Aug 26 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday declaring a national emergency and banning the use of some foreign equipment in the U.S. electricity grid, the White House said.
The order cites what the White House described as an “unusual and extraordinary foreign threat” posed by foreign-made bulk-power systems that may present national security vulnerabilities.
Trump’s order, the latest example of Washington’s approach to tackling technology threats posed by China, follows a decision by the European Commission earlier this year to ban Chinese-made inverters from publicly funded energy projects.
Last year, Reuters reported that rogue communication devices not listed in product documents had been found in some Chinese solar power inverters by U.S. experts who strip down equipment hooked up to grids to check for security issues.
“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,” Trump said in the order.
Under the order, certain foreign-produced bulk-power system electric equipment, including associated critical software and digital capabilities that could pose cybersecurity or operational risks, will be barred from being purchased or installed in the United States, the White House said in a statement.
The order also asks the U.S. Energy Secretary to impose conditions on the continued use and operation of such equipment to address concerns identified by the Trump administration, the White House added.
(Reporting by Ismail Shakil; editing by Michelle Nichols)
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