Pinehurst Today

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On September 13, 2023, U.S. Representative Richard Hudson's (R-NC) energy grid security legislation H.R. 4167, Protecting America’s Distribution Transformer Supply Chain Act, was included in the House Energy and Commerce Committee Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Subcommittee legislative hearing titled “Keeping The Lights On: Enhancing Reliability And Efficiency To Power American Homes.”

“We began our conversation on improving the security and resiliency of our nation’s energy grid in Moore County earlier this summer. Today’s hearing builds on the commitments I made that day to continue discussions in Washington with expert witnesses and to find legislative solutions to these issues,” said Rep. Hudson. “I am proud to lead legislation that will ensure utilities and homebuilders have the energy transmission resources they need to keep my community and the nations lights on, without Washington Bureaucrats getting in their way.”

Earlier this year, Rep. Hudson introduced the Protecting America’s Distribution Transformer Supply Chain Act, legislation to repeal the Department of Energy’s authority to propose, finalize, implement, administer, or enforce any new energy efficiency standard for distribution transformers for the next five years. This legislation builds on Rep. Hudson's work to strengthen America's energy security. 

In December, the Department of Energy proposed new energy efficiency standards for three categories of distribution transformers. This proposed rule would require all distribution transformers to shift from the industry standard grain oriented electrical steel (GOES) cores - which accounts for 95% of the domestic distribution transformer market - to amorphous steel cores. If the rule is finalized as proposed, the new standards will exacerbate the current transformer supply chain crisis, in exchange for an iota of efficiency gain - less than a 0.1% improvement. The average transformer delivery time for utilities was just three months in 2018, about a year at the start of 2022, and is between two to three years today.

The Protecting America’s Distribution Transformer Supply Chain Act is led by Rep. Hudson and a companion version of this legislation was introduced by Senators Barrasso and Tillis. To read the Protecting America’s Distribution Transformer Supply Chain Act, click here.

In June, Rep. Hudson and eight members of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security held a field hearing in Moore County to address enhancing America’s grid security and reliability. At the hearing, the members heard from experts in the field and discussed physical and cybersecurity issues in the electricity sector, power outage incident response and recovery, and emergency coordination among State and local governments and the electric industry. These discussions in NC and DC will contribute to ensuring our grid security is never interrupted again. To watch the full Moore County field hearing.

Originals source can be found here.