SK On Company, the battery manufacturing unit of South Korea’s SK Group, is stepping up operations at its SK Battery America plant in the US state of Georgia, targeting both the North American electric vehicle (EV) and Energy Storage Systems (ESS) markets.
SK On is in the process of converting some of the production lines at its plant in Commerce, Jackson County, from nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) cells, typically used in EV battery packs, to lithium iron phosphate LFP battery cells.
Production of LFP batteries is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2026, after the company signed its first major ESS deal in the US, with Colorado-based renewable developer Flatiron Energy Development, for 7.2 gigawatt-hours (GWhs) of LFP batteries worth around US$ 1.4 billion over four years.
SK On’s NCM and LFP dual production strategy follows slower than expected growth in EV demand in the region in the last few years. It will allow the company to respond more rapidly to future demand for both EV and ESS batteries in the US, amid tightening restrictions on Chinese battery imports. Demand for NCM batteries is also picking up as production is ramped up at Hyundai Motor Group’s nearby EV assembly plant.
