Hyosung Heavy Industries Completes 2 GW HVDC Algorithms, Targets 2030
Hyosung's HVDC system for South Korea's west coast has key 2 GW algorithms done, The Elec reports. Design is due by 2027 and commissioning by 2030, but the joint development agreement is unsigned.
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Equipment cabinets from a Hyosung Heavy Industries HVDC release. A company file photo, not a picture of the Oct. 23 review meeting.
Image: Hyosung Heavy Industries
Source · Press image from the Hyosung Heavy Industries newsroom, used for news reporting.
Hyosung Heavy Industries said it has finished development of the key algorithms for a 2 GW high-voltage direct current (HVDC) system and aims to complete core technology and system design by 2027, according to The Elec.
The company briefed about 100 participants at a progress review on Oct. 23 at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul. Attendees included officials from the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), industry and academia. The review covered localization of HVDC technology for South Korea's west coast, where the project is planned.
Hyosung said the finished algorithms cover the design of the 2 GW system and of its submodules, the core building blocks of a converter valve. It is now developing a 525-kilovolt (kV) converter valve and has set up a hardware-in-the-loop simulation (HILS) environment to verify how its control system performs.
Why Hyosung's 2 GW HVDC Matters for the Grid
HVDC converts alternating current to direct current for long-distance transmission. The voltage-source converter type used here allows rapid control of power flows and can connect renewable and other generation to the grid, The Elec reported. The converter valves and controllers Hyosung is building are the parts South Korea is trying to localize, so the 2027 and 2030 dates set when domestically built equipment could carry power on the west coast route.
Timeline and what Hyosung is building on
The 2 GW work builds on an earlier 200-megawatt (MW) HVDC demonstration project, Hyosung said. After finishing design in 2027, the company plans to manufacture and test major equipment, then install and commission it for the west coast HVDC project by 2030. It expects to improve its control systems, converter valves and transformers along the way.
Hyosung plans on-site commissioning of the 2 GW HVDC system by 2030, according to The Elec.
Illustration (AI-generated)
In September, Hyosung was chosen as the lead company for converter valves and controllers in KEPCO's large-capacity voltage-source converter HVDC localization and demonstration project. By the end of 2026 it plans to sign a joint development agreement and establish a special-purpose company.
Voltgrid News reported earlier on South Korea's renewable capacity passing coal.
Chief executive Woo Tae-hee said the company would do its utmost to keep the planned schedule on track, including the joint development agreement, the special-purpose company and development of HVDC transformers.
What Is Not Confirmed About the HVDC Plan
The 2027 design target and the 2030 commissioning date are Hyosung's own plan, and The Elec reported no independent confirmation from KEPCO or the ministry. The joint development agreement and the special-purpose company are still to be signed and set up. The 525 kV converter valve is under development, and no test results were disclosed. The report gave no cost for the project.
