Hitachi Energy Canada has secured funding from the Canadian government to build a new high-voltage direct current simulation center in Montreal. HVDC is a key component that integrates large-scale renewable electricity into the power grid.
On Monday, the company said it received around $22 million from the Strategic Innovation Fund, a national investment program supporting projects contributing to the Canadian economy.
Hitachi Energy Canada’s upcoming simulation center will digitally demonstrate HVDC control and protection systems, allowing critical infrastructure operators to test the technology’s performance before installation. The facility is expected to shorten the timelines of large transmission projects.
“Quebec is an important hub for the clean energy transition in North America, and the new HVDC simulation center will provide us with critical capabilities to support the urgent need for additional transmission capacity both in Canada and throughout North America,” said Carla Vicente, country managing director of Hitachi Energy Canada.
The HVDC simulation center is expected to be completed in 2027.
The funding award includes modernizing the company’s power transformer factory in Varennes.
It follows Hitachi Energy’s recent announcement that it will spend about $4.5 billion over the next three years to expand its facilities’ research, development and manufacturing capabilities to support global clean energy transition efforts.
The company is also investing $1.5 billion to boost global transformer production.