President Donald Trump declared a national emergency Wednesday aimed at preventing potentially dangerous foreign-made equipment from being installed in the U.S. electrical grid.
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Trump said in an executive order that the foreign supply of certain electrical equipment “constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. national security.
The order restricts the purchase and installation of foreign-made components in the nation’s bulk-power system when federal officials determine the equipment could pose a security risk.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright, working with other federal officials, will have authority to determine which equipment presents a threat and should be restricted.
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The executive order does not identify specific countries or describe particular threats behind the national emergency declaration. Instead, it establishes a framework allowing the federal government to scrutinize equipment based on potential risks to the reliability and security of the power system.
The restrictions cover a wide range of infrastructure, including electrical substations, transformers and generators. They also apply to inverters used in renewable energy projects and battery storage systems.
The executive order addresses the vulnerability of America’s critical infrastructure to foreign interference, including the possibility that compromised equipment could provide adversaries with access to systems essential to electricity generation and distribution.
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