HD Hyundai Electric is expanding its foothold in the Korean power equipment industry by securing orders for transformers and reactors in North American markets, and now capturing opportunities in European offshore wind projects.
According to industry sources on the 19th, a large offshore substation (OSS) equipped with a 275 kilovolt (kV) transformer and shunt reactor supplied by HD Hyundai Electric recently departed Vung Tau, Vietnam, and is heading toward the Baltic Sea in Poland.
This is the first time an offshore substation equipped with a transformer and shunt reactor supplied by a domestic power equipment company has been transported to a European offshore wind farm.
The offshore substation is a critical facility that collects power generated by offshore wind turbines and sends it to the onshore power grid.
The transformer supplied within the substation steps up wind power generation to high voltage, enabling long-distance transmission, while the shunt reactor reduces unnecessary voltage fluctuations.
The offshore substation will be deployed in the Baltyka 2 Project, which is being developed approximately 40 kilometers offshore from Poland's coast.
Baltyka 2 is a large-scale offshore wind power project jointly developed by Danish energy company Ørsted and PGE (Polish state-owned power company).
Proving reliability in harsh marine conditions
Power equipment for offshore wind must operate for extended periods in harsh environments including salt spray, humidity, vibration, and temperature fluctuations, requiring higher levels of reliability and quality than onshore facilities.
Since access to the site after installation is restricted and maintenance is limited, this project is expected to provide HD Hyundai Electric an opportunity to demonstrate its product stability and reliability in the European market.
Expanding beyond North America
Power equipment demand continues in North America, the company's existing core market.
In July, HD Hyundai Electric raised its annual order target for this year from 4.22 billion dollars (approximately 5.84 trillion won) to 5.185 billion dollars (approximately 7.17 trillion won), a 22.8 percent increase.
This reflects expanded power infrastructure investment in North America, increased demand for 765kV ultra-high voltage transformers, and rising demand for distribution transformers due to data center expansion.
Going forward, whether European offshore wind becomes an established new source of orders alongside North American power grids and data centers will be a key factor.
An industry official said, "As large-scale offshore wind farms increase, demand for power equipment such as transformers and reactors to reliably transmit generated power to shore is also expected to grow."
Original Korean article: Newsis
English brief by Korea Wind Intelligence, koreawindintel.com
