Posco's Pohang Works in North Gyeongsang is lit in silver for iron and red for molten metal on June 9, the 27th Iron Day. The day marks the first pour of molten iron from Korea's first modern blast furnace, at the same mill, in 1973.NEWS1
Posco Holdings will supply battery-grade lithium to China’s Ronbay Technology under a partnership that spans lithium production and spent-battery recycling.
Battery-grade lithium meets the purity and impurity specifications required for battery manufacturing without additional purification, allowing Posco to supply material ready for use further down the battery supply chain.
The two companies signed a strategic memorandum of understanding Wednesday at Posco Center covering the battery-materials value chain from lithium supply to recycling.
Ronbay Technology is a major producer of high-nickel cathode materials and has been expanding into lithium iron phosphate (LFP), lithium manganese iron phosphate and sodium-ion battery materials.
Posco will supply lithium from three sources. Posco Pilbara Lithium Solution produces battery-grade lithium from ore, Posco Argentina produces it from brine and Posco HY Clean Metal recovers lithium from spent batteries.
The two companies plan to complete quality certification for battery-grade lithium hydroxide produced from ore by Posco Pilbara Lithium Solution by the fourth quarter. They will then work together to establish the basis for commercial-scale production.
Posco and Ronbay will also expand cooperation in recycling. Posco HY Clean Metal already supplies nickel, cobalt and manganese to Ronbay’s operations in China and to EMT, its precursor-material subsidiary in Korea.
Posco Group Chairman Chang In-hwa presents the group’s business portfolio strategy at its CEO Investor Day on July 2.POSCO GROUP
The companies plan to build on that relationship by cooperating on the recovery and recycling of spent-battery materials worldwide.
“In line with our portfolio diversification strategy, we plan to expand cooperation with Ronbay into other battery materials, including products for energy storage systems,” a Posco Group spokesperson said. “This could become a turning point in diversifying the global battery-materials market while strengthening our position as Korea’s flagship supplier of critical resources.”
Posco Group has been expanding lithium production as one of its core growth businesses. It aims to build annual lithium production capacity of 173,000 tons by 2033 as part of a broader strategy centered on steel, strategic resources and energy.
BY KO SUK-HYUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
