A Lynchburg-based manufacturer of power transformers and mobile electric substations said Tuesday that it has agreed to be acquired during a period of “unprecedented” demand for electrical grid infrastructure.
Delta Star, which employs 755 people in Lynchburg and 1,436 total, will be bought by Fort Mill, South Carolina-based MacLean Power Systems.
MacLean makes hardware for the electrical grid such as insulators to protect power lines and crossarms for utility poles. It’s majority-owned by the New York-based private equity firm Blackstone, which manages more than $1.3 trillion in assets.
The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter. Terms were not disclosed.
Delta Star spokesperson Asa Keimig said in a statement to Cardinal News that Tuesday’s announcement “does not include staffing changes.”
“Our employees are central to our success and essential to our future. … Our partnership with MacLean Power Systems (MPS) is intended to create new opportunities for both our organization and its employees,” Keimig said.
Delta Star President and CEO Jason Greene said in a news release that MacLean Power Systems “is a premier brand in our industry with a rich history of providing reliable, high-quality solutions that support the electrical power grid.”
“Together we can better serve our customers during a time of rapidly growing electrical infrastructure needs due to unprecedented, explosive growth,” Greene said.
MacLean CEO Steve Scharnhorst said in the release that Delta Star’s “highly complementary portfolio, technical and engineering excellence, and deep customer relationships” appeal to MacLean.
“We look forward to welcoming Delta Star’s dedicated employees to our team and to supporting Delta Star’s continued growth by expanding capacity and working together to deliver even greater value to our shared customer base,” Scharnhorst said.
Power transformer industry booming as grid demand grows
Tuesday’s announcement comes as the power transformer industry is growing to meet forecasts of rapidly rising electricity demand driven by data centers, grid upgrades, electrification of manufacturing and other factors.
Power transformers help regulate the flow of electrical current by “stepping up” and “stepping down” its voltage as it travels across the grid, whether it’s on large interstate transmission lines or smaller municipal distribution lines.
This year, Delta Star will manufacture 140 power transformers, according to Keimig.
In May 2023, Delta Star announced it would invest $30 million and create 149 jobs in Lynchburg.
Less than two years later, in April 2025, the company announced another local expansion, valued at $35 million and slated to add 300 jobs over four years.
In June 2025, the company opened a new corporate headquarters and a 108,000-square-foot metal fabrication facility, called Delta Ironworks, on its Lynchburg campus.
Delta Star, founded in 1908, also has manufacturing sites in California and Quebec.
In December 2025, Blackstone announced the merger of MacLean and another company, Power Grid Components. That deal was finalized in March and made Blackstone the majority owner of MacLean, which was founded in 1986.
Other businesses growing in the power transformer space include Roanoke-based Virginia Transformer Corp., which plans to expand a factory in Georgia and build a new one in Alabama; Hitachi Energy, which is building a new factory in South Boston and adding more than 800 jobs there; and JST Power Equipment, which opened a transformer factory in Wytheville earlier this year.
