President issues proclamation adjusting wind turbine imports

On October 22, 2026 the President issued Proclamation 11074, adjusting imports of wind turbines and their parts and components into the United States. The proclamation relies on section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, 19 U.S.C. 1862, and follows a report from the Secretary of Commerce that concluded such imports threaten national security. The action is published in the Federal Register (Vol. 91, No. 207, FR Doc No. 2026-22049) and binds all importers of wind turbine equipment subject to the cited tariffs.

The Secretary's investigation identified several national-security concerns. Wind energy was described as "unreliable and intermittent," diverting the electric grid from more dependable sources and requiring fast-ramping fossil-fuel backup generators. Imported components, especially inverters, were said to contain cybersecurity vulnerabilities that could permit remote control of turbines and disrupt power systems. Additionally, wind turbines were found to generate radar "clutter," degrading air-traffic control, weather forecasting, homeland-security, and defense radar performance.

To mitigate these risks, the proclamation directs that certain wind-turbine components and subcomponents be treated as covered goods under the tariffs imposed in Proclamation 9704 (Aluminum, March 8, 2018), Proclamation 9705 (Steel, March 8, 2018) and Proclamation 10962 (Copper, July 30, 2025), as amended. The President's determination aligns the wind-turbine import regime with the earlier actions taken to protect national security in the aluminum, steel and copper sectors.

Importers of wind-turbine equipment must therefore comply with the tariff assessments applicable to those three material categories. The adjustment is expected to increase the cost of foreign-produced turbine parts, potentially encouraging domestic manufacturing of blades, inverters and other critical components.

The proclamation follows a pattern of section-232 actions that have previously targeted strategic metals, extending the national-security framework to renewable-energy hardware.