Hitachi Energy

Hitachi Energy is a Switzerland-based energy-technology company headquartered in Zurich and owned by Hitachi Ltd. Its business is focused on the infrastructure that connects electricity generation, transmission, distribution and consumption. The company supplies high-voltage equipment, power transformers, grid-automation systems, high-voltage direct-current transmission technology, digital monitoring tools, power-quality equipment and related engineering and lifecycle services. The present company emerged from the combination of Hitachi's existing power-systems activities and ABB's Power Grids business. In 2018, Hitachi and ABB agreed that Hitachi would acquire a controlling interest in ABB's Power Grids division. The transaction completed in July 2020, creating a business operating under the name Hitachi ABB Power Grids, with Hitachi holding 80.1 percent and ABB retaining a minority interest. Hitachi ABB Power Grids changed its name to Hitachi Energy in October 2021, aligning the business more clearly with Hitachi's broader energy-transition strategy. In December 2022, Hitachi confirmed the acquisition of ABB's remaining 19.9 percent stake, making the company fully owned by Hitachi. Hitachi Energy serves utilities, renewable-energy developers, industrial companies, transport operators and other organizations that require resilient and controllable electrical networks. Its technology is used in conventional and renewable generation integration, long-distance transmission, offshore wind connections, interconnectors, microgrids, substations and electricity-distribution systems. The company also provides digital products intended to improve asset performance, operational visibility and maintenance planning. A significant area of capability is high-voltage direct-current transmission. Hitachi's predecessor businesses had already participated in major Japanese HVDC and frequency-conversion projects, while the integration with ABB's Power Grids business expanded the combined company's international reach. Projects associated with the business include equipment for China's Changji–Guquan ultra-high-voltage direct-current line, converter stations for the North Sea Link between the United Kingdom and Norway, and infrastructure supporting TenneT's offshore-grid development. The company has also worked on lower-emission alternatives to sulfur hexafluoride in high-voltage equipment and on renewable microgrid projects for remote communities. Hitachi Energy positions itself as an enabler of electrification, renewable-energy integration and more flexible electricity networks. Its offerings address both physical grid infrastructure and the digital systems needed to monitor, automate and optimize that infrastructure. The company operates internationally under the Hitachi Group and remains an unlisted corporate subsidiary rather than a separately traded public company.

Hitachi Energy's history reflects the convergence of two industrial technology lineages: Hitachi's long-standing power-systems activities in Japan and ABB's international Power Grids business. Before the present corporate structure was created, Hitachi had developed capabilities in transmission equipment, high-voltage direct current and frequency conversion. Projects associated with its earlier Japanese activities included the Shin-Shinano frequency converter, the Hokkaido–Honshu HVDC link and the Kii Channel HVDC system. These projects established experience in the design and operation of technologies used to move electricity over long distances and between systems with different operating characteristics. ABB's Power Grids division brought a broader international portfolio covering high-voltage equipment, substations, transformers, automation, grid management and transmission infrastructure. In 2018, Hitachi and ABB reached an agreement under which Hitachi would acquire a controlling interest in the division. The transaction was completed in July 2020. The resulting company operated as Hitachi ABB Power Grids, combining ABB's global grid business with Hitachi's power-related operations and wider industrial technology resources. Hitachi Power Solutions Co., Ltd., established in 1960, was also integrated into the broader business structure. The combined organization inherited and expanded a portfolio serving utilities, industrial users, renewable-energy developers and transport-related infrastructure. Its activities included both alternating-current and direct-current transmission, grid automation, power-quality products, transformers, digital monitoring and services. This combination allowed the business to address the changing requirements of electricity systems as renewable generation, offshore wind, interconnectors, distributed energy resources and electrification increased the need for flexible and controllable networks. The business participated in projects demonstrating the range of its technology. In China, it supplied equipment for the Changji–Guquan ultra-high-voltage direct-current transmission line, described as the first line operating at 1,100 kilovolts. In Europe, it supplied HVDC converter-station technology for the North Sea Link, a submarine interconnector between the United Kingdom and Norway. It has also been involved in infrastructure for TenneT's offshore-grid plans, which are intended to connect offshore generation to onshore electricity networks. Other projects included a renewable-energy microgrid for Gull Bay First Nation in Canada and equipment in Kent, United Kingdom, using a fluoronitrile-based gas as an alternative to sulfur hexafluoride in high-voltage applications. In October 2021, Hitachi ABB Power Grids changed its name to Hitachi Energy. The rebranding signaled a broader emphasis on the energy transition rather than on grid equipment alone. The company continued to combine physical electrical infrastructure with digital solutions, including transformer monitoring and asset-performance management. In December 2022, Hitachi confirmed that it had acquired ABB's remaining 19.9 percent interest. Hitachi Energy consequently became a wholly owned Hitachi business. Today, Hitachi Energy operates as an international energy-technology company within Hitachi Group. Its role is not that of a retail electricity supplier; instead, it designs, manufactures, integrates and services the systems used by organizations that generate, transmit, distribute and consume electricity. Its strategic identity is tied to electrification, renewable integration, grid resilience, lower-emission equipment and the digital management of increasingly complex power networks.

1. 2022Hitachi becomes sole owner

   Hitachi acquired ABB's remaining 19.9 percent stake, completing the transition to full ownership.

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2. 2021North Sea Link converter stations enter the project portfolio

   The business supplied HVDC converter-station technology for the North Sea Link submarine interconnector between the United Kingdom and Norway.

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3. 2021Brand renamed Hitachi Energy

   Hitachi ABB Power Grids changed its name to Hitachi Energy in October 2021.

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4. 2020Hitachi ABB Power Grids begins operations

   The transaction closed in July 2020, creating Hitachi ABB Power Grids with Hitachi holding 80.1 percent and ABB retaining 19.9 percent.

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5. 2018Hitachi and ABB agree on Power Grids transaction

   Hitachi and ABB signed the agreement that led to Hitachi acquiring a controlling interest in ABB's Power Grids division.

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6. 1979Hokkaido–Honshu HVDC project

   Hitachi contributed to the Hokkaido–Honshu high-voltage direct-current connection, one of the predecessor business's notable Japanese HVDC projects.

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7. 1977Shin-Shinano frequency-converter project

   An earlier Hitachi power-systems activity associated with the Shin-Shinano frequency converter demonstrated the company's Japanese transmission and grid-interconnection capabilities.

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8. 1960Establishment of Hitachi Power Solutions

   Hitachi Power Solutions Co., Ltd. was established as an earlier Hitachi power-related business later integrated into the energy business associated with Hitachi Energy.

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A global energy-technology provider focused on electrification, renewable-energy integration, resilient grids and the digital modernization of power systems.

• HVDC transmission systemsTransmission technology

  Hitachi Energy supplies high-voltage direct-current systems for long-distance transmission, subsea interconnectors, offshore-wind connections and links between electricity networks. The portfolio includes converter stations and related control and protection systems. HVDC Light is one of the company's named offerings.

• Power transformersGrid equipment

  The company designs and supplies transformers used in generation, transmission and distribution networks. Its transformer business also includes digital monitoring and diagnostic capabilities intended to help operators understand asset condition, improve maintenance planning and extend equipment performance.

• High-voltage equipment and substationsGrid infrastructure

  This category covers equipment and integrated systems for substations and high-voltage networks, including switching, protection, insulation and connection technologies. The company has also worked on lower-emission gas-insulation alternatives using fluoronitrile-based mixtures in place of sulfur hexafluoride in selected applications.

• Grid automationControl and automation

  Grid-automation products and services help utilities monitor, control and coordinate network assets. They support operational visibility and the management of increasingly distributed and variable electricity systems, including networks with significant renewable-generation penetration.

• TXpert digital transformer solutionsDigital grid solution

  TXpert is a digital solution family associated with transformer monitoring and asset intelligence. It is intended to provide operators with information about transformer condition and operation, supporting more informed maintenance and asset-management decisions.

• Lumada Asset Performance ManagementIndustrial software

  Lumada Asset Performance Management is a digital offering for monitoring and managing the performance of industrial and energy assets. In the grid context, such tools are used to combine asset information and operational insight for maintenance, reliability and lifecycle planning.

• Microgrid systemsDistributed energy infrastructure

  Hitachi Energy develops and integrates microgrid solutions that can combine renewable generation, storage, controls and local distribution. These systems are particularly relevant to remote or reliability-constrained communities and to customers seeking more resilient local power supplies.

• 2022Acquire ABB's remaining minority interestM&A

  ABB retained a 19.9 percent interest after the 2020 transaction, leaving Hitachi Energy as a jointly owned business during the initial integration period.

  What changed. Hitachi acquired the remaining 19.9 percent stake from ABB.

  Aftermath. Hitachi became the sole owner of Hitachi Energy.

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• 2021Rebrand the business as Hitachi EnergyStrategy

  Following the creation of Hitachi ABB Power Grids, Hitachi chose a name that emphasized a wider energy-technology and energy-transition role.

  What changed. The company changed its name from Hitachi ABB Power Grids to Hitachi Energy in October 2021.

  Aftermath. The business continued under the Hitachi Energy brand as a Hitachi Group company focused on electrification, renewable integration and grid modernization.

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• 2018Agree to acquire a controlling interest in ABB Power GridsM&A

  Hitachi and ABB agreed to combine Hitachi's power-related activities with ABB's international Power Grids business through a controlling-stake transaction.

  What changed. The parties established the framework for Hitachi to acquire 80.1 percent of ABB's Power Grids division.

  Aftermath. The agreement was completed in July 2020 and the resulting business began operating as Hitachi ABB Power Grids.

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• 2022Hitachi completes acquisition of ABB's remaining stake

  Hitachi confirmed that it had acquired ABB's remaining 19.9 percent interest, bringing the energy-technology business fully under Hitachi ownership.

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• 2021Hitachi ABB Power Grids rebranded as Hitachi Energy

  The company adopted the Hitachi Energy name as part of its development under Hitachi ownership and its focus on energy transition.

  Leadership changeOther
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• 2020Hitachi ABB Power Grids begins operating after Hitachi acquires controlling stake

  Hitachi acquired 80.1 percent of ABB's Power Grids division, creating the Hitachi ABB Power Grids joint venture.

  M&AOther
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1. Hitachi Energy
2. Hitachi Energy official website