0
A Hyosung Heavy Industries official explains converter technology, a key component in the localization of the West Coast HVDC project, to Lee Hohyeon (front row, center), Second Vice Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment. / Courtesy of Hyosung Heavy Industries

Hyosung Heavy Industries is accelerating efforts to localize core technologies for a 2-gigawatt (GW) voltage-source converter (VSC) high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission system to be used in the West Coast power grid. Building on technology developed through a previous 200-megawatt (MW) demonstration project, the company plans to complete key technology development and system design by 2027 and begin on-site installation and commissioning in 2030.

According to Hyosung Heavy Industries on Oct. 23, the company held a meeting that day at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jung-District, Seoul, to review progress in localizing West Coast HVDC technology. About 100 representatives from government, industry and academia attended the event, including Lee Hohyeon, Second Vice Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment, and Kim Jae-gun, vice president of Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO).

The meeting was organized to share technological achievements and discuss future plans following Hyosung Heavy Industries' selection as a participating company in the valve and controller segment of KEPCO's Large-Capacity VSC HVDC Localization and Demonstration Project.

Hyosung Heavy Industries is scaling up transmission capacity to 2GW based on technology validated through its previous 200MW HVDC demonstration project. To achieve this, the company is working to improve the performance of control systems, converter valves and transformers.

The company has completed development of the core algorithms needed to design a 2GW HVDC system, as well as submodules, which are key components of converter valves. Building on these achievements, it is developing a 525-kilovolt (kV) converter valve.

It has also established a hardware-in-the-loop simulation (HILS) testing environment to verify the performance of its control system before deployment on an actual power grid. Hyosung Heavy Industries plans to complete core technology development and system design by 2027, followed by the manufacturing and performance testing of major equipment, before carrying out on-site installation and commissioning of the West Coast HVDC system by 2030.

The event also featured presentations on overseas HVDC construction experience and the status of domestic technology development. India's Resonia and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in Spain shared their experiences in implementing HVDC projects in India and trends in HVDC applications in European power grids, respectively. KEPCO and domestic universities and research institutions also presented technologies for operating 2GW HVDC systems and discussed key challenges.

Woo Tae-hee, CEO of Hyosung Heavy Industries, said, "Having been selected as the lead company for valves and controllers through the localization technology assessment in September, we will make every effort to ensure that the planned schedule proceeds as intended, including signing a joint development agreement by the end of the year, establishing a special purpose corporation and developing HVDC transformers."

The meeting was held as part of the Technology Innovation Forum (TIF), a technical exchange event that Hyosung Heavy Industries has operated since 2011. The company plans to continue pursuing the localization of core 2GW HVDC technologies by expanding cooperation with relevant organizations and companies.

                                                                                                          Son Kang-hoon