HD Hyundai Electric has independently developed South Korea’s first 420 kV (kilovolt) eco-friendly high-voltage circuit breaker and is moving to penetrate the European market for eco-friendly power equipment.

On the 17th, HD Hyundai Electric announced that it recently completed development of a 420 kV-class eco-friendly high-voltage circuit breaker that does not use SF? (sulfur hexafluoride), a greenhouse gas. The company stated that this development is the first of its kind in South Korea and the third in the world.

Conventional high-voltage circuit breakers have used SF? gas to extinguish the strong arc generated when interrupting current and to prevent electrical leakage. The new product enhances environmental performance by replacing SF?, which has a high greenhouse effect, with an eco-friendly gas. In particular, 420 kV-class high-voltage circuit breakers are ultra-high-voltage products mainly applied to national backbone grids in Europe, and are regarded as a key requirement for entering the European ultra-high-voltage power infrastructure market.

Starting with a 170 kV-class product in 2021, HD Hyundai Electric has independently developed 145 kV and 72.5 kV-class high-voltage circuit breakers. With the development of the new 420 kV-class product, the company has expanded its lineup of eco-friendly high-voltage circuit breakers across major voltage ranges. It plans to additionally develop 300 kV and 362 kV-class products within the next three years.

A representative of HD Hyundai Electric said, “The 420 kV-class high-voltage circuit breaker is a high-difficulty product to develop because it must demonstrate stable performance over an extended period even under extreme conditions,” adding, “We are currently pursuing a long-term supply contract with a major UK power company and are aiming for the first order either within this year or early next year.”

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