POSCO is expanding investment in industrial gases, whose importance is growing with the rise of advanced industries such as semiconductors, aerospace, and secondary batteries. Industrial gases are gaseous substances used in industrial sites for processes and production activities, broadly divided into general gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, and argon, and into rare gases and specialty gases.
According to industry sources on the 30th, the global semiconductor market is projected to grow an average of 8.6% annually from 2024 to 2030 to surpass $1 trillion. The aerospace industry is also expected to grow to more than $1 trillion by 2040 as private satellites, space exploration, and the broader aerospace field expand.
High-purity industrial gases and rare gases are essential inputs for the production lines of these advanced industries. In particular, a stable supply chain for rare gases is a key competitive edge. During the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, major production facilities in Ukraine, which accounted for more than half of global neon (Ne) output, were shut down, causing serious disruptions to global semiconductor processes.
POSCO had operated oxygen plants installed within its steelworks and began strategically fostering its industrial gas business in 2021. In 2022, it began producing crude rare gas (neon), the only such production in Korea, and in 2023 it expanded the industrial gas unit into an independent organization. Last year, it entered the specialty gas market, accelerating business diversification.
In general gases, it holds 20 air separation units (ASU), the largest number in Korea, and reliably supplies oxygen, nitrogen, and argon to its steelworks. In September last year, it built a new ASU and storage facilities on a 5,000-pyeong site in the Yeongilman industrial complex in Pohang and began supplying companies in the secondary-battery specialized complex.
POSCO established its subsidiary POSCO Zhongtai Air Solution in August 2024 to build a supply base for high-purity rare gases such as neon (Ne), xenon (Xe), and krypton (Kr). The plant, scheduled for completion this year, will receive crude rare gases produced from large ASUs at POSCO's steelworks and manufacture high-purity products.
It is also increasing investment in semiconductor specialty gases. POSCO last year acquired 100% equity in Chemgas Korea and secured 40% equity in Pum. Through this, it is supplying a variety of semiconductor specialty gases, including silicon tetrachloride (SiCl4), propylene (C3H6), germane (GeH4), and phosphoric acid (H3PO4), to domestic and overseas chipmakers.
A POSCO official said, "Based on the facility operation experience and the production, safety, and technology development know-how accumulated through steel and steelworks operations, we will work to stably supply industrial gases and other materials needed for advanced industries."