Trump executive order bans some foreign equipment in US energy grid

Published On 27 Aug 202627 Aug 2026.

Key points

• The Department of Energy has 120 days to publish formal rules implementing the policy.
• "The executive order establishes the authority to act, " Michael Centrella at the cybersecurity firm SecurityScorecard, informed Al Jazeera.
• Knowing what's already running is where the real work starts, John Bruggeman, virtual chief information security officer of the telecommunications firm CBTS, informed Al Jazeera.
• United States President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency over what his administration describes as security risks linked to foreign-made equipment applied in the US electricity grid.
• The move is the latest effort by the White House to address potential foreign security threats against the grid.

Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday that restricts the purchase and installation of certain foreign-produced equipment applied in the bulk-power system.

Meanwhile, the order cited an "unusual and extraordinary foreign threat" from foreign-made systems, saying they could create vulnerabilities for US national security.

For context, the directive targets certain bulk-power system equipment as well as related software and digital capabilities that the Trump administration remarked could create cybersecurity or operational risks.

For context, the Department of Energy has 120 days to publish formal rules implementing the policy. In the meantime, experts are watching utility firms. It face the enormous task of compiling an inventory list of equipment flagged by the Trump administration.

"Blocking new purchases is the straightforward part. Knowing what's already running is where the real work starts, " John Bruggeman, virtual chief information security officer of the telecommunications firm CBTS, informed Al Jazeera. "Utilities running foreign-sourced grid equipment. Have a live compliance clock starting today."

Notably, the move is the latest effort by the White House to address potential foreign security threats against the grid. Last year, US experts documented finding undisclosed communication devices in some Chinese solar power inverters. In July, the Federal Communications Commission banned all new foreign-made power inverters designed with remote communication capabilities and operating within the electric utility grid.

Still, the order does not prohibit all foreign-made equipment applied in the US electricity system. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright has been directed to establish conditions for the continued employ and operation of affected equipment.

"The executive order establishes the authority to act, " Michael Centrella at the cybersecurity firm SecurityScorecard, informed Al Jazeera. "The difficult next step will be giving operators scalable, independent visibility into which assets and vendor relationships present the greatest risk without disrupting the reliability of the power system."

Taken together, the developments around trump executive order bans some foreign equipment in US energy grid point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.