포스코홀딩스 (사진=연합뉴스)

 

[Alpha Biz=(Chicago) Reporter Kim Jisun] POSCO Holdings is the first South Korean company to produce nickel, a key raw material for secondary battery materials, directly in Indonesia.

POSCO Holdings made an announcement on the 3rd that it will invest $441 million (about 590 billion won) in the Weda Bay Industrial Complex on Halmahera Island, Indonesia, the world's No. 1 producer and producer of nickel.

Nickel smelting plants melt ore containing nickel, a key raw material that determines the performance and capacity of electric vehicle batteries, and produce nickel intermediate materials for use in secondary battery materials. As the electric vehicle market grows rapidly, demand for nickel is also growing rapidly.

POSCO Holdings produces nickel intermediates (nickel mats) of 52,000 tons (based on nickel content). Nickel mat is an intermediate product produced by smelting nickel, and the nickel content is about 70∼75%. This is the amount that can make one million electric vehicles, and plans to start commercial production in 2025.

Indonesia, the world's No. 1 nickel-holding country, offers benefits such as tax and industrial complex infrastructure support to attract foreign investment. The nation is pushing for industrial advancement across the value chain before nickel production.

Through the investment in the Indonesian nickel smelting plant, POSCO Holdings plans to create an efficient nickel intermediate production system and continue its joint venture in nickel mining and smelting businesses. The strategy is to secure a stable global nickel supply chain and further strengthen the self-sufficiency of secondary battery materials in the group.

 

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