MacLean Power Systems to Acquire Transformer Maker Delta Star
MacLean Power Systems has agreed to acquire Delta Star, adding power transformers and mobile substations to its growing portfolio of electric-grid equipment.
Delta Star, founded in 1908 and headquartered in Lynchburg, Virginia, manufactures engineered-to-order power transformers, mobile and unitized substations, auxiliary trailers and related equipment. Its customers include electric utilities, data centers, industrial businesses and renewable-energy developers.
The company employs more than 1,400 people across the U.S. and Canada. It operates manufacturing campuses in Lynchburg; San Carlos, California; and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec.
The acquisition follows MacLean’s March combination with Power Grid Components, which expanded its substation and grid infrastructure offerings. The combined platform is majority-owned by funds affiliated with Blackstone Energy Transition Partners and Blackstone’s private equity business, with Centerbridge Partners also invested.
Those sponsors are expected to provide substantial additional capital to fund the Delta Star acquisition.
“Delta Star brings highly respected power transformer and mobile substation capabilities, which complement our existing portfolio,” MacLean CEO Steve Scharnhorst and President Mike Plaster said.
The deal comes as utilities face mounting pressure to expand and modernize power networks. The Energy Department has cited rapidly rising electricity consumption as an urgent challenge, while research referenced by the agency estimates that data centers could add as much as 65 gigawatts of U.S. power demand by 2029.
Adding Delta Star will give MacLean a broader suite of equipment spanning electric transmission, distribution and substations while expanding its North American manufacturing footprint.
The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Jefferies, JPMorgan, Barclays, and UBS served as financial advisors, and Vinson & Elkins LLP and Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (Blakes) served as legal advisors to MacLean Power Systems. Wells Fargo served as financial advisor and Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, Johnson Legal Group, P.C. and Woods Rogers served as legal advisors to Delta Star.