SKC Accelerates Secondary Battery Anode Material Business... "UK Company Nexeon Completes $80 Million Investment"

Establishment of Yangsan Business Operation Company This Year
"Commercialization of Low-Content Products... Entry into the Global Market"

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] SKC is accelerating its next-generation silicon anode material business, which significantly enhances secondary battery performance. Having completed its investment in NexEon, a UK-based silicon anode technology company, SKC plans to establish a business operating company this year and expedite commercialization.

On the 26th, SKC announced that it, along with SJL Partners, BNW Investment, and Kiwoom PE, formed a consortium and completed a total investment of $80 million (approximately 95.7 billion KRW) in NexEon, securing a portion of NexEon's shares and silicon anode material business rights. Based on the business rights obtained through the NexEon investment, the SKC consortium plans to establish a business operating company responsible for mass production within this year. The goal is to start mass production in 2024. SKC will lead the business as the main operator of the consortium.

According to SKC, the higher the silicon anode content inside the secondary battery anode, the better the battery charging speed and electric vehicle driving range performance. This is why it is attracting attention as the next-generation material in the electric vehicle market. Market research firms forecast that the silicon anode material market will grow to $2.9 billion by 2025 and $14.6 billion by 2030. Depending on the silicon content in the anode, products are divided into low content (within 15%) and high content (above 15%), with the current stage being the early commercialization of low-content products.

NexEon, established in the UK in 2006, is a technology startup holding the largest number of key patents related to silicon anode materials. It possesses short-term mass production technology capabilities. Accordingly, SKC plans to accelerate its entry into the silicon anode material business by combining NexEon's technology with global mass production and marketing capabilities. This year, SKC will establish a business operating company to commercialize low-content products and enter the global market, and in line with market development, will also pursue commercialization of high-content products through a joint venture with NexEon.

SKC also plans to collaborate with SK Nexilis, which possesses the world's best copper foil technology. Copper foil technology is necessary to withstand the volume expansion of silicon anode materials. Through this, SKC expects to increase the proportion of silicon anode materials and supply higher-performance secondary battery materials to customers. An SKC official stated, "By combining the strengths of both companies with the world's best copper foil technology, we plan to provide secondary battery material solutions that offer not only quality but also price competitiveness," adding, "We will rapidly grow the silicon anode material business and establish ourselves as the top global ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) material solutions company."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.