September 29, 2006—The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved an agreement among electric utilities on electric transformer sharing that will maintain the integrity of the nation’s transmission system in the event of a future terrorist strike.
In an initiative put forth by the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), a group of transmission owners has established the Spare Transformer Equipment Program (STEP), designed to increase the industry’s inventory of spare electric transformers. According to the application, this will ensure that the industry has sufficient capability to restore service in the event of “coordinated, deliberate destruction of utility substations.”
Any investor-owned utility, government-owned utility or rural electric cooperative in the United States or Canada that owns transformers may participate in the program. At present, 43 entities have signed on to the Spare Transformer Sharing Agreement (Agreement), representing more than 60 percent of the Commission-jurisdictional bulk-power transmission system.
For more information, visit FERC.
