作者:胡梅Meg UtterbackAaron Wolfson
王峰 Wang Feng, 戴梦皓 Dai Menghao,
金杜律师事务所

 

要点:
  • 美国总统特朗普于2020年5月1日发布行政命令,要求能源部协同其他机构,以禁止涉及由外国对手开发、制造或供应的大容量电力系统电气设备的交易。
  • 该行政命令以及相关实施细则将影响在美国从事发电和输电的参与者,包括电力项目和电网的开发商、投资商、承包商以及供应商。
  • 该行政命令以及相关实施细则适用于收购、进口、转让货物以及技术、安装以及可能的维修和保养。
  • 现存的项目应观望实施细则具体条款的出台;有待于进一步了解该法规带来的影响,新项目可能会被搁置或者推迟。
  • 保守估计,包括电力传输网络在内的美国电力项目可能将会避免涉及中国的投资以及中国产品和技术的使用。

2020年5月1日,美国总统特朗普根据《国际紧急经济权力法》(50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq)(IEEPA),《国家紧急状态法》(50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.)(NEA),以及《美国法典》第3编第301条的授权签署了行政命令(Exectuive Order, EO),以限制“外国对手”参与电网的业务(涵盖了从发电到输电的各个领域)。该行政命令指出,其识别到外国对手对大容量电力系统的参与可能造成美国电网中断的风险,并认为这是对国家安全的重大威胁。

该行政命令具体包括以下定义:
大容量系统”一词指的是:

(i)   运行互联互通的电能传输网络(或其任何部分)所需的设施和控制系统;以及

(ii)   维持输电可靠性所需的发电设施生成的电能。

就此行政命令而言,此定义包括额定电压为高于69,000伏(69 kV)或传输线,但不包括用于本地电能分配的设施……。“大容量系统电气设备”一词是指用于大容量电力系统变电站,控制室或发电站的项目,包括电抗器、电容器、电站变压器、电流耦合电容器、大型发电机、备用发电机、变电站调压器、分流电容器设备、自动重合闸器、仪表变压器、耦合容量变压器、保护继电器、计量设备、高压断路器、发电涡轮机、工业控制系统、分布式控制系统和安全仪表系统。尽管本行政命令未对外国对手进行列明,但显而易见中国将被视为“外国对手”。本行政命令阻止外国对手参与“大容量电力系统”中“大容量系统电气设备”的收购、进口、转让和安装。但该行政命令暂未明确其范围是否涵盖风能和太阳能等可再生能源。该行政命令设立了由能源部领导的机构工作组,负责发布法规以实施行政命令中所施加的限制。待该等实施细则发布后,我们将发送进一步的解读和通知。 

Executive Order Limiting Role of Chinese Companies in US Energy Projects
Key Points: 
  • The Executive Order (EO) issued by President Trump on May 1, 2020 requires that Department of Energy in concert with other agencies to prohibit transactions involving bulk-power system electrical equipment that has been developed, manufactured, or supplied by a foreign adversary.
  • The EO and implementing rules will affect participants in electricity generation and transmission in the United States, including developers, investors, contractors, and suppliers to power projects and the electrical grid.
  • The EO and implementing rules apply to acquisitions, imports, transfers of goods and technology, installation and probably repair and maintenance.
  • Existing projects should wait and see the exact terms of the implementation regulations; new projects are likely put on hold or delayed pending a better understanding of the impact of the regulations.
  • At a minimum, US power projects, including electricity transmission networks, will likely avoid Chinese investment and the use of Chinese products and technology.

On May 1, 2020, President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO), under the authority of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) (NEA), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code to limit the involvement of “foreign adversaries” in the electricity grid—from power generation through transmission.   The EO states that the order recognizes the risk of disruption of the US electricity grid posed by the involvement of foreign adversaries in the bulk-power system. The EO deems this to be a significant national security threat.

The Executive Order specifically includes the following definitions:
The term “bulk-power system” means:

(i) facilities and control systems necessary for operating an interconnected electric energy transmission network (or any portion thereof); and

(ii) electric energy from generation facilities needed to maintain transmission reliability.

For the purpose of this order, this definition includes transmission lines rated at 69,000 volts (69 kV) or more but does not include facilities used in the local distribution of electric energy….The term “bulk-power system electric equipment” means items used in bulk-power system substations, control rooms, or power generating stations, including reactors, capacitors, substation transformers, current coupling capacitors, large generators, backup generators, substation voltage regulators, shunt capacitor equipment, automatic circuit reclosers, instrument transformers, coupling capacity voltage transformers, protective relaying, metering equipment, high voltage circuit breakers, generation turbines, industrial control systems, distributed control systems, and safety instrumented systems.”
While not explicitly stated, China will be deemed a “foreign adversary” for purposes of the EO.  The EO precludes foreign adversaries from participating in acquisition, importation, transfers, and installation of “bulk-power system electric equipment” in the “bulk-power system”.  It remains unclear as to whether the EO also covers renewable energy such as wind and solar.The EO sets up a task force of agencies led by the Department of Energy to issue regulations to implement the restrictions set forth in the EO.  We will further issue notices in respect of these implementing regulations as they are published.