Four Ministers and Vice Ministers Visited 'POSCO Future M' Holding the Key to 탈중국

Meeting to Hear On-site Difficulties with the Vice Minister of Environment Visiting 12 Days After the Vice Minister of Industry at Pohang Plant

POSCO Future M Pohang Artificial Graphite Anode Material Factory. Photo by POSCO Future M

Following China's announcement of graphite export controls, POSCO Future M, the only domestic company mass-producing anode materials, is gaining attention. On the 29th, Lim Sang-jun, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Environment, visited POSCO Future M's artificial graphite anode material plant in Pohang, marking the fourth recent visit by government ministers and vice ministers to this facility.

On this day, Vice Minister Lim held a meeting with POSCO Future M President Kim Jun-hyung and key executives to explore support measures for fostering the secondary battery industry as a green strategic industry and to listen to on-site difficulties. At the meeting, POSCO Future M explained the current status of its cathode and anode material businesses and future investment plans, requesting active roles and support from the Ministry of Environment, including expansion of environmental infrastructure and improvement of environmental regulations, to enhance competitiveness in the global market and contribute to the development of the national secondary battery industry. They also proposed that, since environmental facility investment costs are higher compared to overseas countries such as China, government support for environmental facility investments and simplification of licensing procedures are necessary to strengthen the competitiveness of the national secondary battery industry.

The visits by ministers and vice ministers have concentrated since last October, when China announced graphite export control policies under the pretext of preventing military use. Immediately after China's control announcement, Han Hwa-jin, Minister of Environment, visited the company's Sejong 2 plant, and in December, then Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, Moon Sung-kyun, held an industrial supply chain strategy meeting at the same plant. On the 17th, Kang Kyung-sung, First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Industry, visited the artificial graphite plant in Pohang, followed by Vice Minister Lim's visit to the same plant just 12 days later.

On this day, President Kim Jun-hyung said, "We appreciate the promotion of green policy finance projects and ask for continuous interest until actual execution," adding, "Support for environmental infrastructure such as new and expanded public wastewater treatment and industrial water facilities is also urgent." Vice Minister Lim stated, "We will actively seek support measures for fostering the secondary battery industry, including water supply within industrial complexes and green policy finance support."

POSCO Future M's Pohang plant is the only facility in Korea producing artificial graphite. It uses needle coke made from by-products of POSCO's steelmaking process as raw material, enabling complete localization from raw materials to final products. Notably, when China announced graphite export control measures last year, POSCO Future M attracted attention for being able to produce 100% artificial graphite domestically. It is also evaluated as more environmentally friendly because there is no need to develop mines to produce and refine graphite. POSCO Future M plans to increase its artificial graphite anode material production capacity from 8,000 tons to 18,000 tons this year.

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