DI Dongil said on the 11th it will launch a full-fledged push into the next-generation secondary battery materials market with a new facilities investment worth 110 billion won.
DI Dongil disclosed that it plans to invest 110 billion won in the Cheongju aluminum plant, slated for completion this year, to build production facilities for carbon-coated aluminum foil for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries.
The investment will proceed in phases from February this year through 2030, with 20 billion won to be executed first this year. The investment amount includes land, construction, and machinery and equipment. As of the end of 2024 on a consolidation basis, it is equivalent to 19.6% of equity capital.
LFP batteries have low cost burdens and excellent thermal stability, reducing fire risk, but their energy density is low, limiting performance utilization. To address this, applying a carbon coating to the surface of aluminum foil facilitates current flow, thereby increasing usable energy efficiency and improving battery performance and durability.
Through this new facilities investment, DI Dongil plans to internalize production capabilities for high value-added aluminum materials for LFP batteries and further strengthen its competitiveness in the global battery materials market. The company projected that by 2030, producing 20,500 metric tons (MT) of carbon-coated aluminum foil could enable new annual sales of about 250 billion won.
The Cheongju aluminum plant is expected to serve as a key base capable of stably supplying high-quality aluminum foil, based on the latest Achenbach rolling mill and process technology from Germany.
A DI Dongil official said, "This investment is a strategic decision to proactively respond to the industrial trend of an expanding LFP battery market," adding, "Through this investment, we will pursue the securing of mid- to long-term growth engines and the advancement of our business portfolio."