Hyosung Heavy Industries builds Korea's first 2GW-class HVDC performance verification system

Hyosung Heavy Industries has completed construction of Korea's first 2-gigawatt (GW)-class high-voltage direct current (HVDC) performance verification facility built on domestically developed technology.

The company announced Thursday that it has built a "hardware-in-the-loop simulation (HILS) system" at its research center in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. The system can verify the performance and stability of its in-house 2GW-class HVDC controller in an environment that closely replicates actual grid conditions.

HILS is a core testing system designed to enable the stable integration of GW-class, large-capacity HVDC into existing power grids.

As HVDC transmission capacity increases, the number of operating scenarios requiring verification grows sharply due to the greater complexity of control targets and conditions. A 2GW-class system in particular requires two to three times as many verification scenarios as a conventional 200-megawatt (MW)-class system, making thorough advance testing essential.

The HILS system connects a virtual 2GW-class converter valve and power grid to an actual HVDC controller, verifying the control system's stable response under conditions that closely simulate real-world operation.

It can also replicate hazardous situations that are difficult to test on a live power grid in a virtual environment, allowing for repeated long-term testing and significantly enhancing the reliability and stability of the HVDC controller.

Hyosung Heavy Industries has secured full-cycle technology — from design and installation to testing and operation — for the HILS system, built around its own HVDC controller.

The company drew on real-world grid control, operation and verification expertise accumulated through the 200MW-class voltage-source HVDC installed at Yangju substation in building the new 2GW-class test environment.

Hyosung Heavy Industries has led the domestic localization of HVDC technology by building independent capabilities spanning core component development, system integration and live grid operation. In September, Korea Electric Power Corporation selected it as a participant in the valve and controller segment of the corporation's "large-capacity voltage-source HVDC localization and demonstration project."

The company has been developing related technology since launching a 20MW-class voltage-source HVDC demonstration project in Jeju in 2012. In 2024, it applied its in-house 200MW-class HVDC converter valve and control system — along with other core equipment — to the live grid at Yangju substation, where it has since operated stably.

"Through this HILS system, we plan to enhance the reliability of GW-class domestically developed HVDC systems and advance the West Coast energy highway project," a company official said.