'Strike While the Iron is Hot'... SK On Expands Daejeon Battery Research Institute by 22,000 Pyeong

Construction of Next-Generation Battery Pilot Plant
Establishment of Quality Control Center... Agreement with Daejeon City

SK On will expand its next-generation battery research and development (R&D) investment in Daejeon with 470 billion KRW. The plan is to enhance the development level of new form factors here to increase competitiveness in securing orders.

On the 24th, SK On announced that by 2025, it will establish a next-generation battery pilot plant and a Global Validation Center (G-VC) at the Daejeon Battery Research Institute. Utilizing the existing site within the institute, the new and expanded facilities will cover a total floor area of 73,400㎡ (22,000 pyeong).

On the same day, SK On and Daejeon City signed a business support agreement at Daejeon City Hall in the presence of Lee Jang-woo, Mayor of Daejeon, and Ji Dong-seop, President of SK On. Both parties agreed to cooperate to create jobs prioritizing local residents and to revitalize the regional economy.

Jidongseop, President of SK On (right), and Jangwoo Lee, Mayor of Daejeon, are signing a business support agreement at Daejeon City Hall on the morning of the 24th.
[Photo by SK On]

Mayor Lee Jang-woo expressed, "We deeply appreciate SK On choosing Daejeon City," and added, "Daejeon City will spare no support for the growth and development of the company." President Ji Dong-seop stated, "We will work closely with Daejeon City to ensure that the fruits of growth lead to regional economic revitalization and job creation."

Some parts of the investment plan are already underway. Since July last year, SK On has been expanding research facilities such as the 2nd charge-discharge building, 2nd research building, and Hwaseong building within the research institute site. Completion is expected in the second half of this year. By next year, the company plans to significantly expand research equipment, including new product development lines for prismatic and LFP batteries and charge-discharge devices.

The next-generation battery pilot plant, which began construction in December last year, aims for completion in the first half of next year. It will include experimental spaces equipped with special environmental facilities necessary for developing materials for all-solid-state batteries and a large-scale all-solid-state pilot production line. The goal is to develop all-solid-state battery prototypes in the second half of next year and commence commercialization by 2028.

At the G-VC, quality verification will be strengthened. It is scheduled to be completed in the second half of next year. Among the G-VCs in North America (USA), Europe (Hungary), and Asia (Korea), the Korean center will be responsible for quality management. The strategy is to reduce investment costs and increase efficiency by conducting integrated quality verification by region rather than at each manufacturing plant. Improvement points derived from the verification process will be timely reflected in regional manufacturing processes to enhance new product development and mass production efficiency.

SK On plans to develop core technological capabilities centered on the Daejeon Battery Research Institute and the Bucheon SK Green Techno Campus (tentative name), which will be established in 2027. Specific operational plans, such as department allocation between the two research complexes, will be formulated in the future.

SK Group plans to invest over 1 trillion KRW by 2027 to create a 137,000㎡ (approximately 41,000 pyeong) eco-friendly energy R&D complex in the Bucheon Daejang Urban High-tech Industrial Complex. About 3,000 eco-friendly technology experts with master's and doctoral degrees from seven group member companies, including SK On, will work there.

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