Hanwha Solutions' Wire & Cable division has completed verification of 500 kV-class materials with two Chinese ultra-high-voltage cable manufacturers. Hanwha Solutions said on Thursday it completed technical verification, or type tests, of XLPE insulation materials and semiconductive material packages for 500 kV-class alternating-current power transmission (HVAC) cables in cooperation with Qingdao Hanhe and TBEA. XLPE is a polyethylene-based insulating material that covers wires to block electricity.

The tests were overseen by TICW, a SECRI-affiliated certification body in China. SECRI is the Shanghai Electric Cable Research Institute. Key verification items included insulation performance and long-term reliability required in ultra-high-voltage transmission environments. Passing the tests expanded Hanwha Solutions' verification scope for ultra-high-voltage insulation materials to the 500 kV class from the 400 kV class.

Securing certification would allow the company to expand its material supply base in the global ultra-high-voltage HVAC cable market beyond Asia. Hanwha Solutions said it is also pursuing certification from KEMA, an internationally accredited certification body. The company plans to expand supply areas to power plants, transmission networks and large renewable energy projects, and to diversify its customer portfolio.

Sales volume is already rising. The company said global sales volume of ultra-high-voltage XLPE this year is expected to nearly double from a year earlier. The material, used in high-voltage transmission cables, is called SEHV XLPE. In the Chinese market, sales volume of ultra-high-voltage materials such as 325 kV-class SEHV XLPE is expected to rise by about three times from 2025.

Carlo Scalata (카를로 스칼라타), head of Hanwha Solutions' Wire & Cable division, said, "This success in the 500 kV-class HVAC cable material type test is an important milestone showing that Hanwha Solutions is securing global-level technological reliability in the field of cable materials for ultra-high-voltage transmission." He added, "Based on this, we will continue to expand business opportunities in the ultra-high-voltage cable market."