Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), LS Cable & System, and AMSC have energised a high voltage direct current high temperature superconductor (HTS) cable on Jeju Island's smart grid demonstration site. The 500 m, 80 kV cable is powered by AMSC's Amperium HTS wire and installed in KEPCO's electricity grid.
"The energising of the first direct current high temperature superconductor cable in a real grid demonstrates KEPCO's commitment to developing world-class, leading edge technologies," said Hwan-Eik Cho, president & CEO of KEPCO. "We expect to continue to develop superconductor cable projects with the objective of being the foremost utility in superconductor-enabled solutions."
HVDC HTS cables are power dense and have zero resistance, making them an ideal solution to moving large amounts of power underground and with a minimal footprint. Capable of conducting 150 times the current that can be conducted by copper or aluminium devices of the same size, HVDC HTS cables also benefit from no electrical losses. Designs exist for future cables that the company anticipates will be capable of moving up to 10 GW of power within an 8 m right-of-way. A similar overhead circuit would require multiple extremely high voltage circuits and an approximately 120 metre right-of-way.
Ja-Eun Koo, president and CEO, LS Cable & System,commented "We remain focused on continuing to enhance our knowledge base and experience with superconductor cables so that we are well positioned to capitalise on opportunities around the world."
In 2011, KEPCO, LS Cable & System, and AMSC energised a 22.9 kV AC cable system at the I'cheon substation located near the city of Seoul. The cable successfully operated for two years. At the time of installation, it was the longest distribution voltage superconductor power cable in operation. KEPCO is also conducting type testing of a one km, 154kV AC cable system that utilises AMSC's Amperium HTS wire.
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