Samsung SDI unit signs $1.4 billion LFP battery deal for US customer

SEOUL, Dec 10 (Reuters) – South Korea’s Samsung SDI said on Wednesday that its unit ​Samsung SDI America has signed a deal ‌to supply lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries to a U.S. energy ‌infrastructure development and operations company.

The contract is valued at more than 2 trillion won ($1.36 billion), Samsung SDI said in a statement, adding that deliveries ⁠will run for ‌three years starting in 2027.

The company did not name the customer.

The prismatic ‍LFP batteries to be supplied under the deal will be manufactured by converting existing production lines at Samsung ​SDI’s U.S. plant, the battery maker said.

Samsung ‌SDI, which is jointly building and operating an electric vehicle battery plant with Stellantis to target the U.S. EV market, said it has been shifting some production lines to energy storage ⁠system batteries in response to ​changes in local demand.

Energy storage ​batteries have a similar chemistry to automotive batteries and are used to power ‍facilities such ⁠as data centres.

South Korean battery makers are repurposing EV battery production lines to also produce ⁠energy storage systems as they face the phasing out ‌of U.S. subsidies.

(\$1 = 1,468.9400 won)