The precursor expertise, collectively owned by Korea Zinc and its subsidiary KEMCO, has been acknowledged for its important technical and financial worth in each home and worldwide markets, in addition to its potential for industrial progress. The federal government’s determination additionally acknowledges that ought to the expertise be leaked overseas, it may have a critical detrimental influence on nationwide safety and the nation’s financial growth.
With this ruling, Korea Zinc will now be capable of construct a basis to determine a secure self-sufficient provide chain for precursors, a key materials for secondary batteries, utilizing fully homegrown expertise. The corporate will even start implementing protecting measures towards abroad expertise leaks in accordance with related legal guidelines.
The Korea Zinc expertise that has been acknowledged as each nationwide core expertise and nationwide high-tech strategic expertise is the “technology for manufacturing and processing of cathode active material precursor with a nickel (Ni) content exceeding 80% for lithium-ion batteries.” Korea Zinc submitted its utility for this designation to the Ministry of Commerce, Trade, and Vitality in September, and after two rounds of skilled evaluations, the designation was lately finalized.
Based on the Ministry of Commerce, Trade, and Vitality, the expertise is classed below {the electrical} and digital sector within the nationwide core expertise class and the nationwide high-tech strategic expertise’s secondary battery sector.
By way of the Industrial Expertise Safety Act (ITPA ) (Act on Prevention of Divulgence and Safety of Industrial Expertise), the federal government offers nationwide core expertise designation to applied sciences with excessive technical and financial worth in home and worldwide markets, or these with important progress potential in associated industries that if leaked overseas, may significantly threaten nationwide safety and financial growth. Greater than 70 applied sciences throughout sectors like semiconductors, shows, electronics, shipbuilding and nuclear power are at the moment designated and managed as nationwide core expertise.
Underneath the Nationwide Superior Strategic Trade Act (NASIA) (Particular Measures Act on Strengthening and Defending the Competitiveness of Nationwide Excessive-tech Strategic Trade), applied sciences with important nationwide and financial safety influence, in addition to substantial financial results when it comes to exports and employment, are designated as nationwide high-tech strategic applied sciences.
With this designation, Korea Zinc’s expertise can be subjected to strict laws. The corporate plans to implement protecting measures below Article 10 of ITPA and Article 14 of NASIA. Moreover, any export of this expertise, or any international funding involving mergers, acquisitions or joint ventures, would require approval from the Minister of Commerce, Trade, and Vitality, as per Article 11 of ITPA and Article12 of NASIA.
Home battery firms have been relying virtually completely on
In 2022, KEMCO and LG Chem fashioned a three way partnership known as Korea Precursor Company (KPC). In March, for the primary time on the earth, KPC accomplished development of a precursor manufacturing plant with course of innovation utilized, yielding an annual capability of 20,000 tons. The plant efficiently produced prototypes simply two weeks after the take a look at run started. Notably, it was the primary on the earth to use a technique that dramatically will increase the method capability of the precursor manufacturing course of, together with the usage of the world’s largest capability reactor throughout take a look at run and prototype manufacturing. This innovation is predicted to permit KPC to provide higher-quality precursors extra effectively than its opponents, together with Chinese language firms.
Korea Zinc anticipates that its proprietary expertise will shorten general processing instances, cut back processing prices and enhance line effectivity, thereby enhancing productiveness and high quality in precursor manufacturing. The designation of this expertise as nationwide core expertise is predicted to bolster the nation’s world competitiveness. Furthermore, by diversifying the availability chain of crucial minerals for home battery supplies, Korea Zinc goals to cut back dependence on any single nation and contribute to the financial safety of the battery business.
