US power grids: Trump declares a state of emergency
US President Donald Trump has ordered a new emergency regulation for the power grid. It is intended to prevent foreign technology from being used if it could endanger the security of the electricity system or supply.
Risks to critical infrastructure
Of the control A wide range of components are affected, from transformers and substations to batteries, generators, turbines and software. Trump justifies the measure with a risk to national security. In an executive order signed Wednesday, he called the foreign supply of electrical equipment an “unusual and extraordinary threat.” In the future, Energy Minister Chris Wright will decide together with other government representatives whether certain devices or technologies pose a security problem. The order does not name specific dangers or a specific country from which specific dangers arise. Nevertheless, China in particular is likely to be the focus. The country plays a central role in the production of numerous technologies relevant to the power grid – especially in the area of renewable energies.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), China accounts for around 80 percent of global production capacity along the lithium-ion battery supply chain. When it comes to solar modules, the Chinese share of global production capacity is around 85 percent. The decision fits primarily into Trump’s broader strategy of reducing the US’s technological dependence on China and expanding domestic production. One of the government’s goals is to surpass China in future technologies. At the same time, she is relying on greater energy production in the USA, while Trump is not exactly sympathetic to renewable energies either.
Attacks on water supplies
The approach is not entirely new. During Trump’s first term in office, the US government had already issued a similar regulation to keep certain foreign technologies out of the power grid. The current decision also comes at a time of growing concern about the security of critical infrastructure.
According to the New York Times, there have been several recent cyberattacks on US water systems in which authorities suspect possible links to Iran. However, the government did not explicitly establish a connection between these incidents and the new regulations. Trump declared a national energy emergency on his first day in office. The goal at that time was to expand energy production in the USA and strengthen security of supply.
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