LS Electric Pursues West Coast Energy Highway HVDC Transformer Supply
LS Electric said it will show HVDC and 800 V DC data-center gear at BIXPO on Nov. 4-6 while pursuing Korea's West Coast Energy Highway converter transformers; no contract is announced.
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LS Electric will show HVDC and 800 V DC data center power at BIXPO 2026 in Gwangju, Nov. 4-6.
Illustration (AI-generated)
LS Electric said on Oct. 28 that it will bring high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission equipment and 800 V DC power distribution for AI data centers to BIXPO 2026, held Nov. 4-6 at the Kimdaejung Convention Center in Gwangju, according to TheElec.
The Korean grid-equipment maker will run a 108-square-meter exhibition space. Besides HVDC, it will show E-STATCOM, a static synchronous compensator that holds voltage steady when load swings, and K-EMS, its energy management system for operating large power grids. Asia Business Daily reported the space is split into 12 booths and themed around AI-era grids.
The commercial point is the West Coast Energy Highway. LS Electric said it is pursuing supply of converter transformers (C-TRs), the heavy units that sit at each end of an HVDC link, for national grid projects including that corridor. The company framed this as a pursuit, and none of the reports describes a signed supply contract.
Why the booth matters for grid and data-center load
The West Coast Energy Highway is meant to carry renewable power to Seoul; LS Electric is pursuing converter transformer supply, with no contract reported.
Illustration (AI-generated)
The West Coast Energy Highway is designed to carry renewable power from the southwestern Jeolla region and the west coast to the Seoul metropolitan area, the Korea Times reported in August. Converter transformers are among the long-lead items in an HVDC build, so a domestic supplier with a track record shapes who can deliver on schedule.
LS Electric says it is the only Korean company that has carried out line-commutated converter HVDC projects. It cites the Bukdangjin-Godeok converter facilities and its part in the East Coast-Seoul Metropolitan Area HVDC project, and it operates what it calls Korea's largest HVDC production base at its Busan plant. Those are company statements, not independently verified rankings.
The data-center half of the booth points to a second grid-side question. LS Electric will let visitors compare conventional AC supply with next-generation 800 V DC distribution, the architecture AI campuses are exploring to cut conversion stages inside the building. The company did not give capacity, price or customer figures for either product line.
Competition and partners
LS Electric is not alone in chasing the corridor. As Voltgrid reported, Hyosung Heavy Industries completed 2 GW HVDC algorithms and is targeting 2030 for West Coast commissioning. In August LS Electric signed an agreement at the CIGRE 2026 grid conference in Paris with GE Vernova to form a joint venture, Grid X Technology, that would pair GE Vernova's voltage-source converter (VSC) HVDC technology with LS Electric's local manufacturing and project execution, the Korea Times reported.
Demand for the underlying hardware is broad. ABB booked a record $12 billion in third-quarter orders as US grid-equipment demand rose, and Nexans said a new XLPE cable line takes about three years to build, showing how tight transmission supply chains are.
What is not confirmed yet
No tender award, contract value or delivery schedule for West Coast converter transformers has been published in the reports Voltgrid read. The exhibition plan is a marketing statement, and LS Electric's interest in the corridor does not mean it has been selected. The company also said it aims to expand its smart-grid business in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, again without figures.
