Posco Future M, a South Korean battery materials supplier, has started construction of its fifth cathode materials plant for nickel, cobalt and aluminum (NCA) batteries in Gwangyang. This plant will make the complex in South Jeolla Province the world’s largest manufacturing cluster for cathode materials in terms of capacity – at 142,500 tons, it said.
The factory is expected to produce 52,500 tons of cathode materials a year, enough to manufacture 60kWh batteries for 580,000 EVs. The products will be supplied exclusively to Samsung SDI.
In March 2023, Posco Future M started producing single-crystal cathodes for nickel, cobalt, manganese and aluminum (NCMA) batteries. It became the first Korean battery materials company to produce them, described as a game changer in the EV battery market.
Compared with conventional cathodes, single-crystal cathodes reduce fire risk during the process of charging and discharging, enhance thermal stability and increase a battery’s lifespan.
Continuous improvement in the process led to a 300% growth in the production capacity per line compared to the initial steps of construction. The entire process is operated without humans. A logistics system that can move raw materials and products rapidly at a speed of five metres per second using an air transport method is also being equipped.
“We will push ahead with our goal of producing one million tons of cathodes annually by 2030 without delay,” Kim Jun-Hyung, the company’s CEO said. “We plan to build two more cathode materials plants in Gwangyang to boost the annual production there to a minimum of 200,000 tons.”
