Securing an Independent Anode Material Supply Chain Away from China
POSCO Future M will begin domestic production of spherical graphite for secondary battery anode materials.
On April 22, POSCO Future M held a board meeting and resolved to invest 396.1 billion KRW to establish a new company, Carbon New Materials Co., Ltd. (tentative name), for the domestic production of spherical graphite.
As the only domestic mass producer of anode materials, POSCO Future M has so far imported spherical graphite, a natural graphite raw material from China, and processed it through heat treatment and calcination in Korea to produce finished anode materials. The company has chosen this approach to establish a fully domestic supply chain for anode materials, independent of China.
Spherical graphite is an intermediate material for anode production, made by rounding the irregular particles of graphite ore and increasing its purity. POSCO Future M's domestic spherical graphite plant is scheduled to begin mass production in 2027. The company will use this spherical graphite to manufacture natural graphite-based anode materials at its Sejong plant.
Through this initiative, the POSCO Group will oversee the entire process from securing graphite ore in Africa and other regions, to producing spherical graphite (intermediate material), and finally manufacturing the finished anode products.
POSCO Future M stated, "By internalizing the supply chain, we will establish a foundation to enhance the competitiveness and profitability of our anode materials business."
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