Electricity consumption in the U.S. is projected to increase by up to 38 percent by 2050. According to a report from the U.S. Department of Energy, this growth will be driven by the rapid transition to hybrid and electric cars, the “increased reliance on electric heat pumps for space and water heating needs” and the electrification of cooking appliances. In 2022, U.S. households lost power on average for more than 5 hours according to federal statistics, an increase of more than 50 percent since 2013.
As the U.S. is updating its aging infrastructure and speeding up its efforts to install smart grids to increase energy efficiency, the acute need for more U.S.-made power transformers is a source of bipartisan concern in a usually deeply divided Congress. “The current cost and short supply of transformers are already serious challenges to everyone trying to get electricity to homes, businesses, and industrial facilities”, said Mississippi Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in late January, when she unveiled a piece of legislation that aimed to boost power transformer production in the U.S.