Gaon Cable expands product lineup with high-capacity transmission cables, eyes global market

Gaon Cable announced Wednesday that it is entering the global transmission cable market in anticipation of growing demand for extra-high-voltage transmission networks.

The company plans to expand its product lineup beyond its existing 154-kilovolt (kV), 1,000mm² extra-high-voltage cables to include 2,500mm² cables — a high-capacity transmission product under Korea Electric Power Corp. standards — with supply targeted to begin next year.

The move follows KEPCO's overhaul of its procurement system, which now separates the ordering of extra-high-voltage cables from cable joints. Under the previous system, only three companies — including LS Cable & System — were eligible to bid, but the change opens the door for cable manufacturers such as Gaon Cable to compete.

Gaon Cable said it intends to use this opportunity to proactively meet surging demand for extra-high-voltage transmission networks driven by AI data centers, semiconductor production facilities and offshore wind power expansion.

The company entered the extra-high-voltage cable market more than a decade ago and has since supplied 66kV and 154kV cables for projects including the grid connection for the South Jeolla Province offshore wind power complex Phase 1 and a large-scale data center power network project in Gyeonggi Province.

"We will strengthen our competitiveness in the extra-high-voltage transmission market, building on the technical expertise we have accumulated in the distribution cable sector," said Jeong Hyeon, chief executive of Gaon Cable. "We will also explore opportunities to enter the North American extra-high-voltage cable market through our US subsidiary, LSCUS."