Toshiba Wins VSC-HVDC Order for Hokkaido-Honshu Pole 1 Renewal
Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation has received an order from J-POWER Transmission Network Co., Ltd. for the design, procurement, and installation of a voltage-sourced converter (VSC) HVDC system for the renewal of Pole 1 of the Hokkaido-Honshu HVDC Link.
The Hokkaido-Honshu HVDC Link is Japan's core transmission facility connecting the power grids of Hokkaido and Honshu. The link runs for 167 kilometres, including a 43-kilometre submarine section beneath the Tsugaru Strait, connecting the Hakodate Converter Station in Hokkaido with the Kamikita Converter Station in Aomori Prefecture.
Pole 1 was originally commissioned in 1979 and, after more than 45 years of operation, its key equipment has reached end-of-life and requires replacement. The current total interconnection capacity between Hokkaido and Honshu stands at 900 MW: 600 MW from the Hokkaido-Honshu HVDC Link (300 MW from each of Poles 1 and 2), and a further 300 MW from Pole 1 of the New Hokkaido-Honshu HVDC Link. An additional 300 MW will be added once Pole 2 of the New Hokkaido-Honshu HVDC Link is completed.
The replacement will introduce VSC-HVDC equipment at both converter stations. Unlike the existing line-commutated converter (LCC) technology on Pole 2, the VSC system is self-commutating, enabling stable power interchange even under weak or unstable AC grid conditions. This will result in a hybrid configuration on the Hokkaido-Honshu HVDC Link, combining VSC and LCC technologies across its two poles.
The VSC-HVDC converter design selected for Pole 1 is the same as that being supplied by Toshiba for Pole 2 of the New Hokkaido-Honshu HVDC Link, which is currently under construction.
Toshiba plans to begin sequential equipment delivery from fiscal year 2029. Commercial operation is scheduled to commence during fiscal year 2031, following on-site testing and commissioning.
The award continues Toshiba's long-standing involvement in all power interconnection facilities linking Hokkaido and Honshu. The company supplied the original HVDC systems for both the Hokkaido-Honshu HVDC Link and Pole 1 of the New Hokkaido-Honshu HVDC Link, and previously secured the contract for the VSC-HVDC system for Pole 2 of the New Hokkaido-Honshu HVDC Link.
