THE ENERGY INTERVIEW
keep backing long-term infrastructure, not just short-term crisis response.
There are near-term pressures – higher financing costs and supply chain strain among them – but the long-term direction still favours clean energy. You can already see it in policy moves to accelerate solar, wind and grid infrastructure in markets around the world.
Q. WHAT SHOULD THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS BE INVESTING IN TO BOOST THEIR ENERGY SECURITY?
» Grid modernisation. It is the one investment that addresses all three sides of the trilemma at once. The IEA estimates that US $ 600bn a year will be needed by 2040 in transformers, HVDC, digital grid management and cybersecurity.
That is not optional. It is the enabling infrastructure for everything else. But technology alone is not enough. Talent matters just as much. At Hitachi Energy, we are hiring more than 15,000 people by 2027 including from adjacent sectors like oil and gas.
Q. WHY IS NOW AN IMPORTANT TIME TO RETAIN SUSTAINABILITY AS A CORE BUSINESS VALUE?
» Now is exactly when sustainability has to prove its value. In tougher and more volatile markets, it can start to look discretionary. It is not. That is the principle of sustainability: it has to endure.
15,000
The number of new staff Hitachi Energy is aiming to employ by 2027
Sustainability is increasingly tied to competitiveness, resilience and longterm growth. You can see that in the market, where clean energy investment is now outpacing fossil fuels, and we see it in our own journey at Hitachi Energy.
We have moved from compliance and gap-filling to strategic value creation – strengthening tender competitiveness, reducing risk, driving innovation and opening new growth opportunities.
That is why sustainability is embedded in our strategy. It helps us build a stronger business and the secure, flexible power systems the transition depends on. Walking away from that now would not just be short-sighted. It would weaken the business.
Q. HOW IS HITACHI ENERGY ADAPTING TO THE ENERGY CRISIS?
» By scaling up decisively and quickly. Adapting to the crisis means
30 July 2026