"It is highly significant that we have entered the global top tier in the eco-friendly GIS (Gas Insulated Switchgear) field."
Kim Yong-han, Executive Vice President in charge of Development at HD Hyundai Electric, whom Money Today met on the 8th of last month at the HD Hyundai Global R&D Center (GRC) in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, emphasized this regarding the "420kV (kilovolt) GIS," which the company was the first in Korea to successfully develop. Globally, only two companies, Hitachi Energy and GE Vernova, have succeeded in developing 420kV GIS. Executive Vice President Kim stated, "This means we have secured a strategic product line that responds not just to simple product expansion, but to the strengthening sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) regulations and carbon neutrality demands centered on Europe." He added, "We are currently conducting tests with customers, and I believe we can sign contracts as early as year-end and deliver next year."
420kV-class GIS is a core ultra-high-voltage equipment applied to backbone transmission networks and large-scale substations in Europe and the Middle East. Existing GIS has primarily used sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) due to its excellent insulation and interruption performance, but its high global warming potential has been pointed out as an issue. In fact, the European Union (EU) is strengthening regulations, including a complete ban on SF6 use starting in 2032. Accordingly, the eco-friendly GIS market is also growing rapidly. Executive Vice President Kim noted, "Since completing product development, we have been receiving successive customer visits and supply inquiries because we possess delivery competitiveness."
The development process was not easy. Eco-friendly gases are inferior to SF6 in insulation and interruption characteristics, so it was necessary to compensate for this while ensuring the reliability of mechanical operation and maintainability. Executive Vice President Kim said, "Compared to the 145kV and 170kV eco-friendly GIS we previously developed, the voltage and breaking capacity are significantly higher, and it had to meet more stringent operating conditions, making the technical difficulty very high from design to final certification testing."
Despite this, HD Hyundai Electric completed development in about three years, starting in 2024 and finishing certification tests this year. According to Executive Vice President Kim, the industry showed interest in the faster-than-expected development speed. The secret lay in collaboration between a Swiss research institute and domestic development teams. Centered on the Swiss institute, where more than 20 top experts work, domestic researchers concentrated their technical capabilities, and a corporate culture that embraces failure rather than punishing it supported this achievement.
HD Hyundai Electric plans to expand its eco-friendly GIS lineup by sequentially developing 245kV and 300kV-class products by 2028, and export-oriented 170kV-class products by 2029. Having completed the development of the 420kV class, which is the highest voltage in European transmission systems, the company expects to accelerate subsequent product development by leveraging accumulated technology and experience. Executive Vice President Kim stated, "The European eco-friendly GIS market is projected to grow at an average annual rate of about 20%, reaching a scale of approximately 3 trillion won by 2030." He added, "Our goal is to secure a 10-15% market share in Europe by establishing a full lineup." In the long term, he predicted that environmental regulations and demand for eco-friendly products would spread to North America, the Middle East, and Asia.
As a strategy for securing customers, he cited customer-centric response. Executive Vice President Kim stated, "A competitive product lineup and stable quality are basic, but they must be accompanied by rapid delivery response and fast customer support capabilities." He revealed, "Ultimately, the strongest strategy lies in consistently maintaining these basics." He added, "Based on the trust built in overseas markets such as the United States, we will secure a leading position in the global market."
in INDUSTRY
