Nippon Shokubai is proceeding with a project to build new plant in Fukuoka Prefecture with the goal of commencing commercial operations by 2028 for LiFSI (Lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (IONEL), which is used as the electrolyte for lithium-ion batteries and contributes to the high performance of electric vehicles (such as reducing charging time, extending EV range, and improving output power at low-temperature environments).

This project has been adopted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry as a “Plan related to initiatives for ensuring stable supply of batteries” on September 6.

The investment amount is expected to be up to 37.5 billion yen, including a subsidy anticipated to be up to 12.5 billion yen based on the adoption by the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry. The new plant of IONEL will be having an annual production capacity of 3,000 tons. If IONEL is used 100% as the electrolyte, this will result in a lithium-ion battery capacity of 21.4 GWh, corresponding to 210 thousand electric vehicles.

The new plant will be constructed on a newly acquired site in Fukuoka Prefecture, which has many attractive features as a business base, including convenience in logistics and safety against natural disasters.