‘Next-Generation Secondary Battery Commercialization Support Center’ Established in Ulsan... Supporting Workforce for Explosion and Fire Prevention, High Performance, and Lightweight Projects

Selected for Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Public Project, Securing 18.2 Billion KRW in National Funding

Ulsan City Hall.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] A ‘Next-Generation Secondary Battery Commercialization Support Center’ to replace existing lithium-ion batteries will be established in Ulsan.

Ulsan City announced on the 26th that it was finally selected for the ‘2022 Next-Generation Secondary Battery Commercialization Support Center Construction Project’ announced by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy in March this year, securing 18.2 billion KRW in national funding.

Next-generation secondary batteries refer to all-solid-state batteries, etc., which can overcome the fire and explosion risks of existing commercial secondary batteries such as lithium-ion batteries, and realize high performance, high safety, lightweight, and eco-friendliness.

An all-solid-state battery is a next-generation battery that replaces the electrolyte between the battery’s cathode and anode from liquid to solid. The solid electrolyte has excellent heat resistance and durability, reducing the possibility of explosion or fire and allowing for a smaller size.

The ‘Support Center Construction Project’ will be completed by 2025 with a total project cost of 34.1 billion KRW, including the secured national funding.

The project is led by the Ulsan Next-Generation Battery Research and Development Center of the Korea Energy Technology Research Institute, with participation from Ulsan Technopark, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, and University of Ulsan.

The project includes ▲infrastructure establishment ▲corporate support ▲human resource development.

‘Infrastructure establishment’ involves constructing a safety evaluation center (640㎡), utilizing vacant spaces in existing buildings for manufacturing and performance evaluation rooms (625㎡) and advanced analysis rooms (112㎡), and installing about 40 related pieces of equipment.

‘Corporate support’ will be conducted by establishing a one-stop support system utilizing regional research innovation institutions, and human resource development will operate job training programs focusing on corporate practitioners.

This project is one of the ‘Six Major Projects for Fostering Ulsan’s Battery Industry’ established by Ulsan City in October last year. Ulsan City and local research and innovation institutions have prepared for this and applied for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s public project in March this year, ultimately being selected.

Through this project, Ulsan City plans to establish a system capable of supporting the entire secondary battery industry cycle nationwide, including secondary battery materials and parts manufacturing, small and large battery manufacturing and evaluation, used battery evaluation, and next-generation secondary battery commercialization support.

An official from Ulsan City said, “As Hyundai Motor is promoting the construction of an electric vehicle production-only plant at its Ulsan factory with a goal of completion in 2025, we will utilize the secondary battery infrastructure to be established in the future to become a leading city in the secondary battery field.”

The Six Major Projects for Fostering Ulsan’s Battery Industry were planned reflecting regional conditions and corporate realities to respond to the government’s K-Battery development strategy announced in July last year.

The project contents include △support for next-generation and high-performance battery commercialization technology development △operation of a future battery specialized small and medium research and development zone △training of secondary battery specialists △construction of a high-functionality convergent chemical materials support center △performance evaluation and certification support for medium and large secondary batteries △construction of an electric vehicle used battery industrialization center.

Ulsan City aims to establish a comprehensive support base for the entire secondary battery cycle by 2030, attract world-class (global) small and medium enterprises based on research and development, and train 200 specialized personnel annually.

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