Hyosung Heavy Industries said on the 26th that it held a "HVDC energy highway localization progress review meeting" at its headquarters in Mapo, Seoul, on the 25th, with Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), the Korea Electrical Manufacturers Association, and experts from major industries, academia, and research institutions in attendance, and presented a blueprint for localizing HVDC (high-voltage direct current) technology. The move is seen as a strategy to accelerate the localization of large-capacity, voltage-source HVDC technology, which has had high dependence on overseas sources. HVDC technology is central to the government's West Coast energy highway project.
At the event, Hyosung Heavy Industries presented the status of localizing HVDC technology, including converter valves and control systems—core equipment for a 2-gigawatt (GW) voltage-source HVDC system. Compared with conventional current-source HVDC, voltage-source HVDC enables easier power control and is advantageous for grid stabilization, making it essential for integrating renewable energy. In 2024, Hyosung Heavy Industries supplied a domestically developed voltage-source HVDC system—created with its own technology for the first time in Korea—to the Yangju substation.
Presentations were also given by domestic experts on HVDC. Professors from Seoul National University, Yonsei University, and Kyungpook National University, who participated as a technology cooperation group, presented research on system optimization and grid stabilization technologies, and Lee Jong-pil, head of a center at the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI), presented on certification tests for converter valves, a key piece of equipment.
Hyosung Heavy Industries said the briefing fostered a consensus that the West Coast energy highway project can serve as a springboard for domestic HVDC technology to enter global markets, going beyond simply building Korea's power grid. The company expects it will lead to the establishment of a domestic HVDC industrial ecosystem spanning equipment, systems, and engineering, and strengthen export competitiveness.
A Hyosung Heavy Industries official said, "Based on the capabilities we have accumulated in power equipment and HVDC technology, we are proceeding with localization without a hitch," adding, "Through close cooperation with relevant institutions such as the government and KEPCO, we plan to successfully complete this project and expand into global markets."