SEOUL — LS Cable & System announced on Monday, June 15, 2026, that it has successfully secured the contract for the second phase of the East Coast–Metropolitan Area High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) project, further strengthening its dominant position in South Korea’s core power grid infrastructure.
The contract, awarded by the state-run Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), will be executed on a turnkey basis, covering the critical grid section connecting the East Coast generation complex to East Seoul. This achievement follows the company’s successful 2024 bid for the first phase of the project, which links the East Coast to Shin-Gapyeong. With this consecutive win, LS Cable & System's accumulated order volume for the entire East Coast–Metropolitan Area transmission initiative has risen to approximately 234 billion KRW.
The East Coast–Metropolitan Area HVDC project represents one of the largest and most vital energy infrastructure undertakings in South Korea. It is specifically designed to transport massive volumes of electricity generated along the nation’s eastern coastal region directly to the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area. As a foundational pillar of national energy security, the project aims to stabilize the power supply in the capital region, which is currently facing unprecedented energy demand driven by the rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers and massive investments in next-generation advanced industries.
Unlike traditional Alternating Current (AC) transmission, HVDC technology is widely recognized as the backbone of next-generation power grids due to its superior efficiency. It experiences significantly lower electricity loss over long distances and is highly optimized for large-scale power distribution.
LS Cable & System has consistently pioneered this sector, having been the first in the country to commercialize the 500kV HVDC cable, an achievement officially designated as a national core technology. The firm has also successfully developed and commercialized the 525kV/90°C HVDC cable, boasting the world’s highest standard for transmission capacity. These proprietary technological breakthroughs have allowed the company to successfully execute a string of flagship domestic projects, including the Jeju No. 2 and No. 3 interconnection projects, as well as both phases of the Bukdangjin–Godeok HVDC line.
The company’s technological prowess is increasingly yielding significant milestones in international markets as well. Most notably, LS Cable & System previously secured a landmark contract worth approximately 3 trillion KRW with TenneT, a major transmission system operator in Germany. The deal set a record for the largest single-supplier contract in the sector, firmly establishing the South Korean cable maker as a leading premium brand on the global stage.
Industry analysts note that the global transition toward renewable energy, coupled with the computational power demands of the AI era, has transformed high-capacity HVDC systems from a niche engineering choice into an absolute geopolitical and economic necessity.
"Because HVDC projects directly impact the stability and resilience of a nation’s entire power grid, having a proven track record of real-world commercial operation is the single most critical factor for success," said Kim Hyung-won, Head of the Energy and Construction Business Unit at LS Cable & System. "Building upon our extensive operational experience gained from both domestic and high-standard overseas projects, we intend to aggressively position ourselves to participate in future national grid expansions, including the upcoming West Coast Energy Expressway project."
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