28 September, 2011
Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), LS Cable & System and American Superconductor Corporation announced that the world’s longest distribution-voltage superconductor cable system has been energized at the I’cheon substation located near the city of Seoul. Powered by AMSC’s Amperium(TM) superconductor wire and installed in Korea Electric Power Company’s (KEPCO) electricity grid, the 22.9 kV alternating current (AC) cable system is capable of carrying approximately 50 megawatts of power. This is the first cable in the world utilizing second generation (2G) superconductor wire to be energized in the grid and is currently the longest distribution voltage superconductor power cable in operation.
“Based on the technology and the know-how from this installation, KEPCO will continue to develop transmission voltage superconductor power cables and is securing the world’s top superconductor technology and market position”, said Yup Heo, Executive Vice President of KEPCO’s construction division.
AC superconductor power cable systems can conduct up to 10 times the amount of power of conventional cables made with copper wire. As demonstrated at the I’cheon substation installation, they can be placed strategically in urban power grids to deliver more power than conventional cables in the same right-of-way to mitigate grid congestion or can be used to replace overhead lines.
In October of 2010, LS Cable & System and AMSC entered into the world’s first large-scale commercial superconductor wire supply agreement. AMSC recently made its initial wire shipment to LS Cable & System under this new agreement to allow it to begin qualification work for Korea’s next superconductor cable projects. KEPCO is now planning a 1 kilometer, 154kV AC cable system and a 500 meter, 80kV DC cable system in the grid on South Korea’s Jeju Island.
Amperium wire is manufactured utilizing a proprietary process at AMSC’s headquarters in Devens, Massachusetts – the world’s largest commercial-scale HTS wire manufacturing facility. The wire can be used to increase efficiency and reduce the size and weight of a wide variety of applications, including power cables, motors, generators and defense systems.