The Government of Canada announces significant investment to strengthen Canada’s electricity and forest products supply chains

Investment will support Hitachi Energy’s new transformer insulation factory, Canada’s first pressboard manufacturing facility

Investment will support Hitachi Energy’s new transformer insulation factory, Canada’s first pressboard manufacturing facility

Today, the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, announced a total federal investment of $30 million in Hitachi Energy Canada Inc., supporting a $478.8 million dollar project to establish Canada’s first electrical-grade pressboard manufacturing facility in London, Ontario.

As growing power demand is being driven by grid modernization, electrification, renewable energy deployment and data centre expansion, the federal government is investing to position Canada as a strategic supplier within North America’s energy infrastructure supply chain and abroad. At the same time, it is supporting Canadian forest products amid unjustified tariffs and changing global pressures and the industry more broadly as it modernizes and transforms for long-term competitiveness.

The federal investment includes $20 million through the Strategic Response Fund and $10 million through the Investments in Forest Industry Transformation program. This investment will help Hitachi Energy implement innovative manufacturing technologies and automation in a state-of-the-art facility to enhance production efficiency and turn wood fibre into up to 20,000 tonnes annually of electrical-grade pressboard and laminated insulation materials for high-voltage transformers. The investment will not only strengthen domestic supply chain capabilities but also support the growth and competitiveness of Canada’s forest sector by creating new markets for Canadian forest products.