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We’re investing now to meet increasing electricity demand.

NATIONAL EMERGENCY DECLARED TO SECURE THE U.S. POWER GRID

On August 27, 2026, an executive order declared a national emergency over foreign threats to the United States bulk-power system.

The order directs the Department of Energy and other agencies to:

• Identify vulnerable foreign-produced grid equipment
• Assess national security, cybersecurity, and supply-chain risks
• Develop plans to isolate, monitor, mitigate, or replace vulnerable equipment
• Publish implementing rules or regulations within 120 days, as needed
• Recommend federal procurement changes within 180 days
• Prioritize U.S.-manufactured energy infrastructure in federal procurement

The bigger picture: the power grid is critical infrastructure. This order is aimed at reducing potential foreign vulnerabilities and strengthening the domestic supply chain for the equipment America depends on to keep the lights on.

Source: Trump Executive Order Tracker — August 27, 2026.

An 18-month blackout could devastate the United States.

Former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission chair Jon Wellinghoff has warned that a coordinated attack on nine critical substations across the country’s three major grid regions could potentially cause a nationwide power failure.

The 18-month estimate is not a prediction, and experts disagree about how easily such a collapse could happen. But the physical vulnerabilities behind the warning are real.

In April 2013, attackers opened fire on California’s Metcalf transmission substation near San Jose. In approximately 19 minutes, they fired more than 100 rounds and damaged 17 transformers.

Grid operators rerouted electricity and prevented a major blackout, but restoring the facility took 27 days. No one has been charged in the attack.

The larger concern is what would happen if several major substations were disabled simultaneously.

Large power transformers are essential for moving electricity across long distances. Unlike the smaller transformers mounted on neighborhood utility poles, these machines can weigh more than 500,000 pounds (227 metric tons), cost millions of dollars, and are often custom-built for a particular location.

They are also difficult to replace quickly.

The U.S. Department of Energy says lead times for large transformers used at substations and power plants have grown to between three and four years under normal ordering conditions. A major emergency affecting several regions could place even greater pressure on manufacturers, transportation networks, and available spare equipment.

The federal government introduced stronger physical-security requirements following the Metcalf attack, and utilities have invested in barriers, surveillance, backup systems, and spare transformers. However, aging equipment and lengthy manufacturing delays remain serious concerns.

An extended blackout would affect far more than household lights. Water treatment, communications, hospitals, refrigeration, fuel distribution, and transportation all depend on reliable electricity.

Learn more:
“The Blackout That Could Devastate America." The New York Times

🚨 Canada announces the largest clean energy investment in North American history

Prime Minister Mark Carney, alongside the governments of Québec and Newfoundland and Labrador, have announced a package of up to $10 billion in federal support for a transformation of Labrador’s clean electricity system - including the expansion of Churchill Falls, development of the long-discussed Gull Island project, and enabling infrastructure for the Labrador Trough.

The combined projects are valued at nearly $70 billion and are expected to create 23,000 jobs.

For the hydropower sector, the scale is significant:

• ⚡ Up to 14,000 MW of renewable generation (nearly triple the current capacity of Churchill Falls)

• More generation capacity than BC Hydro’s entire system

• More than twice the generating capacity of Bruce Power, North America’s largest nuclear power plant

• Equivalent to roughly 18 Hoover Dams at current capacity

• Enough electricity to power, heat and cool the homes of Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver combined

The announcement also marks a major new chapter in the relationship between Hydro-Québec and Newfoundland & Labrador Hydro, with a new Definitive Cooperation and Implementation Agreement.

Mark Carney has long recognised the strategic role of hydropower and long-duration energy storage. As a keynote speaker at the International Forum on Pumped Storage Hydropower, Carney spoke about the growing importance of pumped storage in supporting renewable energy and modern electricity systems.

WaterPower Canada Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Gouvernement du Québec