Hitachi Energy India Ltd (HEIL) is geared up to expand its footprint in the rapidly evolving Indian energy sector. The company (formerly known as ABB Power Products and Systems India Ltd) has been ramping up its product portfolio and solutions in a big way to explore the opportunities emerging in the country’s energy landscape. Ever since the business was carved out in 2020 to become a part of the Hitachi Group, the company in its new avatar, backed by a combination of Japanese quality standards and European technology leadership, has been making big strides to not only maintain its leadership position but also enlarge its market share in a significant manner.
The company, a market and technology leader in transmission, distribution, and grid automation solutions, celebrated its 75th year of presence in India last year. Since 1949, under multiple partnerships and avatars – Hindustan Electric, ABB Power Grids to Hitachi Energy India today – it has evolved and expanded into the leading role of energy transition pioneer.
HEIL, a wholly owned subsidiary of Zurich-headquartered Hitachi Energy Ltd, boasts a comprehensive electrification portfolio with a range of T&D solutions, HVDC (High-Voltage Direct Current) transmission corridors and innovative transformers, power quality products and automation solutions. It is well aligned with the complex market requirements for efficient power evacuation from diversified energy sources and for making the grid flexible and reliable. Japan’s Hitachi Group globally acquired ABB’s power grids business in 2020, forming Hitachi ABB Power Grids, which was later renamed Hitachi Energy Ltd.
The $16-billion Hitachi Energy Ltd, a global leader in power technologies, providing the most comprehensive grid portfolio across the entire value chain, has a proven track record and unparalleled installed base in more than 140 countries, serving customers in utilities, industries, transportation, data centres and infrastructure sectors. Together with its stakeholders across sectors and geographies, it enables digital transformation to accelerate energy transition towards a carbon-neutral future. It has a presence in 60 countries and employs 50,000 people. Its innovative technologies and services include the integration of more than 150 GW of HVDC links into the power system.
Hitachi Energy is today a global leader in HVDC technology and has the largest installed base of HVDC projects worldwide. It pioneered commercial HVDC technology almost 70 years ago and has delivered more than half of the world’s HVDC projects. HVDC technology transmits electrical power using Direct Current (DC) at high voltages, offering advantages over traditional Alternating Current (AC) transmission for long distances and specific applications like submarine cables. HVDC is also used to interconnect asynchronous AC grids and enhance grid stability.
HVDC technology plays a crucial role in energy transition and is highly efficient for transmitting large amounts of power over long distances due to lower transmission losses, as well as for integrating renewables and interconnecting grids, opening up new sustainable transmission solutions. All in all, it greatly improves the stability and economy of the grid and is a key enabler for a carbon-neutral energy system. Most HVDC links use voltages between 100 kV and 800 kV.
STATCOM, or Static Synchronous Compensator, is one of a suite of grid and power quality technologies developed by Hitachi Energy to boost the transmission capacity and increase the quality of existing and new AC power systems. STATCOM technology improves voltage stability and grid reliability by continuously and rapidly providing reactive power in response to voltage variations.
For Hitachi Energy, India has emerged as a major market undergoing a significant transition. The country’s move towards cleaner energy is central to its commitment to reducing carbon footprints and strengthening energy security. Yet, this transformation presents challenges, particularly in integrating renewable energy while ensuring grid stability and energy security. Modernising the power sector and developing resilient infrastructure are key to meeting the country’s increasing energy needs while ensuring affordability and reliability. As India strives to improve energy access, the role of emerging technologies and strategic policies becomes even more important in driving efficiency and sustainability across the sector.
Against this backdrop, Hitachi Energy’s Indian subsidiary – HEIL – has drawn up a comprehensive roadmap to tap the opportunities through its cutting-edge technologies and solutions. In the last 5 years, the company, headquartered in Bengaluru, has invested more than Rs500 crore in ramping up its manufacturing capacities in India. In fact, it has been able to localise 80 per cent of its portfolio – up from 50-60 per cent a few years ago. In the last 3 years, HEIL has set up five manufacturing facilities (brownfield and greenfield). Backed by around 7,500 employees, the company currently has 19 manufacturing units across eight locations in India. There are 12 sales offices and seven sales touch points across the country.
Funding growth
Last October, the company announced a capex of Rs2,000 crore for the next 4-5 years, and to part-finance the same, this year in March, it raised Rs2,500 crore through a Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP). The proposed investment is expected to further expand its portfolio, including large power transformers, critical components, and the modernisation of its high-voltage and automation factories. Besides expanding its presence in the domestic market, HEIL, listed on NSE & BSE, has also increased its footprint in overseas markets. At present, 25-30 per cent of its orders and revenue come from markets outside India.
HEIL, known for its mission-critical technologies like high-voltage products & transformers, automation, and power electronics, is well positioned to become a Rs10,000-crore enterprise in the next 3-4 years. In the last few years, the company has pulled off an impressive performance in a market undergoing a phase of energy transition in its pursuit to substantially reduce its carbon footprint. Today, India is the third largest power consumer and also the third largest power producer in the world.
Amidst this transition, HEIL, serving sectors like utilities, renewables, industries, transportation, data centres and competing with local and global players like GE Vernova, Siemens India and CG Power, has seen impressive traction in its business in India. The company has witnessed its revenue growing to Rs6,442 crore in FY25 from Rs5,247 crore in FY24 and Rs3,439 crore in FY20. In factthe last fiscal was quite eventful as its order backlog surged to an all-time high of around Rs19,246 crore. In FY2025, the company, known for its innovative technologies and solutions for grid integration and automation, won orders for two major HVDC projects: Khavda-Nagpur and Bhadla-Fatehpur, which resulted in over a 200 per cent surge in its order book compared to the previous year. This expanded order book is expected to provide revenue visibility for several quarters, going forward.
“For more than seven decades, HEIL has significantly contributed to realising India’s ambitions in strengthening and transforming the dynamically evolving energy landscape. Going forward, we also want to continue our endeavour, that too in a more specific manner. In the last few years, we have ramped up our manufacturing base in India and are looking to further invest in expanding our capacities with a distinct aim to offer the Indian market affordable products and solutions. Today, we feel proud that we are manufacturing almost 80 per cent of our offering in India itself and also exporting to overseas markets,” says N Venu, Managing Director & CEO, Hitachi Energy India.
“As a leading provider of power technology, our comprehensive energy portfolio provides sustainable solutions to meet the ever-increasing demand for electricity, while also driving the energy transition. The company’s rich heritage in India has provided technological innovations that facilitated One-Nation-One-Grid, seamless integration of renewables at scale across multiple projects, and the transition to digitalisation. Our sustainable portfolio of products and solutions is designed to facilitate the safe and efficient management of the entire energy cycle, across both conventional and renewable sources,” adds the company CEO.
Moreover, the company also recently established a new Services Business Unit to bolster its service capabilities and portfolio in response to the dynamic energy landscape, particularly the growing demand for renewable energy and grid modernisation. This new unit, fully operational from 1 April 2025, will focus on leveraging the company’s extensive installed base and expertise to support customers throughout the lifecycle of their energy infrastructure.
Here, a significant portion of the initial efforts will be directed towards the existing installed base in India, which includes a large number of HVDC and grid connectivity solutions. Over the last 75 years, the company has built an installed base of around Rs82,000 crore. To maximise reach, all the business units will work closely with the Services BU to deliver an end-to-end service portfolio repertoire. The company is looking to expand its Services BU business fourfold over the next 4-5 years from the current level of around Rs500 crore.
This new BU will be in addition to the company’s four existing BUs: Grid Automation, Grid Integration, High Voltage Products, and the Transformers BU.
The Grid Automation BU’s comprehensive portfolio of solutions addresses all key segments connected to the energy system, including generation, transmission, distribution, industries, transportation, and infrastructure, while the Grid Integration BU offers a wide range of transmission and substation applications and facilitates integration of the future digital electric network in a reliable, efficient manner with minimal environmental impact. This BU brings together a multitude of integrated systems, solutions, and services from the company’s DC and AC fields, including HVDC, grid edge, substations, and power quality solutions.
Leadership position
HEIL is a leading provider of high voltage technology, offering a wide range of high-voltage products for both AC and DC systems up to 1,200 kV and 1,100 kV, respectively. Its high voltage products encompass air-insulated switchgear and gas-insulated switchgear, circuit-breakers, generator circuit-breakers, power quality products, surge arresters, disconnectors, instrument transformers, and high-voltage services, helping enhance the safety, reliability, and efficiency of power networks while reducing environmental impact.
The Transformers BU delivers end-to-end solutions for power transformers, traction transformers, insulation and components, digital sensors, and transformer services. These transformers have been deployed for power generation, transmission, and distribution in metals and mining, oil and gas, commercial and infrastructure projects, as well as mobility. The company offers next-level transformer digitalisation in the form of TXpert Ecosystem, demonstrating its commitment to innovation and sustainability.
HEIL has become the first company to supply the largest power-rated Scott transformers in India, with multiple units of 100 MVA, 132 kV and 230 kV. Scott transformers will enable the upgrade of the rail infrastructure electrical system in Western India to allow trains to reach speeds of 160 kph, a 20 per cent increase compared to the current maximum speed of 130 kph – making commutes between four major Indian cities faster and more reliable.
In FY2023, the company set up a new HVDC and power quality factory in Chennai. These pioneering solutions are key for growth in power transmission, especially for the integration of renewables and electrical grid stability. The new factory manufactures advanced power electronics for the company’s HVDC Light, HVDC Classic and STATCOM, together with the MACH control and protection system, the brain behind the company’s advanced transmission and power quality solutions.
It delivers advanced solutions to support the acceleration of the energy transition, enabling the company to increase its production capacity. The facility serves both the fast-growing Indian market as well as the large global demand for clean energy solutions to integrate renewables. It is the latest HVDC factory built and the world’s second testing lab of power quality control solutions. It caters to the rising number of high-voltage transmission projects in India and exports to support global HVDC installations.
HEIL has also established a larger facility for manufacturing power quality products in Bengaluru. The new manufacturing facility doubles the existing capacity to produce advanced capacitor units, banks and power electronic compensators for low, medium and high-voltage systems, which are used in the power utilities, industries, renewables and transportation segments. Power quality products play an important role in improving power stability by enabling increased capacity and reduced energy losses.
Technology and innovation play a crucial role in the company, which has also established a Global Technology and Innovation Centre (GTIC) in Chennai. The Centre, established in 2007 as the India Operations Centre with a team of just over 100 professionals, has now grown exponentially. In 2023, it was expanded and rechristened as GTIC, which now comprises 3,000 energy transformation technologists.
“GTIC is a cornerstone of our commitment to driving India’s energy transition. This centre enables us to execute end-to-end power transmission projects across 40 countries, including significant contributions within India. Our approach to innovation is multifaceted, focusing on substantial investments in human capital, research and development (R&D), and capability enhancement. GTIC exemplifies our dedication to innovation and sustainable growth. Our key focus areas include digitalisation, energy storage, grid stability, and renewable energy integration. Looking to the future, we are dedicated to continuously upgrading our portfolio to support the expanding and evolving power system. This includes localising our global product portfolio for domestic use, building indigenous capabilities and products, and consistently evaluating the energy landscape,” asserts Venu.
“At Hitachi Energy, we understand the nation’s ever-evolving energy landscape. India is one of our top five markets globally. We don’t just serve India from India – we innovate, manufacture, and export globally from here. We have robust manufacturing, a significant R&D base, and we continue to invest in both capacity and capability. With our pioneering spirit and commitment to people and innovation, Hitachi Energy remains focused on advancing a sustainable energy future for all. This centre in Chennai is a strategic investment that accelerates innovation, digitalisation, and engineering capability to support our customers in advancing the world’s energy system to be more sustainable, flexible, and secure. It further reinforces our commitment in India as a critical hub ready to take on the challenges of the transformation of the future global energy system through electrification,” says Akilur Rahman, CTO, Hitachi Energy India.
Milestones
HEIL is playing a major role in building India’s evolving energy infrastructure. Currently, around 33 GW of renewable energy in the country flows through HEIL’s equipment – nearly a third of the transmission network in the country – including the final connector to One-Nation-One-Grid. The company has supplied transformers for the country’s largest solar park – NTPC’s 4.75 GW renewable energy park in Kutch, Gujarat. These transformers are manufactured at its transformers factory in Vadodara. In fact, these are the largest rating of transformers used by solar power evacuation so far.
Every third Shatabdi, and every second Rajdhani runs on Hitachi Energy traction transformers. Around 80 per cent of metro rail systems in India use HEIL technology. One out of three locomotives is powered by Hitachi Energy technology. Nine out of 10 metros use Hitachi Energy power and SCADA system solutions. HEIL, pioneering digital technologies for the grid and transportation, is a major player in India’s railway electrification and modernisation efforts, including metro rail systems. It is helping India achieve 100 per cent rail electrification, supporting Indian Railways’ goal to become a net-zero carbon emitter by 2030. Its technology is used in power distribution, traction substations, and control systems.
Today, nine out of 17 HVDC links/transmission systems in India are based on Hitachi Energy technology. HEIL’s new HVDC Light transmission system is being deployed in the ongoing Kudus-Mumbai transmission line project. It involves an 80 km-long HVDC transmission link between the Kudus substation in Maharashtra and the Aarey substation in Mumbai. This project, being implemented by Adani Electricity Mumbai Infra Ltd, aims to significantly augment Mumbai’s power supply by 1,000 MW, bringing in additional power from regions like Gujarat and Rajasthan.
The Raigarh-Pugalur Ultra High Voltage Direct Current (UHVDC) transmission link is already in operation and was commissioned in July 2021. It is a 6,000 MW, 1,800 km long, 800 kV link connecting Raigarh in central India to Pugalur in Tamil Nadu. This link is designed to transmit bulk power from central India to the southern region, with the capability to serve the electricity needs of over 80 million people. It utilises Hitachi Energy’s UHVDC Classic technology for efficient power transmission with low losses and minimal footprint.
HEIL has recently won two HVDC projects. In one of the projects, the company, along with BHEL, jointly secured the contract for the Khavda-Nagpur HVDC project from Power Grid Corporation of India. The project involves designing and executing 800 kV, 6,000 MW, 1,200 km HVDC terminal stations to evacuate renewable energy from Gujarat’s Khavda region to Nagpur in Maharashtra. Set to be completed by 2029, this landmark project is India’s first HVDC transmission initiative tendered through the tariff-based competitive bidding process.
The project includes bi-directional parallel HVDC bipoles and associated AC substations for efficient power evacuation. The Khavda-Nagpur project is a crucial part of the interstate transmission system designed to evacuate 8 GW of renewable energy under Phase V: Part A of the Khavda Renewable Energy Zone in Gujarat. It supports India’s broader goal of achieving 500 GW of renewable energy generation and transmission capacity.
The scope of the Khavda-Nagpur project includes converter transformers, AC/DC control and protection, gas-insulated high-voltage switchgear, thyristor valves, 765 kV/400 kV substations and auxiliary systems to be delivered by HEIL.
Achievements
In April this year, HEIL and BHEL jointly won the Bhadla-Fatehpur HVDC project once again from Adani Energy Solutions Ltd. The contract will see the consortium designing and delivering HVDC terminals to transmit renewable energy from the Bhadla area of Rajasthan to the industrial and transport hub in Fatehpur, UP. The 6,000 MW, 950 km HVDC link can power around 60 million households. The project is a key part of India’s plan to achieve 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030. The HVDC link feeds into the country’s 500 GW renewable evacuation and interstate transmission system.
“Our UHVDC Classic technology enables efficient transmission of power over long distances with exceptionally low power losses and minimal carbon footprint. We have a long-standing presence in India’s HVDC segment, starting from the late 1980s with back-to-back transmission projects. We have successfully executed six HVDC projects, with the seventh one (Mumbai Infeed) currently under execution. Our installed base exceeds 16,000 MW, representing over 50 per cent of India’s HVDC power transmission capacity. Our capabilities include manufacturing key HVDC equipment such as transformers, capacitors, control and protection systems, and switchgear. Additionally, we offer comprehensive engineering, execution, and service support through our local teams,” avers Rahman.
“A strong HVDC system is essential in ensuring bi-directional power flow control and grid stability to meet India’s rapid pace of renewable energy integration. For the last 75 years, Hitachi Energy in India has been involved in numerous nation-building power projects, including a majority of the HVDC links. We are immensely proud of our role in strengthening the country’s energy system. Being selected for two such large HVDC orders in quick succession is a testament to our technology expertise and execution capabilities,” says Venu.
Venu has been leading Hitachi Energy in India since its formation in 2019, overseeing its listing on both Indian stock exchanges. Under his leadership, the team has executed several nation-building projects that make India’s energy system more sustainable, flexible and secure. These include the landmark Raigarh-Pugalur bi-directional HVDC link that can transfer 6 GW of energy and partnering in Indian Railways’ journey to net-zero.
India’s energy landscape is undergoing significant transformations. The country has charted an energy transition roadmap aligned with its economic priorities, aiming to achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030, amounting to 50 per cent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy. Today, India’s total installed power capacity stands at 476 GW, out of which non-fossil constitutes 49 per cent, including around 227 GW of renewables.
Amidst all these developments, HEIL has positioned itself quite strongly in the Indian energy market. Having been present in this market for over seven decades now, the company has significantly contributed to realising India’s ambitions in strengthening and transforming the dynamically evolving energy landscape. In the last few years, as a part of the Hitachi Group, the company has further strengthened its footprint and is geared up to tap the emerging avenues in a major way, going ahead. Backed by ramped-up capacities and capabilities, the company seeks to leverage the government’s initiatives and emerging trends in the renewables sector through world-class technologies, eco-efficient products, solutions and services while consolidating its contribution through exports.