LG Electronics will take the lead in the market as it begins full-scale supply of industrial heat pumps with higher outlet water temperatures and capacities.
LG Electronics said on the 8th it completed supplying an industrial heat pump system with large capacity (1,000 refrigeration tons) and a large temperature difference (a high/low temperature difference of at least 70°C, high-temperature supply of at least 108°C) to Ajin P&P, a Daegu-based paper company, and began full operation in early this month.
The project is a national policy task under a national research and development program led by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to achieve "carbon neutrality by 2050," and is a large-scale project pursued since 2023 by a total of 15 participants from industry, academia, and research, including LG Electronics.
Heat pumps used at industrial sites require far higher performance and capacity than residential or commercial units. The supplied product raised the outlet water temperature of conventional industrial heat pumps from about 90°C to 108°C (up to 118°C) and achieved a large capacity of up to 1,040 RT (cooling capacity), marking an innovation.
High-temperature water from industrial heat pumps exceeding 100°C can be applied across various industrial sites, including ▲paper mills ▲product sterilization processes at food factories ▲chemicals ▲refining, and is expected to dramatically cut carbon emissions and energy expense. According to global market research firm MarketsandMarkets, the global industrial heat pump market is projected to grow to $4.8 billion (about 6.5 trillion won) in 2026.
LG Electronics' industrial heat pump improves energy efficiency by using electric energy and waste heat recovery instead of burning conventional fossil fuels. By applying its self-developed "large-capacity oil-free magnetic bearing" technology, it is free from constraints related to lubricant supply and simultaneously delivers expense savings in maintenance and electricity bills.
For the refrigerant, the core medium for heat transfer, it uses R-1233zd, which has a global warming potential (GWP) of just 1. LG Electronics received the Korea Technology Award in 2024 for its "low-carbon, electricity-based oil-free multi-stage compression technology for heating and cooling," and the IR52 Jang Young Sil Award in 2026 for its "oil-free turbo heating and cooling equipment."
LG Electronics is expanding its industrial heat pump business at home and abroad. In 2024, it supplied an industrial water-source heat pump to COEX, and in 2025, it secured overseas references by supplying an industrial heat pump for district heating to Ørsted, a Danish energy corporation. It is currently carrying out active bidding activities at industrial sites in North America and Europe, including the United States, Canada, Norway, and Finland.
Lee Jae-sung, president and head of the ES Business Division at LG Electronics, said, "In the field of heat pumps, which are fundamentally changing how heating, cooling, and thermal energy are used not only in residential and commercial spaces but also at industrial sites, we will step up our global market push with differentiated core components and technology."