According to Korean media BusinessKorea, Samsung SDI will build a lithium iron phosphate battery production line at its factory in Ulsan, which is also the first production line of this type of battery in South Korea.
The report quoted industry and local government sources as saying that Samsung SDI is discussing with Ulsan city government officials to build “next-generation batteries” and the country’s first lithium iron phosphate battery production line in the Ulsan industrial zone. A representative of Samsung SDI also said that it is still uncertain whether the lithium iron phosphate batteries to be produced will be used in electric vehicles or energy storage systems, and “final investment will still take time.”
According to a report earlier this month, citing the market research agency SNE Research, from January to June this year, the global newly registered power battery installation volume was 304.3 GWh, a year-on-year increase of 50.1%. The battery installations of South Korea’s three major battery manufacturers also increased across the board, but their combined market share was 23.9%, down 2.2 percentage points year-on-year.
▲ Picture source SNE Research
In terms of specific brands, LG’s new energy battery installed capacity was 44.1GWh, a year-on-year increase of 50.3%, ranking third in the world with a market share of 14.5%; % market share ranked fifth in the world; Samsung SDI was 12.6GWh, a year-on-year increase of 28.2%, ranking seventh with a market share of 4.1%. The combined market share of the three Korean companies was 23.9%, a year-on-year decrease of 2.2 percentage points.
In stark contrast to Chinese companies, CATL ranked first with a market share of 36.8% in the same period, and its battery loading volume increased by 56.2% year-on-year to 112 GWh. BYD grew by 102.4% year-on-year to 47.7 GWh, followed by a market share of 15.7%.
At the end of last month, it was also reported that Samsung SDI was negotiating with a number of automakers to mass-produce all-solid-state batteries in 2027. Sohn Michael, vice president of Samsung SDI’s medium and large battery division and head of the strategic marketing team, said in a recent second-quarter earnings conference call: “We cannot disclose the name of the customer, but we are currently talking to several automakers about the 2027 mass production plan. Negotiate.”
