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EcoPro BM CEO Choi Moon-ho delivers remarks at the first mass-production shipment ceremony for high-nickel cathode materials at EcoPro Hungary's plant in Debrecen, Hungary, on June 8 (local time). / EcoPro

EcoPro has officially entered full-scale production at its cathode material plant in Debrecen, Hungary, marking the first shipment of high-nickel cathode products. The company plans to use the facility as a strategic base to accelerate its expansion in the European electric vehicle (EV) market while responding to increasingly stringent regional regulations.

According to EcoPro on June 10, the company held a shipment ceremony on June 8 (local time) for high-nickel NCA (nickel-cobalt-aluminum) cathode materials supplied to a European automotive OEM. Attendees included Choi Moon-ho, CEO of EcoPro BM; Ha Joo-yong, head of EcoPro BM Hungary; and other executives and employees of the Hungarian subsidiary.

At the ceremony, Choi said, “Despite intense competition in the global market, our top-tier quality and technological capabilities have been recognized, leading to expanding orders from premium European OEMs. We are also discussing additional partnerships with major customers across Europe, the heartland of future eco-friendly mobility, and are achieving tangible order results.”

The Debrecen facility, covering approximately 440,000 square meters, serves as an integrated production complex housing several key EcoPro affiliates. These include EcoPro BM, which manufactures cathode materials; EcoPro Innovation, which processes lithium; and EcoPro AP, which produces industrial oxygen and nitrogen.

EcoPro BM's cathode material production capacity totals 54,000 tons annually across three production lines—enough to supply batteries for approximately 600,000 electric vehicles per year. EcoPro Innovation can produce 8,000 tons of lithium hydroxide annually, while EcoPro AP supplies 16,000 cubic meters of oxygen per hour.

Starting with the initial shipment, EcoPro BM plans to gradually increase production and begin mass production of high-nickel cathode materials for another global automotive OEM later this year. The company is also expected to establish a dedicated high-nickel NCM (nickel-cobalt-manganese) production line tailored to European customer needs.

Depending on future order volumes, EcoPro BM is considering constructing a second plant that could more than double current production capacity.

The Hungary facility is viewed as a key strategic asset as Europe moves toward requiring the use of EU-produced cathode materials. EcoPro believes the plant positions the company to comply with regional regulations while providing automakers and battery manufacturers operating in Europe with a reliable local supply chain. The company also cites its investment in Indonesian nickel smelters as a source of stable raw material supplies and improved cost competitiveness.

Ha Joo-yong, head of EcoPro BM Hungary, said, “By leveraging our early-mover production base in Hungary and our robust raw-material supply chain, we aim to maximize the benefits of European regulatory policies and establish ourselves as a highly competitive cathode-material supplier.”

                                                                                                            Kim Young-jin