On August 26, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring a national emergency over security risks linked to certain foreign-produced equipment used in the country’s bulk-power system.

The equipment named in the order includes Substation Transformers, high-voltage circuit breakers, instrument transformers, protective relays, grid-connected inverters, battery energy storage systems and industrial control systems.

But the order does not focus only on physical equipment.

It also addresses software, firmware, digital services, maintenance arrangements and remote-access capabilities connected to critical grid infrastructure.

This Is Not a Ban on Every Imported Transformer

The headline needs an important qualification.

The executive order does notautomatically prohibit every foreign-made transformer or switchgear product from entering the United States.

Instead, the U.S. Energy Secretary can prohibit certain transactions involving foreign-produced bulk-power equipment when the equipment is connected to a defined covered foreign entity and is considered to present an unacceptable risk.

Those risks can include sabotage, unauthorized access, malicious remote action, supply disruption and broader national-security concerns.

The order also allows the government to develop criteria for pre-qualified equipment and vendors, potentially adding another layer to how utilities and infrastructure developers select suppliers.

Why Is Electrical Equipment Becoming a Cybersecurity Issue?

Modern substations are increasingly digital.

A transformer may still perform a familiar electrical function, but the surrounding system can include intelligent protection relays, remote terminal units, programmable controllers, monitoring systems and communication links.

These technologies improve visibility, automation and remote maintenance.

They also create additional attack surfaces.

The new U.S. order specifically rAISes concerns about digital backdoors, unauthorized remote access and the possibility that connected equipment could be used to interfere with critical power infrastructure.

Grid equipment procurement is expanding from electrical performance alone to include digital security, supply-chain risk and supplier qualification.

The 69 kV Boundary Matters

The executive order focuses on the U.S. bulk-power system.

Its definition includes transmission lines rated at 69 kV or above, together with the facilities and control systems required to operate the interconnected transmission network.

Importantly, facilities used for the local distribution of electric energy are excluded from that definition.

That distinction is important for industrial buyers.

A 10 kV, 12 kV, 24 kV or 35 kV industrial distribution system is not automatically equivalent to the bulk transmission network addressed by the order. However, voltage alone should not be used to determine whether a particular product falls within scope. The application will depend on the equipment, project and final implementing rules.

What Changes for Procurement?

Traditional transformer and switchgear enquiries usually begin with electrical parameters.

The electrical questions are not disappearing.

Instead, critical infrastructure procurement is adding another layer of evaluation around supplier identity, digital architecture and lifecycle access.

The executive order also requires recommendations within 180 days on potential changes to U.S. federal procurement rules, including greater consideration of national-security risks and support for U.S.-manufactured energy infrastructure.

What Does This Mean Beyond the United States?

Not every market will adopt the same rules.

And most industrial distribution projects operate at a much smaller scale than the U.S. bulk-power system.

But the broader procurement trend is worth watching.

Electrical equipment buyers are increasingly being asked to understand not only whether a product works, but also how it is built, connected, maintained and supported over its operating life.