Ottawa invests $30 million in Hitachi Energy pressboard plant
Federal funding will support a $478.8-million London, Ontario project producing transformer insulation for Hitachi Energy operations including Varennes, Québec.
The federal government is investing $30 million in a $478.8-million Hitachi Energy Canada project to establish what Ottawa describes as Canada’s first electrical-grade pressboard manufacturing facility.
The London, Ontario plant is planned to turn wood fibre into as much as 20,000 tonnes a year of pressboard and laminated insulation used in high-voltage transformers. The funding comprises $20 million from the Strategic Response Fund and $10 million from the Investments in Forest Industry Transformation program.
Hitachi Energy says it will maintain about 1,250 existing Canadian jobs and grow its national workforce to 1,765. Ottawa says more than 100 new jobs would be created at the London facility.
The facility is expected to supply Hitachi Energy’s transformer operations in Varennes, Québec, as well as other North American and international manufacturers. The announcement describes projected capacity and employment commitments; it does not say the plant is already operating.
Source: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, “The Government of Canada announces significant investment to strengthen Canada’s electricity and forest products supply chains”, published October 16, 2026.
Featured image: a factory floor; this illustrative image does not depict Hitachi Energy’s London facility or planned line. Photo by Shavr IK via Unsplash; cropped and resized by West Island Blog.
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