MOSCOW (MRC) -- Hyundai Motor Group and LG Chem Ltd are considering establishing an electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing joint venture in Indonesia, said Chemweek.
The investment size and production capacity have not been decided, the person said, declining to be identified as discussions are private.
Global automakers are moving to secure batteries in anticipation of a rise in EV sales due to government subsidies and quotas designed to cut carbon emissions.
In recent years, LG Chem has set up ventures with General Motors Co and Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. LG Chem also supplies batteries to automakers including Hyundai and Tesla Inc.
As MRC informed earlier, LG Chem is carrying out emergency inspections at all 40 of its factories worldwide in response to two fatal accidents this month, including a leak of styrene vapour at the LG Polymers India plant in Visakhapatnam that killed at least 12 people. The inspections will be done by internal and external safety experts and will be completed by the end of June. Safety upgrades will be made as needed, but LG said any plants with questionable prospects for being made safe may be closed indefinitely. The company did not indicate if the inspections will disrupt production at the plants.
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, March 2020 estimated consumption of PS and styrene plastics dropped by 2% year on year, totalling 42,130 tonnes. The estimated consumption totalled 121,880 tonnes in the first three months of 2020, down by 2% year on year. Overall, Russian plants produced 42,790 tonnes in March 2020. Overall output of high impact polystyrene (HIPS) and general purpose polystyrene (GPPS) totalled 32,100 tonnes in March 2020. 98,390 tonnes of HIPS and GPPS were produced in January-March 2020. The decrease in Russian plants' output was 3%.
LG Chem Ltd., often referred to as LG Chemical, is the largest Korean chemical company and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. According to ICIS report, it is 15th biggest chemical company in the world in 2011. It has eight domestic factories and global network of 29 business locations in 15 countries. LG Chem is a manufacturer, supplier, and exporter of petrochemical goods, IT&E Materials and Energy Solutions.
MRC