The United States has moved to significantly restrict the use of Chinese-made batteries in grid-scale energy storage systems. A late August executive order from the Trump administration declared a national emergency, effectively banning foreign-produced bulk-power equipment—including battery storage systems, inverters, and transformers—deemed a national security risk.
This policy marks a shift from previous efforts to decouple the US energy supply chain from China. Since January, import tariffs on batteries have risen to 25%, up from 7.5%. Additionally, new legislation effective in 2026 mandates that 55% of material costs for energy storage projects must originate outside of China and other restricted nations to remain eligible for federal tax credits.
Industry analysts suggest the executive order could lead to short-term project delays or cancellations. Isshu Kikuma, an energy storage analyst at BloombergNEF, noted that while the order technically applies to existing infrastructure, it is unlikely that current plants will be forced offline. However, for new projects, finding non-Chinese alternatives will likely increase costs. "Worst case, those projects could get canceled," Kikuma stated.
Shan Tomouk of Benchmark Mineral Intelligence noted that the sudden ban caught domestic industry players off guard. While the US is working to expand its own manufacturing capacity, domestic production is currently more expensive than Chinese imports. Projections suggest the US may have sufficient domestic capacity by 2030, though full market demand may not be met until later in the decade.
Some relief for the domestic supply chain is coming from the automotive sector. As the electric vehicle market slows, several manufacturers, including Ford, LG Energy Solutions, Samsung SDI, and SK On, are retooling factories originally intended for vehicle batteries to produce cells for grid storage instead.
Source: MIT Technology Review
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