Jeju Island, South Korea – Case Study 3
Jeju’s rich, black volcanic soil gives the island its remarkable fecundity. But it is in part thanks to Hitachi Energy’s voltage source converters that Jeju is able to generate a fifth of its energy from renewables.
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Jeju, South Korea’s largest island, is one of the region’s most popular holiday destinations. It has set ambitious climate targets, aiming for carbon neutrality by 2035.
Jeju converter station
Tens of millions flock to Jeju every year but there’s one marvel that tourists don’t see. A new power transfer offers hope to an island beleaguered by climate change.
Jeju has issued ambitious emissions targets for carbon neutrality by 2035, which is 15 years earlier than those made by the central government. Today, a fifth of the island’s energy is generated from renewables – twice the national average. This is thanks in part to a HVDC converter station. It is the first in South Korea to apply voltage source converters, provided to the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) by Hitachi Energy. The station stabilises the local grid to support increased integration of renewable energy sources. Excess is converted and transferred via an underwater HVDC connection some 98km to Wando, an island close enough to the mainland to distribute this surplus sustainable power into South Korea’s wider network. “This is key infrastructure in Jeju’s pursuit of carbon neutrality,” says Jang Gilsoo, a professor of electrical engineering at Korea University. The HVDC connection also allows power to flow the other way. “If Jeju’s power supply is insufficient, it can get energy from the mainland,” adds Jang. “It minimises the need for fossil fuel-based generators.”
