Hyosung Heavy Industries Builds Korea’s First GW-Class HVDC Performance Testing Facility

Hyosung Heavy Industries Completes Korea’s First Proprietary 2GW-Class HVDC Performance Verification Facility

Hyosung Heavy Industries has completed construction of Korea’s first performance verification facility for 2GW-class HVDC based on its own proprietary technology.

On the 8th, the company announced that it recently built a HILS (Hardware-In-the-Loop Simulation) system at its Heavy Industries R&D Center in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. The system can verify the performance and stability of its in-house developed 2GW-class HVDC controller in an environment resembling an actual power grid.

□ Connecting a Real Controller to a “Virtual 2GW HVDC” to Pre-Verify Actual Operating Conditions

The newly built HILS is a key test system for reliably integrating GW-class, large-capacity HVDC into the existing power grid.

As HVDC transmission capacity increases, the control targets and conditions become more complex, and the number of operating scenarios requiring verification, such as grid faults and emergencies, grows significantly. In particular, a 2GW-class system requires two to three times as many scenarios to be verified as a conventional 200MW-class system, making thorough pre-verification essential before it is applied to an actual grid.

The HILS connects a real HVDC controller to a virtual 2GW-class converter valve and power grid, verifying the control system’s stable response in an environment close to the real thing. In particular, hazardous situations that are difficult to test on an actual power grid can be recreated in the virtual environment and tested repeatedly over long periods, greatly enhancing the stability and reliability of the HVDC controller.

Hyosung Heavy Industries has secured end-to-end technology for the HILS system, from design and installation to testing and operation, based on its own HVDC controller. In particular, it drew on the know-how in real-grid control, operation, and verification accumulated through the 200MW-class VSC HVDC installed at the Yangju Substation to build this 2GW-class test environment.

□ Advancing Domestic GW-Class HVDC Technology and Contributing to Timely Completion of the “West Coast Energy Highway”

Hyosung Heavy Industries has led the localization of HVDC technology in Korea by building independent capabilities spanning core equipment development, system construction, and real-grid operation. Last September, it was selected as a participating company in the valve and controller segment of KEPCO’s “Large-Capacity VSC HVDC Localization and Demonstration Project.”

Large-capacity VSC HVDC is a field that has been dominated by a small number of global companies. Hyosung Heavy Industries has continuously developed related technologies since the 20MW-class VSC HVDC demonstration project on Jeju Island in 2012. In 2024, it applied core equipment, including its self-developed 200MW-class HVDC converter valve and control system, to the actual power grid at the Yangju Substation and has operated it reliably since.

Through this HILS construction, the company plans to enhance the reliability of GW-class domestic HVDC systems and move forward with the West Coast Energy Highway project.

A Hyosung Heavy Industries official said, “Building this HILS is significant not merely as the acquisition of a test facility, but as securing an independent technological foundation to further advance the 2GW-class HVDC controller we developed in-house.” The official added, “On this basis, we will continue to expand our entry into the global HVDC market with our proprietary domestic technology.”