11 ms·

Transformers and turbines of any significance are not off the shelf parts and can have lead times of years

• esafak 8mo ago
  How do they not have backups??
  • 3eb7988a1663 8mo ago
    Enough for the entire grid? There are some amount of reserves on hand (eg drunk runs into a telephone pole), but nothing that could replace a targeted attack with the explicit goal of taking out the most vital infrastructure.
    • jacquesm 8mo ago
      And those pole mounted transformers are tiny. The big ones require special transports and can weigh a few hundred tons. Some are so large they are best transported via boat if possible.
• sillywalk 8mo ago
  > Transformers and turbines of any significance are not off the shelf parts and can have lead times of years Bloomberg had a decent article[0] about transformers and their lead time. They're currently a bottleneck on building. It wasn't paywalled for me. "The Covid-19 pandemic strained many supply chains, and most have recovered by now. The supply chain for transformers started experiencing troubles earlier — and it’s only worsened since. Instead of taking a few months to a year, the lead time for large transformer delivery is now three to five years. " [0] [0] https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2025-bottlenecks-transformers/ https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2025-bottlenecks-transfor...