As written in the Decision to Invest in 2nd Enhancement of Production Capacity of Mass Production Testing Facility for A-SOLiD, a Solid Electrolyte for All-Solid-State Batteries news release dated January 29, 2024, Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co., Ltd. (President: NOU Takeshi) plans to invest in the enhancement of its solid electrolyte production capacity within 2025. The previous release has been partly revised as follows.
■Investment details：2nd enhancement of production capacity of A-SOLiD solid electrolyte
(within the premises of the Corporate R&D Center in Ageo City, Saitama)
■Purpose of investment：Stabilization and qualitative improvement of the supply of solid electrolyte samples after the revitalization of the development of all-solid-state batteries
■Details of change：Production capacity: increase by four times versus when the facility was introduced (before the change: increase by three times)
The Company introduced a testing facility for the mass production of solid electrolytes in the Ageo area of Saitama in 2019. Since then, it has proactively addressed customers’ needs regarding the development of all-solid-state batteries by leveraging 70 years of knowledge in the research and development of battery materials. As a result, several customers consider the Company’s solid electrolytes to be standard materials for use in development and demand for the Company’s solid electrolytes is expected to outgrow its production capacity.
For this reason, the enhancement of production capacity within the existing testing building has been an urgent issue for the Company. We have decided to partly change our investment and enhance the production capacity of the mass production testing building within the initially scheduled deadline, as the results of the research and development conducted by the Business Creation Sector indicate that the prospects for the improvement of the bottleneck process are good.
In addition to the mass production testing building mentioned above, we are planning to start operating an initial mass production factory by 2027 and expect to reach the world’s highest level in terms of solid electrolyte production capacity. The impact of this partial change in the investment in the mass production testing building on our full-year earnings results for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026 will be negligible.
In accordance with Our Purpose, which states, “We promote the well-being of the world through a spirit of exploration and diverse technologies,” we are committed to identifying new unique applications for the all-solid-state batteries, including EVs, together with all parties in its endeavors to build a sustainable society.
Please check the below PDF file for details.
Notice of Investment in 2nd Enhancement of Production Capacity of Mass Production Testing Facility for A-SOLiD, a Solid Electrolyte for All-Solid-State Batteries