The Government of Quebec, through Investissement Quebec, will contribute to funding nearly $140M CAD for sustainable factory upgrades for Hitachi Energy in the Montreal and Quebec areas. The funding is specifically for Hitachi Energy’s power transformer facilities and supports its long-term electrification efforts plan. 

This ambitious upgrade stems from North American customers’ rapidly growing demand for more sustainable energy. Hitachi’s funded electrification plan kicks off in their factory in Varennes, Quebec, where Hitachi Energy has one of the highest manufacturing capacities in the world. The factory will also serve as an on-site transformer testing facility. This testing will be crucial for the modernization to start in other locations in Montreal and Quebec City. 

Bruno Melles, Hitachi Energy’s Managing Director of Business Unit Transformers, states, “Globally, demand for transformers and electrical equipment continues to grow at an unprecedented scale. At Hitachi Energy we are continuously developing our global footprint and capacity to address our customers’ mid- and long-term needs. In addition to our global investments, the support of the Quebec Government will help to address North America’s rising demand for transformers to support fast-growing sectors like renewable energy, data centers, and industrial electrification, as Quebec strengthens its role as a key player in the energy transition.”

Transformers enable efficient distribution and transmission of electricity across the power chain, making them crucial in these sustainability efforts. Applications for transformers may include powering grid interconnectors and data centers and integrating renewables, which will facilitate the decarbonization of energy systems. 

The facility in Varennes covers around 300,000 square feet and employs approximately 330 people. Hitachi Energy is a global tech leader in the power space and operates in over 140 countries. They employ over 550 skilled engineers and 1,000 people across Canada.