Hyosung Heavy Industries Partners on Development of Next-Generation Power Stabilization Solution 'e-STATCOM'

Responding to the Spread of AI: Business Partnership with German and Japanese Companies
Combining Supercapacitors with Existing STATCOM Technology
Aiming for Korea's First Commercialization by 2027

Hyosung Heavy Industries has begun developing the next-generation power stabilization device, 'e-STATCOM,' an advanced version of the existing STATCOM (Static Synchronous Compensator). The company aims to address the issue of power grid instability in the era of artificial intelligence (AI) by introducing equipment that can simultaneously control both power supply and quality.

On January 19, Hyosung Heavy Industries announced that it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for 'e-STATCOM development and business cooperation' with Skeleton Technologies, a global leader in supercapacitors based in Germany, and Marubeni, a Japanese general trading company. The core of this agreement is the joint development of a next-generation power compensation device by 2027, combining Hyosung Heavy Industries' STATCOM technology with Skeleton's supercapacitor (ultra-fast charging and discharging device). Marubeni will ensure the stable supply of supercapacitors.

Hansung Han, Executive Director of Hyosung (from left), Takeshi Yokota, Vice President of Hyosung Heavy Industries, Maximiliaan van de Poll, Vice President of Skeleton Strategy, and Dai Sakakura, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Marubeni, are taking a commemorative photo at the signing ceremony of the MOU for the development of 'e-STATCOM'. Hyosung Heavy Industries

The e-STATCOM is designed to add high-performance energy storage capabilities to the existing STATCOM, enabling real-time adjustment of supply and power quality in response to fluctuations in power demand. This device focuses on maintaining grid stability amid increasing instantaneous power loads due to AI data center operations and greater variability in the grid caused by the expansion of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power. Once development is complete, Hyosung Heavy Industries plans to be the first in Korea to commercialize this technology.

Hyosung Heavy Industries has accumulated power stabilization technology centered around STATCOM from a relatively early stage to prepare for changes in the power market. In 2006, the company succeeded in developing the first STATCOM in Korea, and in 2015, it commercialized a 150Mvar-class STATCOM. In 2018, Hyosung Heavy Industries installed a 400Mvar-class STATCOM-then the largest single-unit facility in the world-at the Sinyoungju and Sinchungju substations.

Hyosung Heavy Industries has supplied STATCOM systems to key markets, including Korea, the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. The company believes that the role of grid stabilization equipment will become even more important as the AI industry expands and the energy transition progresses simultaneously. Chairman Cho Hyunjoon has also emphasized the need for next-generation power solutions, stating that the power market is undergoing structural changes as the transition to the AI era coincides with the expansion of renewable energy.