President Donald J. Trump directed the U.S. Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative to negotiate over turbine imports after accepting Commerce’s security finding, without imposing a new wind-specific tariff.
The Oct. 22 proclamation keeps other remedies under consideration, depending on the talks and whether any agreement is reached and carried out effectively. It does not name the foreign partners officials will approach or specify terms for negotiations.
The order attributes to Commerce an assessment that U.S. wind power depends on components made abroad and domestic production capacity for some products, including blades, has scarcely expanded. It says imports of turbine components have risen over the past decade. The proclamation provides no import volumes or percentage figures.
On cybersecurity, the order relays Commerce’s concern that network-connected inverters could create a way for outside users to reach power systems. It also says turbines can interfere with radar detection, without quantifying the effects. The proclamation attributes grid-reliability concerns to Commerce, saying variable wind output can prompt operators to use fossil-fuel generators that adjust output quickly. It says that backup raises operating and maintenance burdens but gives no cost estimate.
Commerce opened its investigation into wind imports on Aug. 13, 2025, under Section 232, a provision of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. A Federal Register notice sought public input on U.S. production, overseas supply chains and import concentration, with comments accepted through Sept. 9, 2025. The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) says the president may adjust imports after reviewing the Commerce secretary’s findings and recommendations.
The proclamation says certain wind-turbine parts are covered by existing Section 232 duties tied to aluminum, steel or copper imports. It leaves those measures and other Section 232 tariffs unchanged. The next formal step is for Commerce and the trade representative to provide Trump at least one update on negotiations within 180 days of Oct. 22.
