 105 electrical substations in Charlotte, according to a map of substations from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Substations play an important role in bringing electricity generated at power plants to customers’ homes, businesses, schools and other buildings, according to Duke Energy.

What types of substations are there?

There are four types of substations, according to the labor department:

  • Step-up transmission substation: A substation that receives electric power from a nearby generating facility.

  • Step-down transmission substation: A substation placed at different points within an electrical network.

  • Distribution substation: A substation placed where the main voltage distributions are stepped-down to supply voltages to the customers using a distribution network

  • Underground distribution substation: A substation installed underground to decrease requirements for space, usually in an urban area.

RELATED: Shelter, food, charging ports: Here’s where to find help in Moore County power outage