Hanwha Defense Partners with Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute to Develop Electric Propulsion Ship Battery System

Memorandum of Understanding Signed for Cooperation in Developing High-Power, High-Safety Battery Systems

Photo by Hanwha Defense

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Hanwha Defense announced on the 23rd that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) to cooperate on the development of battery systems for electric propulsion ships.

Through this agreement, Hanwha Defense and KERI will further solidify their collaborative relationship, which has continued since 2016 in developing lithium battery systems for submarines, and expand their cooperation to battery systems for military surface ships and civilian vessels.

According to the MOU, both parties will cooperate on ▲ successful development completion and deployment of lithium battery systems for naval submarines ▲ research on safety and system-level verification of ESS (Energy Storage Systems) for military (submarine and surface ship) applications ▲ development, testing, and research cooperation on high-power, high-safety battery systems for ships ▲ cooperation on the establishment and revision of international and domestic standards related to the safety and reliability of ship battery systems ▲ leading research and development cooperation for applying next-generation secondary batteries such as all-solid-state batteries to electric propulsion ships.

Hanwha Defense is strengthening the development and distribution of battery systems for electric propulsion ships, including military surface ships, government vessels, and commercial ships, based on the safety and reliability accumulated in the ESS field through its submarine lithium battery system business.

Hanwha Defense’s high-safety battery systems are already installed on numerous government vessels and demonstration ships. To further enhance safety and increase the localization rate to 100%, Hanwha Defense is the lead organization for a Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy national project (Development of High-Safety ESS Packaging Technology for Ships).

Son Jae-il, CEO of Hanwha Defense, said, "By combining battery system design and manufacturing technology with KERI’s research and testing infrastructure, we will strive to supply battery systems with world-class performance, safety, and reliability to the market."