LS Cable clears international certification for South Korea's highest-capacity HVDC submarine cable

LS Cable & System is moving to commercialize South Korea's highest-capacity high-voltage direct current (HVDC) submarine cable.

The company said Thursday it became the first domestic manufacturer to pass a Pre-Qualification (PQ) test for a 525-kilovolt (kV), 80°C-rated HVDC submarine cable.

The PQ certification — an international verification process for long-term performance and reliability — clears the way for LS Cable to supply the cable for the West Coast Energy Highway project. Once a contract is awarded, only a type test would remain before the product can be delivered.

The cable raises the conductor's permissible operating temperature from 70°C to 80°C, boosting transmission capacity by up to 25%. Designed for long-distance, large-capacity power transmission, it is a high-specification next-generation product requiring advanced ultra-high-voltage insulation technology and proven long-term reliability.

Industry officials say demand for long-distance, high-capacity transmission infrastructure is surging on the back of AI data center expansion and the spread of renewable energy, driving growth in the HVDC market. LS Cable holds the only commercial track record in the domestic HVDC segment, having supplied cables for the Jeju 2 and 3 interconnection projects and the TenneT project in Europe.

"Passing the PQ test is an important milestone in our push into the next-generation national grid market," a company official said. "We will strengthen our pursuit of the Energy Highway project and the global HVDC market by leveraging our integrated manufacturing and installation turnkey capabilities with LS Marine Solution."