On July 14, GE Grid Solutions and KAPES, a KEPCO-GE joint venture said that Korea Electric Power Corporation’s (KEPCO) has tapped the JV to deliver a 500-MW Back-to-Back Voltage Sourced Converter (VSC) High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) link in Incheon, South Korea. The contract is worth more than US $100 million, said the companies.
The Shin-bupyeong project is the first for the consortium in South Korea using VSC, the newest HVDC technology, which connects AC systems and features specialized power electronics, said the GE and KAPES consortium in a press release. The technology allows for enhanced operational capability, greater power and frequency control compared with Line Commutated Converter (LLC) technology, it added. VSC also has a smaller overall footprint, resulting in a lower environmental impact, according to the companies.
“Shin-bupyeong project is our fifth VSC project in the world, demonstrating that our technology is now well established, and that we have the ability to commercially deliver on this latest and most advanced HVDC technology,” said Johan Bindele, GE Grid Solutions’ Grid Integration Leader.
South Korea has experienced a nearly 35% growth in energy consumption within the last decade, said GE. The Shin-bupyeong project in Incheon – the nation’s third most populous city – will provide rapid active power flow controls and compensation of reactive power to relieve any overload and overvoltage conditions in the congested area.
The contract calls for GE Grid Solutions and KAPES to conduct the engineering design, as well as oversee procurement, manufacturing and delivery of the equipment, and installation and commissioning of the VSC HVDC system. The core equipment will be manufactured at GE’s sites in UK, France, Italy, and Brazil. Installation is expected to start in 2024.
GE has been delivering HVDC projects in South Korea since 1994 when GE provided South Korea’s first 300 megawatt HVDC bi-pole link for the 101 km, point-to-point submarine electric interconnector linking Jeju Island to the mainland, the company said.
