Trump declares power-grid emergency over foreign equipment, Utah utility says rates safe

An executive order signed by President Trump declares a national emergency for the U.S. power grid, alleging that certain foreign actors are exploiting vulnerabilities and ordering a ban on foreign-made grid components, without specifying the countries involved. Utah lawmakers, led by House Public Utilities and Energy Committee chair Colin W. Jack, note that the breadth of the ban will determine any effect on electricity rates; a narrow focus on inverters would likely leave rates unchanged, while a broader sweep that includes transformers could raise costs.

Jack points out the difficulty of eliminating all overseas-sourced parts, citing that a sizable share of distribution transformers are imported from Taiwan, Canada and Mexico. Rocky Mountain Power says it has been proactively removing foreign-origin equipment, such as DJI drones, in favor of domestic options like Skydio, and therefore expects no rate impact. The utility stresses that its pre-emptive actions have prevented service disruptions and costly retrofits. State legislators say the threat to the grid is real and that ongoing state law efforts aim to address it without causing outages or price hikes.