On April 21, 2023 (Beijing time), South Korea’s EcoPro Co., Ltd. held the groundbreaking ceremony for its cathode materials plant in Debrecen, Hungary. Chairman Xu Kaihua ofGEM, Co-founder Wang Min, and Chairman Xiang Guangming of Weiming Environment Protection were invited to attend the event. Dignitaries present included the Hungarian Foreign Minister, the Mayor of Debrecen, and the South Korean Ambassador to Hungary.
This plant marks EcoPro’s first cathode materials facility in Europe, with a total investment ofEuro 728 million. During the ceremony, Director Xiang Yihao of Weiming presented astallion statuette to EcoPro’s President Lee Dong-chae, symbolizing wishes for the project’s swift success. President Lee expressed gratitude to Chinese partners for their presence and emphasized future collaboration with global environmental and new material enterprises to advance low-carbon initiatives and energy sustainability.
Founded in 1998, EcoPro specializes in eco-friendly core materials and components for air pollution control. Since entering the new energy sector in 2003, it has become a leading global producer of high-nickel cathode materials. The Debrecen plant will be constructed in two phases: the first phase is slated for completion in the second half of 2024, followed by the second phase a year later. At full capacity, the facility will produce 108,000 tons of cathode materials annually, sufficient to power batteries for 1.35 million electric vehicles.
Weiming entered the new energy materials industry in 2022, forging partnerships with industry leaders. On November 21, 2022, Weiming and GEM signed a cooperation agreement on new material metallurgical equipment at Indonesia’s QMB Park, witnessed by EcoPro’s President Lee Dong-chae, laying the foundation for the companies’ strategic alliance. Weiming’s participation in the Debrecen ceremony further solidifies this partnership, expanding its network in the new energy materials sector and paving the way for future growth.