Dongwha Electrolyte completes construction of Hungary plant

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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Sun, October 1, 2023 | 17:36

Companies

Dongwha Electrolyte completes construction of Hungary plant

Posted : 2022-04-07 15:18

Updated : 2022-04-07 17:49

Dongwha Electrolyte's Hungary plant / Courtesy of Dongwha Electrolyte

By Kim Hyun-bin

Dongwha Electrolyte, an affiliate of Dongwha Corporation, completed the construction of an electrolyte production plant in Soskut, near Budapest, Hungary, the company announced, Thursday.

With the plant's completion, Dongwha has established its first electrolyte production facility in Europe. The company is expected to expand its competitiveness in the global battery materials market gradually following its entry into the European market, the company said.

The total amount invested in the Hungarian facility was 50 billion won. It was built on 37,000 square meters of land, while an additional 85,000 square meters was secured for a possible expansion, in response to future increases in electrolyte demand.

The Hungarian facility was completed last November, and a trial run was completed in February this year. The annual output is 20,000 tons of electrolyte materials.

Electrolytes are the substance ― fluid or solid ― that allows electrical current to flow between the anode and cathode in a battery.

Currently, Dongwha Electrolyte has a total annual production capacity of 33,000 tons at its facilities in Korea, China and Malaysia. The addition of the Hungary plant raises this total to 53,000 tons of electrolytes.

"With the completion of the production facility in Hungary, we will show Dongwha Electrolyte's unique technology and product competitiveness in the European battery market, which is always growing, as well as solidify our position in the global market," Dongwha Electrolyte CEO Lee Si-joon said. "We plan to continue our investments to become a global battery materials company."

Dongwha Corporation's chemical business, which started with the production of eco-friendly resins, has been developing its R&D capabilities continuously. Currently, it produces fine chemical products and surface materials ― including electrolytes ― that are core materials of batteries.

hyunbin@koreatimes.co.kr