Montreal South Shore facility to triple production and create 500 new jobs
Hitachi Energy has announced a $270 million investment to enlarge its Varennes, Quebec, transformer plant, a project that will boost manufacturing capacity nearly threefold and add more than 500 positions to the local workforce.
The expansion follows Hitachi’s $140 million investment previously directed at the same site and aligns with the company’s broader $9 billion global growth initiative aimed at expanding manufacturing, engineering, and research capabilities.
This rendering depicts how the facility is expected to look after the upgrade.
Situated at 1600 Boul. Lionel-Boulet on Montreal’s South Shore, the Varennes facility specializes in building large-scale power transformers essential for moving electricity over long transmission lines. The increased capacity is expected to help Hitachi meet surging demand from data centers, renewable energy projects, and energy-intensive industries such as steel and mining. The factory is recognized as one of the largest high-voltage transformer producers worldwide and is also certified to supply components for nuclear power generation.
The property itself spans 155,000 square feet and was purchased by Hitachi in 2024 from H&R REIT for $8.5 million, according to CoStar data.
“With this expansion, Varennes will continue to play a leading role in strengthening the region’s power grid,” said Bruno Melles, who heads Hitachi Energy’s transformer division. “Our team is proud to be at the forefront of delivering sustainable, reliable, and resilient energy infrastructure for decades to come.”
Carla Vicente, Hitachi Energy’s Canadian country managing director, said the enlarged plant will allow the company to keep pace with rapidly growing demand: “This investment will allow us to significantly increase our ability to meet the fast-growing demand for large power transformers, reactors, and HVDC technology, which are critical to achieving key energy transition goals.”
Government officials have also welcomed the expansion. Industry Minister Mélanie Joly described it as both an economic stimulus for Quebec and a strategic step toward Canada’s clean energy independence, noting that it strengthens the country’s ability to manufacture essential power equipment domestically.
Hitachi Energy, headquartered in Switzerland, operates in 60 countries with a workforce exceeding 50,000 employees. The Varennes upgrade marks another milestone in its effort to expand its presence across North America.
