[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2244 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2244

  To establish a Strategic Transformer Reserve program, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 8, 2015

     Mrs. Ellmers of North Carolina (for herself and Mr. McNerney) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                          Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To establish a Strategic Transformer Reserve program, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. STRATEGIC TRANSFORMER RESERVE PROGRAM.

    (a) Finding.--Congress finds that the storage of strategically 
located spare large power transformers will diminish the vulnerability 
of the United States to multiple risks facing electric grid 
reliability, including physical attack, cyber attack, electromagnetic 
pulse, geomagnetic disturbances, severe weather, and seismic events.
    (b) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Bulk-power system.--The term ``bulk-power system'' has 
        the meaning given such term in section 215(a) of the Federal 
        Power Act (16 U.S.C. 824o(a)).
            (2) Critically damaged large power transformer.--The term 
        ``critically damaged large power transformer'' means a large 
        power transformer that--
                    (A) has sustained extensive damage such that--
                            (i) repair or refurbishment is not 
                        economically viable; or
                            (ii) the extensive time to repair or 
                        refurbish the large power transformer would 
                        create an extended period of instability in the 
                        bulk-power system; and
                    (B) prior to sustaining such damage was part of the 
                bulk-power system.
            (3) Large power transformer.--The term ``large power 
        transformer'' means a power transformer, including related 
        critical equipment, that is, or is intended to be, a part of 
        the bulk-power system, with a maximum nameplate rating of 100 
        megavolt-amperes or higher.
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Energy.
            (5) Spare large power transformer.--The term ``spare large 
        power transformer'' means a large power transformer that is 
        stored within the Strategic Transformer Reserve to be available 
        to temporarily replace a critically damaged large power 
        transformer.
    (c) Strategic Transformer Reserve Plan.--
            (1) Plan.--Not later than one year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary, acting through the Office 
        of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, shall prepare 
        and submit to Congress for approval a plan to establish a 
        Strategic Transformer Reserve for the storage, in strategically 
        located facilities, of spare large power transformers in 
        sufficient numbers to temporarily replace critically damaged 
        large power transformers.
            (2) Inclusions.--The Strategic Transformer Reserve plan 
        shall include a description of--
                    (A) the appropriate number of spare large power 
                transformers and total capacity in megawatts necessary 
                in the Strategic Transformer Reserve to provide or 
                restore sufficient resiliency to the bulk-power system 
                to mitigate significant impacts to the electric grid 
                resulting from--
                            (i) physical attack;
                            (ii) cyber attack;
                            (iii) electromagnetic pulse attack;
                            (iv) geomagnetic disturbances;
                            (v) severe weather; or
                            (vi) seismic events;
                    (B) the potential locations for, and feasibility 
                and appropriate number of, strategic storage locations, 
                including consideration of--
                            (i) the physical security of such 
                        locations;
                            (ii) the protection of the confidentiality 
                        of such locations; and
                            (iii) the proximity of such locations to 
                        sites of potentially critically damaged large 
                        power transformers, so as to enable efficient 
                        delivery of spare large power transformers to 
                        such sites;
                    (C) the degree of flexibility of spare large power 
                transformers in the Strategic Transformer Reserve to 
                conform to different substation configurations, 
                including consideration of transformer--
                            (i) power and voltage rating for each 
                        winding;
                            (ii) overload requirements;
                            (iii) impedance between windings;
                            (iv) configuration of windings; and
                            (v) tap requirements;
                    (D) an estimate of the direct cost of the Strategic 
                Transformer Reserve, as proposed, including--
                            (i) the cost of storage facilities for the 
                        spare large power transformers;
                            (ii) the cost of the spare large power 
                        transformers; and
                            (iii) management, maintenance, and 
                        operation costs;
                    (E) the funding options available to establish, 
                stock, manage, and maintain the Strategic Transformer 
                Reserve, including consideration of public-private 
                cost-sharing options;
                    (F) the ease and speed of transportation, 
                installation, and energization of spare large power 
                transformers, including consideration of factors such 
                as--
                            (i) transformer transportation weight;
                            (ii) transformer size;
                            (iii) topology of critical substations;
                            (iv) availability of appropriate 
                        transformer mounting pads;
                            (v) flexibility of the spare large power 
                        transformers as described in subparagraph (C); 
                        and
                            (vi) ability to rapidly transition a spare 
                        large power transformer from storage to 
                        energization;
                    (G) eligibility criteria for withdrawal of spare 
                large power transformers from the Strategic Transformer 
                Reserve to replace critically damaged large power 
                transformers, including consideration of related 
                existing industry programs;
                    (H) the process by which owners of critically 
                damaged large power transformers may apply for a 
                withdrawal from the Strategic Transformer Reserve;
                    (I) the process by which spare large power 
                transformers withdrawn from the Strategic Transformer 
                Reserve are returned to the Strategic Transformer 
                Reserve;
                    (J) any cost-share or rental fees determined 
                appropriate for restocking returned spare large power 
                transformers to the Strategic Transformer Reserve to be 
                paid by owners of critically damaged large power 
                transformers that have withdrawn such spare large power 
                transformers; and
                    (K) other considerations for designing, 
                constructing, stocking, and managing the Strategic 
                Transformer Reserve.
    (d) Congressional Approval of Strategic Transformer Reserve Plan.--
The Secretary may not establish a Strategic Transformer Reserve until 
Congress has approved the plan submitted pursuant to subsection (c).
    (e) Restriction.--No funds may be used by the Secretary to 
establish a Strategic Transformer Reserve without prior Congressional 
approval of the plan submitted pursuant to subsection (c).
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