SKC breaks ground on copper foil plant in Poland

SKC CEO Park Won-cheol speaks during the groundbreaking ceremony for a copper foil factory in Poland. [SKC]

Ground was broken Thursday on SKC's battery copper foil factory in Poland, which would be the largest one in Europe.

SKC and wholly-owned SK Nexilis, a copper foil manufacturer, held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday in Poland's state-run e-mobility industrial complex in the south-eastern city of Stalowa Wola, with SKC CEO Park Won-cheol and Jacek Sasin, deputy prime minister of Poland, attending.

SKC will invest 900 billion won ($700 million) in the plant that will have an annual production capacity of 50,000 tons. Operation is scheduled to start in the first half of 2024.

Copper foil is a core component in making anodes, which are used in lithium-ion batteries for EVs. They function as the negative pole, which lithium ions flow toward from the positive pole as the battery releases electricity. Around 35 kilograms to 40 kilograms of copper foil is required to make an EV.

"We hope this business will help create more jobs and in the development of Poland," said Poland President Andrzej Duda via video call.

Poland would allow for easy access to clients, as four major EV battery makers have their factories either in Poland or nearby, SKC said. LG Energy Solution operates a factory in Poland, while SK Innovation and Samsung SDI have plants in neighboring Hungary.

SK Nexilis aims to increase its capacity to 250,000 tons by the end of 2025.

The company started constructing one in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia in July, with an annual capacity of 50,000 tons. It is also in the process of buying a site in North America to build a 50,000-ton plant.

SKC currently owns six copper foil facilities in Jeongeup, North Jeolla, with an annual capacity totaling 52,000 tons.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]