LS Electric: "HVDC is a game of 'trust'...Taking aim at the 'Energy Highway' with 20 years of know-how"

LS Electric underscores technological prowess with full HVDC lineup
"We will internalize 'system' technology through cooperation with GE"
Accelerating push into the high-end AI data center market

"In the end, high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission is a game of 'trust.' The business experience we have accumulated over more than 20 years is our most powerful weapon."

On the 4th at COEX in Seoul, Kang Minchan, head of the Power System Solution Sales Team at LS Electric (LS ELECTRIC), met with reporters at the site of "Elex Korea 2026" and expressed strong confidence in winning the government-led "West Coast Energy Highway" project, saying, "In the power infrastructure business, the key is that major facilities are interconnected to deliver a single performance, and it is a business where failure is absolutely unacceptable." LS Electric revealed its intention to take the lead in the next-generation power grid market by unveiling the largest HVDC full lineup in Korea at this exhibition.

Lee Sanghoon, Director of Research Planning at LS Electric, is explaining the conversion transformer (C-TR) at Elex Korea 2026 held at COEX in Seoul on the 4th. Photo by Kwon Hyunji

"The key is system engineering"...Partnering with GE to localize technology

LS Electric has already accumulated proprietary technology for current-source conversion transformers (C-TR) by winning large-scale domestic HVDC projects such as "Bukdangjin–Godeok" and "Donghaean–Seoul Metropolitan Area." Kang said, "A company that has experience with current-source C-TR is not afraid of voltage-source C-TR," and added, "Through national R&D projects and other efforts, we have already made significant progress in the development and verification of voltage-source C-TR, so there is no major issue with the transformer technology required for the West Coast Energy Highway project." Current-source HVDC is considered more demanding than voltage-source HVDC in areas such as insulation performance.

Nevertheless, the reason LS Electric joined forces with global power company GE Vernova for the West Coast Energy Highway project is the "system." Kang explained, "HVDC is not a simple aggregation of individual pieces of equipment such as C-TRs, valves, and controllers; it is a highly sophisticated engineering domain that encompasses the entire process from system design to commissioning," adding, "No company in Korea has proper experience with a full 2 GW-class system." He went on to stress, "The combination of GE Vernova, which has experienced the particular characteristics of the Korean power grid since its predecessor GE Alstom, and LS Electric, which has built a track record in manufacturing conversion facilities and transformers, is the team best suited to execute the Energy Highway project."

The company’s future vision is not limited to the West Coast Energy Highway. Kang said, "If we win the West Coast Energy Highway project and execute it successfully, that in itself will become a reference for large-scale voltage-source HVDC," and added, "Our goal is to leverage this track record together with the GE brand to build a production base in the Asia-Pacific region and jointly enter overseas HVDC markets." He continued, "We have benchmarked extensively the model in which Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) collaborated with Lockheed Martin to build up domestic technology and then moved into exports," and stated, "We will bring in proven global technology, internalize it, and on that basis grow into an independent player in the global market, thereby expanding the domestic HVDC industrial ecosystem."

"An era of 600 kW per AI data center rack...Securing the market with high-end switchboards"

LS Electric's 'Beyond X' main distribution board for artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, exhibited at Elex Korea 2026 held at COEX in Seoul on the 4th. Photo by Kwon Hyunji

LS Electric is accelerating its efforts not only in the large HVDC transmission grid business but also in targeting the market for power distribution solutions for artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. At a press briefing the same day, Park Sungjun, head of the Data Center (DC) Business Development Team at LS Electric, said, "Once Nvidia’s next-generation server 'Rubin' is released, power consumption per server rack will approach 600 kW," and explained, "To overcome the limitations of existing infrastructure, we have developed the ultra-slim modular distribution board 'Beyond X MDB,' which improves space efficiency by more than 30%."

In fact, LS Electric recorded orders worth more than 800 billion won last year in the North American market alone for data center power solutions, strengthening its collaboration with global big tech companies. The company has already signed contracts with 2 of the 4 major U.S. big tech firms and plans to supply to the remaining 2 after expanding its production facilities in the United States. Park said, "In the data center market, even a one-second interruption in power supply can cause enormous losses," and added, "Based on the proven reliability of our quality and our rapid response capabilities in the North American market, we will expand our market share in the global high-end segment."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.