Trump bans foreign power grid equipment over security threats

President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency and issued an executive order banning the use of certain foreign-made equipment in the U.S. electricity grid. The White House cited an "unusual and extraordinary foreign threat" posed by bulk-power systems that could compromise national security. The order specifically targets equipment and associated software that present cybersecurity or operational risks. This action represents the latest step in the U.S. administration's strategy to counter technology threats, particularly those perceived to originate from China. The ban aims to prevent the installation of potentially vulnerable foreign components within the nation's critical infrastructure. The U.S. Energy Secretary is tasked with imposing conditions on the continued use of existing equipment to mitigate identified concerns. This development echoes earlier decisions by the European Commission, which had previously banned Chinese-made inverters from publicly funded energy projects. Concerns about foreign equipment security have been amplified by reports, such as one from Reuters last year, detailing the discovery of unauthorized communication devices within Chinese solar power inverters by U.S. experts examining equipment for security vulnerabilities.

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I ... find that the situation with respect to the foreign supply of bulk-power system electric equipment constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat, which has its source in whole or substantial part outside the United States, to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States and hereby declare a national emergency with respect to that threat.