LG Chem to use reusable energy for Wuxi cathode plant beginning 2021

LG Chem announced that its cathode material plant in Wuxi, China will run entirely on reusable energy provided by the local Leyou New Energy Materials starting 2021 as a step to carry out its pledge to stop creating carbon emissions by 2050.

The change is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 100,000 tons a year, which has the same effect as planting 1.7 million trees every year.

Leyou New Energy Materials, which utilizes wind and solar powers to generate reusable energy, will supply LG Chem with 140GWh of reusable energy annually.

That amount is enough to supply energy for 30,000 households to live on for a year and more than enough for the Wuxi plant’s operation.

LG Chem's contract with Leyou New Energy Materials is a Power Purchase Agreement, which is for direct supplying from the generator to the plant at a fixed rate.

The firm is contemplating applying the same reusable energy solution for its precursor plant in Quzhou in eastern China.

An official from LG Chem explained that both precursor and cathode materials do not incur direct carbon emission in the manufacturing process and merely converts electricity used in running the plants to sustainable energy. Thus, it would suffice 90 percent of carbon neutrality.

LG Chem’s plants on Quzhou and Wuxi supply materials to LG Energy Solution’s Nanjing battery plant for electric vehicles and energy storage system, and on its electric vehicle plant in Poland.