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President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order preparing to block utilities from connecting some foreign-made equipment to the bulk power system, including transformers, batteries, inverters and associated software and digital products.
The order also contemplates the replacement of already-installed equipment, allowing the Secretary of Energy to “impose conditions on the continued use, operation, maintenance, servicing, or updating of foreign manufactured or operated bulk-power system electric equipment acquired or installed before the date of this order.”
The EO “focuses on transactions involving foreign nationals that pose an undue risk of sabotage, unauthorized access, or other disruption,” the White House said in a fact sheet, and is aimed non-distribution level equipment. It directs the Secretary of Energy to develop rules within 120 days to implement the order.
The U.S. faces an “extraordinary foreign threat ... involving bulk-power systems produced abroad that may present national security vulnerabilities,” the White House said. “The rapid growth of advanced manufacturing, data centers, artificial intelligence, and defense production has increased the Nation’s dependence on abundant, reliable electricity and magnified the consequences of a successful attack.”
