SUMMARYPresident Trump signed an executive order declaring foreign-produced bulk power equipment an unusual and extraordinary national security threat. The move gives Energy Secretary Chris Wright authority to determine which grid components could be restricted, including substations, transformers, batteries, generators, turbines, and software. The order follows reported cyberattacks on U.S. water systems and echoes a similar action taken during Trump’s previous term.
Longtime Slashdot reader dhartshorn writes: Foreign-produced "bulk power" equipment is now effectively banned, and the list of what constitutes such equipment is essentially everything used to make up the grid... much of which we are heavily dependent on foreign sources to supply. In a Wednesday executive order, President Trump said foreign supply of electric equipment "constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat" to national security. The Hill reports: Under the order, it will be up to Energy Secretary Chris Wright, in coordination with other officials, to determine whether a piece of equipment poses an issue. The order could impact a wide range of equipment, including substations, transformers, batteries used for energy storage, generators, turbines, software and more. It does not lay out specific threats or single out any country by name.
[...] Under the last Trump administration, the president put a similar order in place. The new order comes amid several reported cyberattacks on U.S. water systems, which officials suspect have links to Iran, according to The New York Times.