Global power sector faces supply crunch

With the global energy transition running into political and supply-chain roadblocks, the world’s power sector is facing a critical shortage of transformers and other key components.

- Rituraj Baruah [e-mail]

Fragmented supply networks, geopolitical tensions, and growing scepticism over Chinese equipment have stretched delivery timelines from months to years, threatening to slow grid expansion worldwide.

“We are still today, as an industry, struggling by balancing supply and demand. We are struggling... because we cannot procure all the equipment we need,” said Andreas Schierenbeck, chief executive officer of Zurich-headquartered Hitachi Energy, noting that the post-covid demand surge and the renewed push for energy security after the Russia-Ukraine war, which started in 2022, have only deepened the strain.