Virginia’s power transformer manufacturers are expanding and adding thousands of jobs as electricity demand climbs, Cardinal News reports.
Hitachi Energy is building a $457 million expansion in South Boston, in Halifax County, that will add 825 jobs by the time a new factory is completed in 2028, according to the report. Lynchburg-based Delta Star is adding more than 400 jobs, and Roanoke-based Virginia Transformer Corp. has grown from 450 Virginia employees in July 2022 to 1,200 today.
Cardinal News reports the growth is driven by data centers, population growth, new power generation and an aging grid. Lead times for the medium-size transformers Hitachi makes at its existing plant have stretched from 12 to 16 weeks to around 80 weeks. “I’ve been in the industry for over 30 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Chuck Perrine, Hitachi Energy’s vice president of operations for power transformers in North America.
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