HD Hyundai Electric constructs Korea's largest phase shifting transformer

HD Hyundai Electric CEO Kim Young-ki, fifth from left, poses with employees, after the final testing of the company's 230-kilovolt, 653-megavolt-ampere phase shifting transformer at its factory in Ulsan in this undated photo. Courtesy of HD Hyundai

HD Hyundai Electric said Wednesday that it successfully completed the final testing of its 230-kilovolt, 653-megavolt-ampere (MVA) phase shifting transformer (PST).

According to HD Hyundai's electrical equipment manufacturing unit, the supersized phase shifting transformer will be shipped by the end of August to a wind farm in New York, which is under construction by Invenergy, North America's largest privately held renewable power generation company.

PSTs handling apparent power of 300 MVAs or more are generally categorized as supersized.

HD Hyundai Electric said that its 653-MVA PST is Korea's largest in both size and apparent power it handles.

A PST is a specialized transformer that helps maintain power supply stability by controlling the direction and magnitude of current flow during power transmission between electrical grids.

Its advantage lies in enhancing the overall operational efficiency of the power system by ensuring the smooth flow of electricity.

PSTs also optimize power usage when exchanging electricity between countries with different voltage systems or when integrating direct current-based renewable energy sources into existing alternating current-based power grids.

The size of the global PST market is expected to jump from $2.5 billion in 2024 to $4.8 billion in 2033 because of the soaring demand for PSTs in the United States and Europe, according to Verified Market Research.

"Ultra-large specialized transformers require advanced technological capabilities in insulation, cooling and mechanical strength, making them a product that only a few companies worldwide can manufacture," an HD Hyundai Electric official said. "Through continuous investment in research and development, we aim to secure a competitive edge in high-value-added markets."

The company is also expanding its presence in the explosion-proof transformer market. In 2019, the company became Korea's first electrical equipment maker to develop a 250-MVA explosion-proof transformer. Last year, it supplied a 750-MVA explosion-proof transformer to a Canadian energy company.