Trump signs order banning some foreign equipment from US energy grid

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.