Ecopro Innovation Partners with Hydro-Quebec in Canada to Accelerate Development of Next-Generation Lithium Metal Anode

Beyond Lithium Processing to Anode Material Development
Aiming to Build Pilot Facility by 2026

Ecopro Innovation is partnering with Canada's Hydro-Quebec to jointly develop next-generation lithium metal anodes.

Kim Yuntae, CEO of Ecopro Innovation (right), and Pierre Luc Maxime, Chief Research Officer of Hydro Quebec, signed an agreement for the "Next-Generation Lithium Metal Anode Joint Development." Provided by Ecopro Innovation

Ecopro Innovation, a company specializing in lithium processing, plans to expand its business into the anode material development sector and secure future growth engines through this agreement.

The two companies held a signing ceremony for the 'Joint Development of Next-Generation Lithium Metal Anodes' at the Intercontinental Hotel in Seoul on the 12th.

The event was attended by Ecopro Innovation CEO Kim Yuntae, Hydro-Quebec Chief Research Officer Pierre-Luc Maxil, Quebec Government Representative Damien Ferrera, Canadian Embassy Representative John Zimmerman, as well as key executives from both companies and officials from the Canadian provincial government.

Through this agreement, Ecopro Innovation and Hydro-Quebec will conduct joint research for the development of next-generation lithium metal anodes.

The strategy is to create synergy by combining Ecopro Innovation's expertise in lithium processing with Hydro-Quebec's achievements in metal anode research. Based on technology that converts lithium carbonate into high-purity lithium hydroxide, the company has contributed to enhancing the performance of NCM batteries.

With an annual production capacity of 26,000 tons of lithium hydroxide, the company has supplied a total of 32,000 tons of lithium hydroxide to major battery cell manufacturers such as Samsung SDI since 2022.

Hydro-Quebec is a power company owned by the Quebec provincial government in Canada and operates the CEETSE research institute, which has long invested in battery material development.

Since the early 1980s, CEETSE has been a pioneer in investing in lithium metal anodes and solid-state batteries, and contributed to the development and commercialization of core LFP cathode material technology through joint research with Nobel Chemistry Prize winner John Goodenough.

Lithium metal has about 10 times higher energy density than graphite, the conventional anode material, and is expected to help increase the driving range of electric vehicles. However, commercialization has been challenging due to high costs and short lifespan.

The two companies plan to build a pilot facility for the production of lithium metal anodes for secondary batteries by 2026 and expand to a pre-mass production pilot facility in the future.

Kim Yuntae, CEO of Ecopro Innovation, said, "With this agreement as a turning point, Innovation expects to expand its business from lithium processing to lithium metal anode development, thereby gaining leadership in the solid-state battery field as well."

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