Power converter and power supply apparatus

A power converter to convert a first DC voltage applied from a DC power supply into a second DC voltage for a load, the power converter comprising:

• an inverter circuit including a plurality of switching elements and snubber capacitors each connected in parallel to a corresponding one of the switching elements, to convert the first DC voltage into a first AC voltage;
• a variable reactor disposed on an output side of the inverter circuit and configured to be variable in inductance value;
• a transformer including a primary winding and a secondary winding that are magnetically coupled to each other to insulate a primary side and a secondary side from each other, to convert the first AC voltage applied via the variable reactor, into a second AC voltage;
• a converter circuit to convert the second AC voltage into the second DC voltage;
• and
• a control circuit to change the inductance value of the variable reactor in two or more stages.