Hyosung Heavy Expands Export Circuit Breaker Output

Hyosung Heavy Industries has completed a new export-only ultra-high-voltage circuit breaker plant. (Provided by Hyosung Heavy Industries) Hyosung Heavy Industries has newly established an export-only production base to respond to surging global demand for power equipment. Hyosung Heavy Industries held a completion ceremony for its new ultra-high-voltage circuit breaker plant in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, on Oct. 16. Built on an area of about 18,996 square meters, the plant will exclusively produce high-specification circuit breakers for export, including 420kV, 550kV and 800kV models. With the new plant now in operation, Hyosung Heavy Industries has doubled its production capacity for ultra-high-voltage circuit breakers rated at 420kV or higher compared with its previous level. The investment reflects Hyosung Chairman Cho Hyun-joon’s strong commitment to expanding the supply chain. Cho has long stressed the need for preemptive investment with a five-year outlook, anticipating that growth in the AI industry would lead to overloads in global power grids. Cho said, "We must change the game in the market through preemptive supply chain investment and become a key partner that resolves global customers’ AI bottlenecks." The new plant is equipped with a one-stop mass production system designed to maximize production efficiency. It carries out the entire process in one location, from parts production to assembly, testing and shipment, and in particular has doubled production capacity for insulation materials, a core component, from the previous level. Hyosung Heavy Industries is the only domestic power equipment company with the technological capability to produce insulation materials in-house, and this is expected to further strengthen its ability to meet delivery schedules for large-scale orders. With the completion of the new plant, Hyosung Heavy Industries will operate its domestic and overseas production bases under a dual-track structure. The existing Changwon plant will be reorganized to focus on models for the domestic market, while the new plant will serve as an export outpost targeting global markets. Linked with local production facilities already established in India and the United States, the company plans to continue increasing its market share in major power markets. In the European market, the company plans to strengthen cooperation with local institutions centered on its European R&D Center in the Netherlands and promote eco-friendly and customized products. In the U.S. market, it established a joint venture with infrastructure solutions company Quanta last June to secure local ultra-high-voltage circuit breaker production capacity. It is also expanding its ultra-high-voltage transformer plant in Memphis with a total investment of $300 million, and once completed, the facility will have one of the largest transformer production capacities in the United States. Hyosung Heavy Industries has led domestic and overseas markets for about 50 years since developing a 170kV gas circuit breaker in 1978. In 2024, it also became the first domestic power equipment company to surpass 10 trillion won ($7.41 billion) in cumulative circuit breaker production. About 300 officials attended the completion ceremony that day, including Hyosung Vice Chairman Lee Sang-woon, Rep. Heo Sung-moo, Rep. Kim Jong-yang and Kang Sang-hee, president of the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute, to witness the launch of the new plant.