The Global Race to Replace Aging Grid Equipment | Mahmut Sami Saka, Beta Enerji

The US power grid is running out of time — and Turkey is stepping up to help fix it.

At the 2026 IEEE PES T&D Show, Alan Ross of APC Media sat down with Mahmut Sami Saka, Head of Sales at Beta Enerji, to discuss why the global transformer shortage is now a national security issue — and how a nearly 50-year-old Turkish manufacturer with the largest transformer facility under one roof in Europe is ready to answer the call.

With lead times in the US stretching 3 to 5 years, Beta Enerji is delivering power transformers in less than one year — and they’re just getting started in the American market.

In this episode:

• Why the transformer sector is now the #1 industry in the world
• The US grid crisis: 50 million transformers, half of them aging out
• How AI, EVs & data centers are accelerating the transformer deficit
• Beta Enerji’s new facility: 120,000 m² — the largest under one roof in Europe
• Lead time advantage: power transformers delivered in under 1 year
• 25,000 distribution transformers per year — 3x their previous capacity
• After-sales service, FAT process & why installation is the critical final step