Taihan Cable & Solution has been selected as the cable supplier for a 320kV Voltage Source Converter (VSC)--VDC and 500kV HVAC power grid project in the U.S.

A press release said that the contract from LS Power Grid California, LLC, includes multiple cable orders worth approximately $68 million, to improve the reliability of the power grid in Northern California, including regions such as Silicon Valley and San Jose. It noted that the area has seen a surge in electricity demand due to the recent expansion of AI- related businesses and other advanced IT companies.

The contract marks Taihan’s official entry into the U.S. HVDC market. The company’s VSC technology allows for easier bidirectional power transmission and simpler converter station installation compared to Line Commutated Converter (LCC) HVDC technology. It can also be applied to renewable energy generation, such as wind and solar power. VSC-HVDC is increasingly used, and only a handful of companies worldwide have successfully commercialized this technology.

Taihan previously developed South Korea’s first 525kV VSC-HVDC cable system, which has a 3,000-sq-mm cross-sectional area and a maximum operating temperature of 90°C. “With this latest contract, Taihan is poised to actively pursue further HVDC projects both domestically and internationally.”

Taihan was the first company in South Korea to develop and commercialize this technology, and it has successfully secured and executed all 500kV HVAC projects conducted in North America. “With this latest win, Taihan has achieved the remarkable accomplishment of carrying out all 500kV projects conducted in the U.S.”

Anticipating the increased demand for replacing aging power grids in the U.S., Taihan has focused its efforts on the U.S. market since 2017. “This strategic focus has yielded continuous success, with the company recording approximately $455 million in new orders this year alone, achieving record-breaking results.”