Grid Equipment Factory Wave: Seven U.S. Plant Projects Total $1.84 Billion

Between July 30 and September 22, 2026, seven manufacturers announced U.S. factory projects for transformers, switchgear, electrical enclosures and power cable worth a combined $1.84 billion or more. The projects span Pennsylvania, Georgia, Texas, Mississippi, New York, Arkansas and South Carolina, and most are scheduled to break ground in late 2026.

The common thread is the equipment that sits between a power source and a building: the transformers, breakers, switchgear, enclosures and cable that every data center, factory and utility upgrade needs before it can energize. Each of the seven projects below was announced by the company or a state economic development agency during the eight-week window, and each states a dollar figure.

The Seven Projects at a Glance

• Hitachi Energy transformer factory, Gallman, Mississippi. Owner: Hitachi Energy. Contractor: not named. Value: $528 million. Status: announced September 15, construction to start late 2026, production in 2029 (Hitachi Energy).
• Okonite high-voltage cable plant, Orangeburg County, South Carolina. Owner: The Okonite Company. Contractor: not named. Value: $400 million. Status: announced September 22, early construction in the fourth quarter of 2026 (South Carolina Department of Commerce).
• Southwire plant expansion, Starkville, Mississippi. Owner: Southwire. Contractor: not named. Value: more than $256 million. Status: announced in August, construction slated for late 2026, full capacity in 2028 (T&D World).
• Eaton modular electrical enclosure facility, North Little Rock, Arkansas. Owner: Eaton. Contractor: not named. Value: more than $242 million. Status: announced September 2, schedule not disclosed (Business Wire).
• Siemens electrical products hub and switchgear expansion, Pendergrass, Georgia and Grand Prairie, Texas. Owner: Siemens. Contractor: not named. Value: more than $204 million combined. Status: announced August 7, hiring starts late 2026 in Texas and 2027 in Georgia (Siemens).
• GE Vernova grid equipment plant expansion, Charleroi, Pennsylvania. Owner: GE Vernova. Contractor: not named. Value: $138 million. Status: announced July 30, hiring through 2028 (GE Vernova).
• Niagara Power Transformer expansion, Cheektowaga, New York. Owner: Niagara Power Transformer, a Quanta Services company. Contractor: not named. Value: $71 million. Status: incentives offered by the Erie County IDA on August 18, work planned over the next two years (WBEN).

How the Total Was Calculated

The $1.84 billion figure is the sum of the stated investment for each project: $528 million (Hitachi Energy), $400 million (Okonite), $256 million (Southwire), $242 million (Eaton), $185 million plus $19 million (Siemens), $138 million (GE Vernova) and $71 million (Niagara Power Transformer), for $1.839 billion. Three companies described their figures as "more than" the stated amount, so the total is a floor. It counts only the Charleroi plant for GE Vernova, not the company's larger $166 million Western Pennsylvania figure, and only the $528 million Gallman plant for Hitachi Energy, not its broader U.S. program.

Transformers: Hitachi Energy and Niagara Power Transformer

The largest project is Hitachi Energy's $528 million factory in Gallman, Mississippi, about 6.5 miles from its existing Crystal Springs plant. The company says the new building will be more than twice the size of Crystal Springs and will more than double production capacity there, with construction beginning late this year and transformer production starting in 2029 (Hitachi Energy). The job count differs by source: Hitachi Energy's release cites more than 700 jobs, while the governor's quote in the same release cites more than 650. Square footage has not been disclosed. WCG covered the announcement in detail in Hitachi Energy Plans $528M Mississippi Transformer Factory.

At the other end of the size range, Niagara Power Transformer plans a $71 million expansion in Cheektowaga, outside Buffalo. The scope includes a new 96,000 square foot manufacturing center on Dale Road and a later 32,000 square foot addition to the existing 121,000 square foot plant, with at least 73 new jobs and an Erie County IDA package that includes $1.7 million in sales tax breaks and a multi-year PILOT (WBEN). Output is expected to rise from about 90 to about 140 transformers a year (Industrial Equipment News). See WCG's earlier post on the Niagara Power Transformer expansion.

Switchgear and Enclosures: Siemens, GE Vernova and Eaton

Siemens announced more than $185 million for a 550,000 square foot low-voltage electrical products hub in Pendergrass, Georgia, aimed at the data center market, plus $19 million for a 96,000 square foot site in Grand Prairie, Texas, that adds capacity to its nearby switchgear factory. The company expects more than 1,500 jobs across the two sites (Siemens).

GE Vernova is investing $138 million at its Charleroi, Pennsylvania plant, which makes high-voltage circuit breakers, switchgear and instrument transformers, and expects about 275 new jobs there through 2028 (GE Vernova).

Eaton plans a 1 million square foot facility in North Little Rock, Arkansas, for its Fibrebond modular electrical enclosure business, with more than $242 million in investment and 1,200 jobs (Business Wire). The site is near the Galloway exit; no construction start or opening date has been published (Talk Business & Politics).

Cable: Okonite and Southwire

Okonite will build a new plant of about 552,000 square feet on its existing property at 2276 Rowesville Road in Orangeburg, South Carolina, to make high-voltage electric cable. The $400 million project is expected to create 105 jobs, with early construction in the fourth quarter of 2026 and completion in two to three years (South Carolina Department of Commerce).

Southwire is adding roughly 380,000 square feet to its Starkville, Mississippi plant, which makes building wire, metal-clad cable and utility products. Construction is slated for late 2026 with full capacity in 2028 (T&D World). The project is expected to create 128 jobs, and Area Development described the investment as more than $256 million (Area Development).

What Is Driving the Wave

The companies give the same reasons in their own announcements. Hitachi Energy ties its plant to advanced manufacturing, data centers, energy-intensive industry and grid modernization. Siemens aimed its Georgia hub at the data center market, Eaton named data center and utility customers for its enclosures, and Southwire pointed to electrification and data center growth. Taken together, the announcements show equipment makers adding U.S. capacity for the same customers who are waiting on their products.

Several of these are expansions next to existing plants rather than greenfield sites: Hitachi Energy six miles from Crystal Springs, Okonite and Southwire on their own property, GE Vernova and Niagara Power Transformer inside existing campuses. That approach lets owners build on sites and workforces they already have, but it also means construction has to work around live production.

Implications for Owners, Developers, Contractors and Subs

• Owners and developers: New capacity helps, but most of it will not ship until 2028 or 2029. Projects that need large transformers or medium-voltage switchgear in the next two years should still plan around current lead times and order early.
• General contractors: None of the seven owners has named a builder. These are heavy industrial buildings with overhead cranes, deep foundations, test bays and high power loads, which favors teams with process manufacturing experience.
• Electrical and mechanical subs: Plants that build electrical gear are themselves heavy electrical projects. Expect demanding scopes for power distribution, test facilities, paint lines and, at Siemens, fully electrified process systems.
• Site and concrete trades: Transformer and cable plants carry heavy floor loads and crane foundations. Expansions on occupied campuses add phasing and safety requirements.

What to Watch

• Contractor and design team selections, especially for Hitachi Energy, Okonite and Eaton, which have the largest new buildings.
• Whether the late 2026 construction starts hold for Hitachi Energy, Okonite and Southwire.
• A construction schedule for Eaton's North Little Rock facility, which has not been published.
• Further announcements from other grid equipment makers, since several companies, including Hitachi Energy and GE Vernova, describe these plants as part of larger multiyear U.S. programs.

Bottom Line

Seven grid equipment factory projects worth at least $1.84 billion were announced in eight weeks between late July and late September, with most construction set to begin before the end of 2026. For builders, they represent near-term heavy industrial work. For everyone else waiting on transformers and switchgear, they are relief that arrives in 2028 and 2029, not next year.

Image credit: Eaton, via Business Wire, from Eaton's September 2, 2026 announcement of its North Little Rock, Arkansas facility.

Sources

• Hitachi Energy, "Hitachi deepens commitment to U.S. manufacturing with $528 million Mississippi transformer factory": https://www.hitachienergy.com/us/en/news-and-events/press-releases/2026/09/hitachi-deepens-commitment-to-u-s-manufacturing-with-528-million-mississippi-transformer-factory
• South Carolina Department of Commerce, "Okonite expands Orangeburg County operations": https://www.sccommerce.com/news/okonite-expands-orangeburg-county-operations
• T&D World, "Southwire Invests $256M for 380,000-Square-Foot Starkville Plant Expansion": https://www.tdworld.com/utility-business/article/55397059/southwire-invests-256m-for-380000-square-foot-starkville-plant-expansion
• Area Development, "Southwire Expands Starkville, Mississippi, Manufacturing Operations": https://www.areadevelopment.com/newsItems/8-11-2026/southwire-starkville-mississippi.shtml
• Business Wire, "Eaton expands manufacturing for modular electrical enclosures with $242 million investment in new Arkansas facility": https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260902691655/en/Eaton-expands-manufacturing-for-modular-electrical-enclosures-with-242-million-investment-in-new-Arkansas-facility
• Talk Business & Politics, "Eaton to locate $242 million facility in North Little Rock, adding 1,200 jobs": https://talkbusiness.net/2026/09/eaton-to-locate-242-million-facility-in-north-little-rock-adding-1200-jobs/
• Siemens, "Siemens announces over $200 million in U.S. manufacturing investments and 1,500 new jobs to expand electrical infrastructure production": https://news.siemens.com/sv-se/siemens-us-manufacturing-investment-electrical-infrastructure/
• GE Vernova, "GE Vernova expands Pennsylvania manufacturing facility to strengthen U.S. grid supply chain": https://www.gevernova.com/news/press-releases/ge-vernova-expands-pennsylvania-manufacturing-facility-strengthen-us-grid-supply
• WBEN, "Niagara Power Transformer eyes $71m expansion": https://www.audacy.com/wben/news/local/niagara-power-transformer-eyes-71m-expansion
• Industrial Equipment News, "Century-Old Transformer Maker Plans $71M Expansion in New York": https://www.ien.com/operations/news/22973547/centuryold-transformer-maker-plans-71m-expansion-in-new-york