ABB will invest around $200 million across its European medium-voltage manufacturing operations over the next three years, expanding production capacity for electrical distribution technologies used by utilities, industrial operators, and data centre developers.
The largest single project is a $100 million facility in Dalmine, Italy, focused on air-insulated and SF6-free switchgear and breakers. A further $100 million will support capacity expansion across existing factories in Rakovski, Bulgaria; Vaasa, Finland; Ratingen, Germany; Skien, Norway; and Przasnysz, Poland.
The programme covers technologies central to medium-voltage distribution networks, including gas-insulated switchgear, vacuum interrupters, relays, and grid automation products. ABB said the additional capacity is intended to improve availability and reduce lead times as customers replace legacy assets, connect new loads, and reinforce distribution networks.
“This $200 million investment will strengthen ABB’s medium-voltage manufacturing and technology capabilities in Europe and support customers as electricity demand increases and the grid evolves,” said Morten Wierod, ABB’s Chief Executive Officer.
Medium-voltage infrastructure is absorbing pressure from several directions at once. More renewable generation is being connected at distribution level, industrial sites are increasing electrical loads, and data centre expansion is adding concentrated demand in regions where grid connection queues are already under strain.
ABB’s emphasis on SF6-free equipment also reflects a wider transition in switchgear design. Sulphur hexafluoride has been widely used for insulation and arc quenching, but manufacturers and network operators are moving towards alternatives as environmental regulation, procurement standards, and corporate decarbonisation targets tighten.
The new investment follows recent ABB spending in the UK and Hungary. In Kecskemét, Hungary, around $15 million is being used to add R&D and production capabilities for connector technologies, while in Nottingham, UK, around $35 million has expanded production of earthing and lightning protection technologies for critical infrastructure, buildings, data centres, communications networks, and transport systems.
Wierod said demand is being driven by grid modernisation, renewables integration, data centre growth, and the shift towards more sustainable technologies. Across those markets, medium-voltage equipment sits close to the delivery edge of electrification: projects cannot connect, protect, or automate power flows without the physical hardware to do it.
By spreading investment across six European countries, ABB is strengthening both specialised production and regional supply resilience. The added capacity gives the company a larger manufacturing base for the equipment now sitting between ambitious energy plans and the practical work of energising new infrastructure.
