Koreans to invest billions more in lithium-ion battery separator factory for electric cars 

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The Korean company SK IE Technology has invested approx. PLN 3.5 billion in the construction of two more factories in Dabrowa Gornicza. These facilities produce lithium-ion battery separators for electric cars. So far, with the inclusion of the latest investment, the company’s financial commitment in this place amounts to over PLN 6 billion, and due to the expansion from two to four factories, the plant in Poland will be the largest production facility owned by SK IE Technology. 

The SK Group started its operations in Poland in June 2018 – the SK investor has purchased a plot of land for the construction of the first plant at a cost of approx. PLN 1.5 billion, and in November 2020 SK IE Technology announced the second phase of investment, doubling the previous expenditure. 

SK plants are located in the Katowice Special Economic Zone (KSEZ) in the investment park of the Tucznawa district in Dabrowa Gornicza. The Korean company plans to start the construction of new plants in Q3 this year, and production is to start at the end of 2023. The annual production capacity of the new plants is estimated at 860 million sq m. separators, 430 million sq m from each facility. 

The Minister of Development, Labor and Technology, Jaroslaw Gowin, pointed out that the next stage of SK IE Technology’s development confirms the company’s continuous development and global expansion, and that the decision to place another investment in Poland proves that it is an attractive location for capital investment. He also adds that electromobility is a global trend in which Poland is becoming an important link. 

The Korean company is the third in the world to develop key solutions for the production of car batteries. The President of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH), Krzysztof Drynda, comments that Poland is a promising location for investments in this sector, due to factors such as time of realisation, ease of investment process, well-educated workers and a comprehensively organised process of supporting investment projects – also this investment process of the Korean investor was again supported by PAIH. 

According to the KSEZ data, SK IE Technology was established in 2019 by separating the separator part from SK Innovation, one of the largest South Korean companies in the energy and chemical sector. It deals with the processing of petroleum substances, produces chemicals, as well as batteries for electric cars and their components.