DOE Should Avoid Making A Grid Supply Chain Crisis Worse
By David Blackmon, Along with Doug Sheridan, Practical Environmental Experts
DOE Should Avoid Making A Grid Supply Chain Crisis Worse
Senior Contributor
David Blackmon Is A Texas-Based Public Policy Analyst/Consultant.
May 2, 2023
“I’ve heard from all my local power companies in Mississippi and they are ringing me up, “ Sen. Hyde-Smith toldEnergy Secretary Jennifer Granholm during a recent Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing. “I’ve read the key findings from the Tiger Team about serious problems with the supply chain shortages threatening our region’s electric infrastructure, including skyrocketing costs, and long lead times of up to two to four years, and more.”
Referring to a new proposed regulation by the Department of Energy that seeks to implement stricter efficiency standards in the midst of the supply crisis, Hyde-Smith told Granholm, “It seems to me, the White House and your department have put the cart before the horse with these new efficiency standards versus meeting current demand, supporting positive investment in the electric grid, and providing critical services to citizens,” she said.
The power industry is also concerned about the issue. During a pair of recent interviews, leaders from two of the industry’s major trade associations pointedly voiced their own views on the matter.
“Across the board, our members are experiencing severe supply chain constraints. We’re not able to get distribution transformers, and we’ve been sounding the alarm with the federal government because hurricane season is around the corner,” says Adrienne Lotto, Senior Vice President of Grid Security at the American Public Power Association (APPA). “[APPA members] are very concerned about having supplies on hand should a hurricane come or should there be an event, to be able to respond and repair and restore the grid as quickly as possible. The supplies are dwindling and we’re seeing a longer and longer time in terms of getting our orders fulfilled.”