Storage

Hanwha Group and LGES agree to build battery capacity in the U.S.

Hanwha Group and LGES agree to build battery capacity in the U.S.
Aiming to deploy clean energy resources in densely-populated urban areas, a partnership will unlock $55 million for community solar project development in New York City. (Courtesy: Ben O'Bro/Unsplash)

Hanwha Group and LG Energy Solution said they will work together to build battery production facilities in the United States. Hanwha said it plans to use the facilities in a bid to lead the energy storage market and future Urban Air Mobility adoption.

The two Korea-based companies signed a memorandum of understanding that included Hanwha Solutions–owner of clean energy manufacturer Qcells–Hanwha Corporation/Momentum and Hanwha Aerospace.

They said they also would pursue technology cooperation to develop advanced ESS solutions for commercial, industrial and utility markets, including enclosure, heat management and other balance of system components.

Qcells has said it intends to become a top-tier solar and energy storage developer and EPC provider in the U.S. by securing stable battery supplies.

Earlier in January, Qcells said it planned to invest more than $2.5 billion to build what it said would be a complete silicon-based solar supply chain in the United States. Plans call for the company to break ground in Georgia during the first quarter on a facility to manufacture 3.3 GW of solar ingots, wafers, cells, and finished panels. 

The company said it also plans to assemble an additional 2 GW of solar panels at its Dalton, Georgia facility. The investment is expected to bring Qcells’ total solar panel production capacity in Georgia to 8.4 GW by 2024.

In a January 15 statement announcing the MOU, LGES said the planned venture with Hanwha secures a stable mid- to long-term source of demand in the U.S. clean energy market where it expects to see the fastest growth.

Hanwha Aerospace is an aerospace and defense company that manufactures rocket engines and satellites technology. Hanwha Corporation/Momentum is an automation engineering company providing manufacturing facilities for batteries, solar panels and display. 

Under terms of the MOU, Hanwha Momentum will seek to supply key battery manufacturing facilities for LGES, which is constructing joint battery factories with global automakers such as GM, Stellantis and Honda. Its existing factories in Korea, Poland and Michigan are also scheduled to expand. Hanwha Aerospace said it plans to work with LGES to develop special-purpose batteries for Urban Air Mobility applications.

Hanwha recently became the leading shareholder in polysilicon producer REC Silicon. It said efforts are underway to manufacture polysilicon at the Norway-headquartered company’s factory in Moses Lake, Washington. That facility is slated to restart production in the second half of 2023 and will be part of QCells’ solar module supply chain.

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