The Nation's Only Secondary Battery Cathode Material Production Base Established
Supply Volume of 420,000 Electric Vehicles, High Efficiency and Safety
Gyeongsangbuk-do and Pohang City held the completion ceremony for the first phase of POSCO Chemical's artificial graphite anode material factory on the 2nd.
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] Gyeongsangbuk-do and Pohang City held the completion ceremony for the first phase of the POSCO Chemical artificial graphite anode material factory on the 2nd.
In July, Pohang City attracted a POSCO Chemical cathode material factory worth 600 billion KRW, becoming the only domestic producer of both cathode and anode materials.
The city plans to establish production bases for cathode and anode materials, key components of secondary batteries, securing global competitiveness in the secondary battery sector.
In the Yeongilman 4 General Industrial Complex, Pohang will collaborate with EcoPro, the leading domestic company in lithium secondary battery cathode materials, to commercialize secondary battery materials, promote battery resource recycling, and create a battery special zone connected to the Carbon Valley.
By investing in GS Construction, which promotes ESG management, Pohang aims to secure leadership as a secondary battery manufacturing innovation hub city, establishing a differentiated competitive advantage from other cities.
The completion ceremony was attended by about 40 people, including Mayor Lee Kang-deok of Pohang, Ha Dae-sung, Deputy Governor for Economy of Gyeongbuk Province, Min Kyung-jun, CEO of POSCO Chemical, Jung Chang-hwa, Head of New Growth Division at POSCO, and officials from related organizations and companies.
The POSCO Chemical artificial graphite anode material factory is being built on a 78,535㎡ (23,800 pyeong) site within the Pohang Blue Valley National Industrial Complex, with a total investment of 250 billion KRW by 2023, aiming for an annual production capacity of 16,000 tons.
By the end of November 2023, the second phase of construction will establish artificial graphite anode material production facilities with an annual capacity of 8,000 tons each.
The produced artificial graphite anode material can supply approximately 420,000 electric vehicles based on 60kWh. It has higher charge-discharge efficiency than natural graphite anode materials and, due to the high-temperature processing manufacturing process, the likelihood of battery swelling is low.
It is gaining attention as a battery material for electric vehicles due to its high stability, uniformly arranged particles that extend battery life, and ease of fast charging.
Posco Chemical is expected to establish production bases for cathode and anode materials, which are key components of secondary batteries, and promote related businesses.
Mayor Lee Kang-deok said, “We will actively utilize the secondary battery sector infrastructure to build a battery resource recycling cluster,” adding, “We will foster secondary battery companies by supporting technology development and reducing local taxes, and develop Pohang into a city with global competitiveness in the secondary battery field.”
CEO Min Kyung-jun stated, “This moment marks another leap for the domestic battery industry as we have achieved complete localization from raw materials to final product production of artificial graphite anode materials,” and added, “We will secure world-class business competitiveness through focused investments in next-generation material development linked with POSCO Group’s R&D infrastructure, process technology, and mass production capabilities.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
