HD Hyundai Electric builds Korea’s largest phase-shifting transformer

HD Hyundai Electric CEO Kim Young-ki (fifth from left) poses with company officials to celebrate the completion of the final approval test for the phase-shifting transformer at the company's plant in Ulsan. (HD Hyundai Electric)

HD Hyundai Electric, an energy solutions provider affiliated with shipbuilding giant HD Hyundai, announced Wednesday that it has completed Korea’s largest-ever grid-flow adjusting transformer.

The company said it has successfully concluded the final approval test of its 230 kilovolt, 653 megavolt-ampere phase-shifting transformer. The product is scheduled for delivery by August to a wind farm in New York, operated by Invenergy, the largest privately held renewable energy generator in the US.

Unlike general transformers that primarily handle voltage transformation and electrical isolation, a phase-shifting transformer regulates the direction and magnitude of power flow to optimize grid efficiency and prevent overloading of specific transmission lines.

This also plays a key role in enhancing the integration of direct current-based renewable energy into alternating current grids by improving power flow management and grid stability.

This 653 MVA transformer is the highest-capacity phase-shifting transformer ever produced in Korea, the company said.

“Manufacturing extra-large special transformers requires advanced technology in electrical insulation, cooling and mechanical strength, and only a few companies worldwide can achieve this,” said an official from HD Hyundai Electric.

“With continued investment in research and development, we aim to strengthen our competitive edge in high value-added markets such as special transformers.”

According to the US-based market research institute Verified Market Research, the global special transformer market is expected to almost double by 2033, increasing from 2.5 billion dollars in 2024 to 4.8 billion dollars.

Amid the rising demand for electric grid infrastructure in the United States, HD Hyundai Electric is strengthening its focus on the region. With its North American sales growing by 50.6 percent on-year last year, the company decided in January to invest 185 billion won ($126 million) to expand its existing transformer manufacturing facility in Alabama.