LS Cable unveils Korea’s first dual-purpose power distribution cable

LS Cable & System on Monday unveiled South Korea’s first distribution cable capable of handling both alternating current and direct current, targeting surging demand from artificial intelligence data centers, renewable energy and industrial power networks.

This single power distribution cable can be used across various applications, whether the system operates on AC or DC, reducing the need for separate inventories and meeting diverse customer demands. This approach significantly streamlines design and installation while improving cost-effectiveness.

To improve performance in demanding conditions, LS has applied high-heat-resistant polypropylene as the insulation material. Unlike traditional cross-linked polyethylene, which limits thermal endurance to around 90 degrees Celsius, polypropylene enables stable operation at up to 110 degrees Celsius.

This makes the cable particularly suitable for DC high-voltage, high-power systems requiring strong thermal stability and long-term reliability, such as artificial intelligence data centers and renewable energy facilities.

Since 2015, LS Cable has advanced the development of recyclable polypropylene insulated cables, becoming the world’s second company to commercialize them. Unlike cross-linked polyethylene, polypropylene emits no methane and is fully recyclable, aligning with growing industry goals for carbon neutrality and resource sustainability.

The new dual-purpose cable has already completed joint demonstration projects with the state-run Korea Electric Power Corp. and has undergone pilot installations at large-scale facilities, including semiconductor and petrochemical plants.

For the Korean market, which currently lacks unified technical standards and certification systems for DC distribution cables, LS underscored its new cable solution as a practical alternative for next-generation renewable energy power networks.

“Although initially developed as an eco-friendly product, we have commercialized it as a high-heat-resistant cable for high-power environments,” stated an LS Cable official. “We plan to expand supply across diverse sectors, from internet data centers and renewable energy facilities to chemical and semiconductor plants.”