75% of Production
Korean separator companies are expected to dominate the North American and European battery markets, according to a market research firm.
SNE Research, a global market research firm, released a report titled “The Future of Separators in the Era of Lithium-Ion Batteries (LIBs).” In the report, SNE Research forecast changes in the separator market through 2030. According to the report, Korea is expected to account for 75 percent of the separator capacities in North America and Europe in 2030. SKIET and WCP are expected to dominate the market.
SKIET will account for 33 percent with an annual production capacity of 3.8 billion square meters in 2030, followed by WCP with 29 percent at 3.4 billion square meters and LG Chem, which announced the establishment of a European JV with Japan’s Toray in 2022, with 13 percent at 1.5 billion square meters. Japan’s Asahi Kasei will follow them with a share of around 16 percent. As Chinese separator makers are forced to focus on the Chinese market, Korean separator makers will become more important, according to the report.
Many industry insiders are on the same wavelength with SRE Research. Battery startups in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere are expected to drive demand for materials. Separators are one of the four key materials for batteries along with anode materials, cathode materials and electrolytes. The European Union (EU) is expected to have facilities with a combined battery production capacity of 968 GWh by 2030. But production is expected to surpass this capacity in the EU by 2026-2028 due to the proliferation of new battery companies. Korean and Japanese battery companies are planning massive investments in the United States.
SKIET, expected to become the No. 1 separator maker in the North American and European market in 2030 is currently steadily ramping up production in Jeungpyeong and Cheongju in Korea, Słońsk in Poland, and Changzhou, China. In the United States, it is reviewing a local factory site.