Invited Seminar with Hongju Jeong of Hyosung Heavy Industries: HVDC Trends and Technology Development Experience

Overview

About this event

On October 13, 2026, the Center hosted an industry expert seminar at Yonsei University featuring Hongju Jeong, an executive at Hyosung Heavy Industries. The seminar explored domestic and international HVDC market and technology trends, alongside the company’s experience in developing HVDC, MVDC, and STATCOM systems based on modular multilevel converters (MMCs).

The presentation addressed the growing use of voltage-source converter HVDC for offshore wind and renewable energy integration, changes in system configurations as transmission capacity increases, and international approaches to HVDC system standardization. It also highlighted the need to establish common functions, interfaces, performance requirements, and verification methods for equipment from different manufacturers, with particular attention to interoperability and grid-forming performance.

Industrial examples included the Yangju 200 MW voltage-source converter back-to-back HVDC project and MMC-based STATCOM systems. The presentation covered insulation and operational testing, mechanical verification of converter valves, and control system development and performance verification through real-time testing. These examples provided insight into the design and testing procedures involved in developing practical power conversion equipment.

The seminar also introduced development directions for 2 GW HVDC systems associated with Korea’s West Coast Energy Highway. Participants explored the converter, control system, and transformer upgrades required to move from a 200 MW system to a high-capacity bipolar configuration, together with planned development and testing activities. The session offered an industry perspective on the technical challenges and research needs of next-generation DC transmission.