LS Cable & System announced on May 8 that it has won a 2 trillion won high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable order from TenneT, a Dutch state-run power company.
This is the largest transmission network project ever undertaken, and LS Cable & System will be providing 525kV submarine and underground cables for the project from 2026.
The project will connect an offshore wind farm in the North Sea to inland areas of Germany and the Netherlands using HVDC cables. To secure the contract, LS Cable & System formed a consortium with Belgian construction companies Jan De Nul and Denys.
In order to participate in the bidding process, TenneT requested a one-year long-term reliability test from major cable companies. In October of last year, LS Cable & System successfully completed the test conducted according to TenneT's technical specifications and international standards.
HVDC technology has become increasingly popular for long-distance transmission networks because it can transmit a large amount of current over a distance with low loss. HVDC cables are also used for renewable energy sources such as offshore wind power and solar power.
The 525kV class of HVDC cables supplied by LS Cable & System is the highest voltage among HVDC cables, and the transmission amount has been dramatically increased compared to the existing 320kV class. In addition, LS Cable & System has applied voltage source converter (VSC) technology to freely change the transmission direction.
Only a few companies worldwide have successfully developed both technologies, and LS Cable & System is the only company in Korea to have done so.
LS Cable & System has been preparing for market expansion by establishing a new HVDC-only plant. The market for HVDC cables is growing rapidly, particularly in Europe and North America, so LS Cable & System is planning additional investments to capitalize on this trend.
