Read the full stored bill text
HLS 26RS-2698 ORIGINAL
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 1212
BY REPRESENTATIVE CREWS
INFRASTRUCTURE: Provides relative to the evaluation of transformers
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 44:4.1(B)(36) and to enact Chapter 70 of Title 51 of the
3 Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, to be comprised of R.S. 51:3301, relative to
4 evaluation of transformers; to provide for a public records exception; to provide
5 definitions; to provide relative to a technical assessment of covered equipment; to
6 provide for a report on technical assessments; and to provide for related matters.
7 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
8 Section 1. R.S. 44:4.1(B)(36) is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows:
9 §4.1. Exceptions
10 * * *
11 B. The legislature further recognizes that there exist exceptions, exemptions,
12 and limitations to the laws pertaining to public records throughout the revised
13 statutes and codes of this state. Therefore, the following exceptions, exemptions, and
14 limitations are hereby continued in effect by incorporation into this Chapter by
15 citation:
16 * * *
17 (36) R.S. 51:710.2(B), 705, 706, 936, 1363.1, 1404, 1926, 1934, 2113, 2182,
18 2262, 2318, 2370.3, 2370.16, 2370.25, 2370.27, 2389, 3301
19 * * *
Page 1 of 6
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HLS 26RS-2698 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 1212
1 Section 2. Chapter 70 of Title 51 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950,
2 comprised of R.S. 51:3301, is hereby enacted to read as follows:
3 CHAPTER 70: SURVEY ALL VULNERABLE ELECTRIC TRANSFORMERS ACT
4 §3301. SAVE Act
5 A. For the purposes of this Chapter, the following terms have the meanings
6 ascribed to them:
7 (1) "Covered entity" means an electric utility or electric project developer,
8 owner, or operator within this state, regardless of public or private ownership or
9 jurisdiction under NERC.
10 (2) "Covered equipment" means any generation or transmission large power
11 transformer, including GSU, auto, step-down, or converter, with a high side,
12 wye-grounded winding with terminal voltage of two hundred kilovolts or greater.
13 (3) "Critical energy infrastructure information protocols", "critical electric
14 infrastructure information protocols", or "CEII" means specific engineering,
15 vulnerability, or detailed design protocols and procedures related to proposed or
16 existing critical infrastructure, whether physical or virtual, that relate to the
17 production, generation, transmission, transportation, or distribution of energy, the
18 unauthorized disclosure of which could pose a risk to the security, reliability, or
19 integrity of the infrastructure. The protocols are designed as confidential and exempt
20 from public disclosure.
21 (4) "GIC" means ground induced current, also known as geomagnetically
22 induced current, resulting from naturally occurring geomagnetic disturbances or the
23 late-time component of a high-altitude nuclear electromagnetic pulse.
24 (5) "NERC" means the North American Electric Reliability Corporation.
25 B.(1) Each covered entity shall conduct a technical assessment of all covered
26 equipment to determine vulnerability to GICs.
27 (2) The assessment shall do all of the following:
28 (a) Utilize the waveform in Figure 9 of IEC 61000-2-9, Edition 2.0
29 (2025-05), modeling a peak electric field of eighty five volts per kilometer in
Page 2 of 6
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HLS 26RS-2698 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 1212
1 covered entities existing DC circuit model developed for NERC GMD, or
2 geomagnetic disturbance, Standard TPL-007.
3 (b) Assume transformers are fully loaded during GIC exposure.
4 (c) Account for transformer age and condition using American National
5 Standards Institute/Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standard
6 C57.110 and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standard C57.91.
7 (d) Identify susceptibility to half-cycle saturation, GIC-induced harmonics,
8 reactive power consumption, hot spot generation, and insulation degradation.
9 C.(1) By October 30, 2026, each covered entity shall submit a report on the
10 assessment conducted pursuant to this Chapter to the Governor's Office of Homeland
11 Security and Emergency Preparedness with copies to the Public Service Commission
12 and the United States Department of Energy.
13 (2) The report shall include, for each susceptible transformer, all of the
14 following:
15 (a) Transformer nameplate information with design specifications.
16 (b) Transformer location.
17 (c) Transformer purpose, including GSU, auto, step-down, or converter.
18 (d) Spreadsheet-formatted data and narrative analysis, including maximum
19 GIC in the neutral of each transformer.
20 (e) Recommended solutions to protect the grid against GIC by preventing or
21 reducing the half cycle saturation of transformers.
22 (f) Total cost to implement GIC protection hardware on susceptible
23 transformers.
24 (g) Priority list of transformers by damage risk and critical infrastructure
25 impact.
26 (h) Funding recommendations to protect at-risk transformers, including but
27 not limited to any of the following potential options:
28 (i) Government grants and direct funding programs, such as grid resilience
29 utility and industry grants, grid modernization grants, grid innovation program
Page 3 of 6
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HLS 26RS-2698 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 1212
1 grants, formula grants for preventing outages, and building resilient infrastructure
2 and communities, or BRIC, grants.
3 (ii) Loans and loan guarantees.
4 (iii) Regulatory and cost recovery mechanisms.
5 (iv) Tariffs and rebates.
6 (v) Tax credits and direct pay incentives.
7 (3) A public version of the report outlined in this Subsection shall be
8 submitted to the House of Representatives Select Committee on Homeland Security
9 with CEII redacted.
10 D. CEII data submitted pursuant to this Chapter shall be handled in
11 accordance with CEII protocols as defined in this Chapter. CEII shall be redacted
12 from public reports.
13 E. The director of the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and
14 Emergency Preparedness shall review the reports and recommendations of the
15 utilities, request further information as deemed necessary, and report to the governor
16 and the House of Representatives Select Committee on Homeland Security by April
17 1, 2027, with any recommendations to protect the state, its inhabitants, and
18 businesses.
19 F. Covered entities shall not rely solely on operational procedures, such as
20 load shedding or reactive power supply, to mitigate GIC risk. Such procedures are
21 not considered sufficient protection pursuant to this Chapter.
22 Section 3. This Act shall be known as and may be cited as the "Survey All
23 Vulnerable Electric Transformers Act" or "SAVE Act".
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 1212 Original 2026 Regular Session Crews
Abstract: Provides relative to the assessment of transformers.
Present law provides relative to public record exceptions.
Page 4 of 6
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HLS 26RS-2698 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 1212
Proposed law adds proposed law to the public record exceptions.
Proposed law defines "covered entity", "covered equipment", "critical energy infrastructure
information protocols", "critical electric infrastructure information protocol", "GIC", and
"NERC".
Proposed law requires each covered entity to conduct a technical assessment of all covered
equipment to determine vulnerability to ground induced currents (GICs).
Proposed law requires each covered entity to submit a report on the assessment conducted
pursuant to proposed law to the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency
Preparedness (GOHSEP). Proposed law also requires that copies of the report be sent to the
Public Service Commission and the United States Department of Energy.
Proposed law requires that the aforementioned report be sent by Oct. 30, 2026.
Proposed law requires the report to include, for each susceptible transformer, all of the
following:
(1) Transformer nameplate information with design specifications.
(2) Transformer location.
(3) Transformer purpose, including GSU, auto, step-down, or converter.
(4) Spreadsheet-formatted data and narrative analysis, including maximum GIC in the
neutral of each transformer.
(5) Recommended solutions to protect the grid against GIC by preventing or reducing
the half cycle saturation of transformers.
(6) Total cost to implement GIC protection hardware on susceptible transformers.
(7) Priority list of transformers by damage risk and critical infrastructure impact.
(8) Funding recommendations to protect at-risk transformers, including but not limited
to potential options provided for in proposed law (R.S. 51:3301(C)(2)(h)(i) - (v)).
Proposed law requires a public version of the assessment report to be submitted to the House
of Representatives Select Committee on Homeland Security with Critical Energy
Infrastructure Information (CEII) redacted.
Proposed law further requires the CEII data submitted to be handled in accordance with the
CEII protocols provided for in proposed law.
Proposed law requires the director of GOHSEP to do all of the following:
(1) Review the reports and recommendations of the utilities.
(2) Request further information as deemed necessary.
(3) Report to the governor and the House of Representatives Select Committee on
Homeland Security any recommendations to protect the state, its inhabitants, and
businesses. Proposed law further requires this report to be submit by April 1, 2027.
Proposed law states that covered entities shall not rely solely on operational procedures, such
as load shedding or reactive power supply, to mitigate GIC risk. Proposed law further states
that such procedures are not considered sufficient protection pursuant to proposed law.
Page 5 of 6
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HLS 26RS-2698 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 1212
(Amends R.S. 44:4.1(B)(36); Adds R.S. 51:3301)
Page 6 of 6
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.