Existing circuit breaker factory to be reorganized around domestic models

Inside Hyosung Heavy Industries' ultra-high-voltage circuit breaker factory in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. [Hyosung]
Inside Hyosung Heavy Industries' ultra-high-voltage circuit breaker factory in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. [Hyosung]

Hyosung Heavy Industries completed a new ultra-high-voltage circuit breaker factory in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, on Friday.

The new facility spans approximately 18,996 square meters and will be dedicated to producing export-grade circuit breakers rated at 420 kilovolts, 550 kV and 800 kV. With the new factory now in operation, ultra-high-voltage circuit breaker production capacity at the Changwon plant doubles from previous levels. Production capacity for insulators — a key component — has also roughly doubled.

Hyosung Heavy Industries reorganized its existing circuit breaker factory to focus on domestic models, while the new facility handles export-bound ultra-high-voltage circuit breakers rated at 420 kV and above, creating a dual-track production structure. The company also established a one-stop mass production system in which every stage — from component manufacturing through assembly, testing and shipment — is carried out at a single location.

The new factory was built at the direction of Hyosung Group Chairman Cho Hyun-joon, who has emphasized the importance of power infrastructure in the AI era.

Cho has repeatedly made his position clear. "The explosive growth of the AI industry will inevitably overload global power grids," he said. "Business opportunities come only to companies that prepare with sweat and foresight five years ahead, so we must change the dynamics of the market through preemptive supply chain investment and become a key partner that resolves AI bottlenecks for customers around the world."

Hyosung Heavy Industries has been on a winning streak of orders as demand for AI infrastructure grows. Last month, the company signed ultra-high-voltage transformer supply contracts with two major US big-tech firms totaling 386.5 billion won ($289 million).

The company plans to leverage the new export-only factory alongside local production facilities in India, the United States and elsewhere to meet growing customer demand. As part of that effort, it established a joint venture in June with Quanta, the top US infrastructure solutions company, becoming the first domestic power equipment maker to secure local ultra-high-voltage circuit breaker production capacity in the US. Hyosung Heavy Industries has invested $300 million to date in its ultra-high-voltage transformer factory in Memphis. In Europe, the company plans to deepen cooperation with local power technology institutions, centered on its European R&D center in the Netherlands.


yeongdai@heraldcorp.com