By More than 50,000 Tons
POSCO FUTURE M is set to expand its high-nickel NCA cathode production capacity by more than 50,000 tons.
On July 24, POSCO FUTURE M’s board of directors approved a plan to invest a total of 683.4 billion won (US$535.06 million) by 2025 to construct a high-nickel NCA cathode factory in Yulchon 1st Industrial Complex, Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province, with an annual production capacity of 52,500 tons. The company plans to break ground in the first half of next year and complete construction by the second half of 2025.
NCA cathodes manufactured from lithium, nickel, cobalt, and aluminum provide high battery density and output, enhancing efficiency. As a result, global demand for this material is increasing.
This investment in a dedicated NCA plant is the company’s second, following a 30,000-ton factory in Pohang launched in April. POSCO FUTURE M has been leading the NCM and NCMA market through consistent investment and research and development since entering the cathode business in 2012. The recent investment in NCA cathodes shows the company’s proactive response to the global cathode market’s needs.
By the second half of 2025, when the new factory is completed, the NCA cathode production capacity will increase to 80,000 tons. This, combined with the confirmed NCM and NCMA production capacity of 240,000 tons by 2025, will raise the total cathode production capacity to approximately 320,000 tons. POSCO FUTURE M also plans to expand the production capacity to 1 million tons by 2030.