A power conversion apparatus includes a power conversion circuit including a semiconductor element in each of upper and lower arms between DC links, and being electrically connected to an AC load at an AC end. A voltage detector detects a voltage between the DC links. A current detector detects a current flowing in the AC end. A control unit generates a gate command based on a voltage value obtained by the voltage detector and a current value obtained by the current detector. A gate driver drives the semiconductor element based on the gate command, includes a gate current detector and a circuit to determine a drive state of the semiconductor element from the gate current, and outputs a value corresponding to the drive state to the control unit.