EcoPro BM Renovates Hungarian Plant for EV Materials

EcoPro BM is undertaking renovation work on its Hungarian production line to provide large-scale high-nickel cathode materials to a major European automotive manufacturer. This investment, announced on August 24, aims to supply European premium electric vehicles starting in the fourth quarter of next year. The Hungarian plant, which began operations in the first half of the year, has an annual capacity of 54,000 tons and is currently operating as an NCA line.

EcoPro BM is simultaneously ordering and shipping equipment to convert the line to a mixed NCM production line. The 440,000 square meter site in Debrecen, Hungary, houses EcoPro Innovation for lithium processing and EcoPro AP, which produces oxygen and nitrogen. The subsidiary plans to expand production volume in stages, targeting 10,000 tons annually this year and 30,000 tons next year to increase its market share in Europe.

EcoPro Innovation will supply 8,000 tons of lithium hydroxide annually, while EcoPro AP will provide 16,000 cubic meters of oxygen per hour. The subsidiary is currently in a profitability improvement phase, with a goal of achieving a quarterly surplus structure and annual performance above the break-even point through volume increases and operational efficiency improvements.

EcoPro BM's management representative, Kim Jang-woo, projects the Hungarian subsidiary will fully return to a turnaround structure starting in the fourth quarter. The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the European automotive industry's demand for local procurement are expected to strengthen the subsidiary's role in the long term, with plans to produce high-nickel cathode materials with over 90% nickel content and secure nickel supply through the BNSI smelter in Indonesia.