Hitachi Energy Large Power Transformer Plant — South Boston, Virginia

Hitachi Energy broke ground June 29 on what it calls the nation’s largest facility for building large power transformers, a $457 million expansion of its long-running campus in South Boston, Virginia. The project brings about 825 jobs to Halifax County and is targeted for completion in 2029.

Project Scope

The scope includes a manufacturing building topping 300,000 square feet, with assembly bays taller than 120 feet and an overall height near 130 feet to clear a 375-ton overhead crane. Those dimensions are driven by the product: large power transformers are among the biggest single components on the grid, and moving them through a plant takes serious vertical space. The South Boston campus has operated since 1968, so this is an expansion of a known site rather than a greenfield gamble.

Why It Matters

The U.S. is short on transformer manufacturing capacity at exactly the moment demand is spiking. Data centers, new generation, and grid upgrades all need large power transformers, and lead times have stretched badly. A domestic plant at this scale is a direct answer to that bottleneck, and it’s the reason utilities and industrial buyers have watched the groundbreaking closely. The AI power buildout gets the headlines, but none of it energizes without the equipment this plant is meant to churn out.

Project Team & Details