The United States will push for trade talks rather than new tariffs on wind turbines and their parts imported after a Section 232 probe by the Department of Commerce. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation Thursday formalizing the decision.
The probe, launched in August 2025, looked at imports of wind turbines and related equipment. After the findings, Trump told Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to jointly start or keep talks with trading partners to address Washington’s concerns. Both officials are required to report on the status of these negotiations within 180 days.
The proclamation points out that the United States still relies on imports of wind turbines and components, and that the level of imports has increased over the past 10 years. It also raises issues of national security, particularly in relation to cyber security. The administration says foreign-made turbines and components present certain risks, with Trump focusing on inverters, the vast majority of which are produced outside the United States.
A departure from the administration’s tariff strategy.
That decision marks a departure from a series of previous Section 232 investigations under the Trump administration that have resulted in tariffs on products such as drones and their parts, furniture imports and some semiconductors.
While the latest proclamation doesn’t add any new tariffs specifically on wind turbines, some turbines and related components remain covered by existing duties on steel, copper and aluminum. The new order does not affect those measures.
Trump has also left open the possibility of imposing alternative measures depending on the outcome of the negotiations, meaning additional trade restrictions are not entirely out of the question.
The move follows a similar move in July when the president opted for trade talks rather than immediate tariffs after a Section 232 investigation into imports of commercial aircraft, jet engines and related components.
Wind power remains under pressure
The announcement is part of the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to limit wind energy development across the United States. Recent actions include moves to revoke offshore wind project permits and to propose paying developers to cancel offshore wind lease agreements.
In his proclamation Thursday, Trump cited the findings of the Section 232 investigation, calling wind energy intermittent and expensive for the U.S. power grid.
In this case, the administration has chosen to negotiate instead of imposing immediate, sector-specific tariffs, but its overall policy on wind energy remains restrictive. Whether the U.S. will pursue additional trade remedies against imported turbines and their components could depend on the outcome of the talks in the next 180 days.
