LG Energy Solution to Invest ₩600 billion for ‘Mother Line’ at Ochang battery plant

LG Energy Solution Ltd. (LGES) is investing $600 billion in building a “mother” production line, where it will manage the entire process of designing and implementing technological applications for next-generation products, such as pouch cells.

The process for pouch cells will include not only testing but also verification stages for mass production.

The mother line will be located in its main battery manufacturing complex in Ochang.

LGES, which is ramping up production capabilities to meet surging global demand, announced a 4 trillion-won plan in December last year to expand its Ochang complex by 2026.

The construction of the mother line is set to be completed in December 2024.

The latest move comes as battery makers are bolstering facility investments to respond to the burgeoning demand for EV batteries.

It is also part of efforts to qualify for the Inflation Reduction Act, which gives subsidies to EVs made under stricter conditions.

LGES is spending 580 billion won to build a separate mother line for a next-generation 46-millimeter-diameter cylindrical cell.