[Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong] Naju City, Jeollanam-do (Mayor Kang In-gyu) announced on the 18th that it held a groundbreaking ceremony for the ‘EV·ESS Used Battery Recycling Industrialization Center’ in the Innovation Industrial Complex.
About 100 people attended the groundbreaking ceremony, including National Assembly member Shin Jeong-hoon, Mayor Kang In-gyu, Vice Governor Yoon Byung-tae, City Council Chairman Kim Young-duk, Provincial Assembly member Lee Min-jun, Kim Wan-gi, Director of Material Convergence Industry Policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, as well as representatives from related research institutes, participating companies, and officials.
Along with the groundbreaking ceremony, Jeollanam-do, Naju City, Korea Battery Industry Association, Hyundai Motor Company, and other participating companies signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding for the Promotion of Used Battery Reuse Industry and the Expansion of the Circular Economy of Resources.’
Through the agreement, local governments will provide used batteries to participating companies, and research institutes and participating companies will share research results and discover commercialization models.
The EV·ESS Used Battery Recycling Industrialization project is part of Jeollanam-do’s ‘Next-generation Secondary Battery and ESS Industry Ecosystem Creation Plan’ to foster new industries in line with the government’s energy policy direction, and has been promoted since its selection in a public contest hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy in 2019.
The center will be constructed with a total floor area of 6,202㎡, consisting of five buildings including storage and testing buildings, equipped with functions for performance evaluation and safety testing of about 1,000 electric vehicle batteries annually and 1 MWh-class reused batteries.
It will play a role in securing battery safety for the industrialization of the increasingly growing EV·ESS used battery reuse industry, establishing institutional foundations for industrialization, and supporting related companies.
‘Used battery’ refers to batteries discharged after use in electric vehicles and other applications.
In the case of electric vehicles, when the full charge capacity drops to about 70% compared to a new battery, it is replaced due to reduced driving efficiency; the battery discharged at this time is called a used battery.
If reuse technology utilizing the remaining capacity of used batteries is commercialized, it will be possible to resupply at a price 30-50% cheaper than new batteries.
This can be applied to various products such as electric aviation, electric two-wheelers, and electric wheelchairs, and is expected to greatly contribute to the expansion of the circular economy of energy resources while improving environmental problems caused by heavy metals generated during simple disposal.
Experts predict that the number of used electric vehicle batteries in Korea will increase more than tenfold, from 10,000 units in 2024 to 100,000 units in 2032.
Mayor Kang In-gyu said, “The foundation for the industrialization of used battery reuse has been established in the Innovation Industrial Complex, the central axis of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Energy Valley,” and added, “We expect it to play a significant role as a new growth engine in the energy new industry sector as well as in the innovation of the regional industrial structure.”
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