South Korea’s LG Energy to build $5.6B battery plant in Arizona

South Korea’s LG Energy Solution Ltd. said it would invest astir $5.6 billion successful a battery-manufacturing analyzable successful Arizona, nan latest successful a drawstring of caller plants by overseas companies arsenic nan U.S. transitions toward cleaner fuels. 

LG Energy said Friday that nan caller artillery analyzable successful Queen Creek, Ariz., will chiefly service electric-vehicle makers successful North America.

The magnitude is astir 4 times larger than what nan patient had initially pledged erstwhile it first revealed plans past twelvemonth to manufacture cylindrical batteries for electrical vehicles successful Arizona, though nan task had been up successful nan aerial until Friday’s announcement. LG Energy said successful June 2022 that it was reassessing its finance options owed to unprecedented economical conditions. Inflation has been driving up nan costs of earthy materials and different expenses for manufacturers worldwide.

An worker walks past nan logo of LG Energy Solution astatine its agency building successful Seoul, South Korea, Nov. 23, 2021.  (Reuters/Kim Hong-Ji / Reuters Photos)

The analyzable announced Friday will dwell of 2 artillery plants and people nan largest finance ever for a stand-alone battery-manufacturing installation successful North America, LG Energy said.

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LG Energy’s announcement comes arsenic artillery makers person been pushing to build up a bigger accumulation guidelines successful nan U.S., which is looking to fortify its section proviso chains and trim reliance connected China while speeding up shifts to greenish technologies.

The Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act has offered billions of dollars successful taxation credits for EVs sold successful nan U.S., but only applies if they person a definite worth of their artillery components assembled successful North America.

LG Energy said nan Arizona works will meet nan eligibility requirements of nan EV tax-credits programme nether nan IRA.

US President Joe Biden signs into rule H.R. 5376, nan Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 successful nan State Dining Room of nan White House connected Tuesday August 16, 2022. From left, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.VA), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Majo (Photo by Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images / Getty Images)

"We judge it’s nan correct move astatine nan correct clip successful bid to empower [the] cleanable power modulation successful nan U.S.," LG Energy Chief Executive Kwon Young-soo said.

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The EV tax-credits programme has stoked complaints from foreign car makers, but has opened business opportunities for non-Chinese artillery players including South Korea’s LG Energy, Samsung SDI Co. and SK On Co. arsenic good arsenic Japan’s Panasonic Holdings Corp., which person each announced plans for caller manufacturing plants successful nan U.S., including galore via associated business pinch car makers.

LG Energy is nan world’s second-largest shaper of EV batteries aft China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., and has been seeking maturation successful nan U.S., wherever it has seen a boost from Washington’s authorities intended to subsidize clean-energy industries and to reduce economical dependence connected China.

When excluding China’s CATL, LG Energy is nan top artillery shaper globally, accounting for 21% of nan mixed EV and energy-storage-system artillery marketplace by units sold past year, according to Seoul-based market-research patient SNE Research.

In summation to nan Arizona complex, LG Energy is moving to grow its battery-manufacturing guidelines crossed North America. It has 3 plants it has built aliases is building crossed nan U.S. pinch General Motors Co. arsenic good arsenic 1 planned works pinch Honda Motor Co. successful Ohio and 1 pinch Stellantis NV successful Canada.

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New vehicles are shown parked successful retention tons adjacent nan Stellantis Assembly Complex. ((AP Photo/Paul Sancya) / AP Newsroom)

For nan coming Arizona complex, nan South Korean artillery shaper plans to walk astir $3.2 cardinal connected 1 works for building cylindrical batteries serving electrical vehicles pinch a accumulation capacity of 27 gigawatt-hours. It is expected to commencement wide accumulation successful 2025.

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The remaining magnitude will beryllium spent connected different works for producing lithium-iron-phosphate pouch-type batteries utilized for power retention systems, pinch a capacity of 16 gigawatt-hours. It is expected to commencement wide accumulation successful 2026, according to LG Energy.