Solar power facility in Nevada, USA [Reuters=Yonhap News]The United States is considering new import restrictions on foreign-made energy inverters, targeting Chinese products due to concerns over national power grid security, Reuters reported on the 30th (local time).

Inverters are essential devices that connect renewable energy facilities and battery storage systems to the power grid; they are widely used in solar panels, wind power generation, energy storage systems (ESS), and electric vehicle charging systems.

According to the report, the restrictive measures being prepared by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will apply to newly released foreign inverter models that require new certification in the U.S., and could be announced as early as this year.

The Trump administration is reportedly concerned that China could use its inverters to disrupt U.S. power supplies.

Previously, Reuters reported that U.S. experts analyzing Chinese solar inverters had discovered certain communication devices that were not mentioned in the product manuals.

It is reported that the European Union's (EU) decision has also influenced this review of regulations.

The European Commission decided last month to ban the use of Chinese-made inverters in energy projects funded by the EU. With China accounting for about 80% of the global inverter supply, the EU has also identified the potential for remote disruption of the power grid as a security threat.

China is the world's largest producer of inverters, with companies like Sungrow and Huawei leading the global market. The U.S. has already implemented various sanctions against Huawei citing national security concerns.

Senator Tom Cotton (Republican) expressed support for the push to ban imports, stating, "Relying on Chinese inverters puts the entire U.S. power grid at risk."

The Chinese government immediately pushed back. The Chinese Embassy in the U.S. stated, "We strongly oppose the overextension of the concept of national security to unfairly suppress Chinese companies," and urged the U.S. to provide a fair and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese firms.

The U.S. also sought to restrict imports of Chinese inverters last year, but discussions were halted amid a push for improved U.S.-China relations at the time. However, Reuters reported that these suspended discussions are regaining momentum as the U.S. and Europe have recently strengthened their cooperation on technology security against China.