South Korean battery materials manufacturer EcoPro BM has begun operations at its cathode material plant in Debrecen, Hungary, a facility designed to supply enough materials for the high-voltage batteries of about 600,000 electric vehicles per year.
At the opening ceremony, EcoPro BM said the plant will initially operate with an annual capacity of 54,000 tonnes of cathode materials. The company plans to expand output to 108,000 tonnes in a later phase, which would be sufficient for batteries used in roughly 1.35 million electric vehicles annually. The site will also produce 8,000 tonnes of lithium hydroxide per year and generate 16,000 cubic metres of oxygen per hour.
See also: SK On Signs Lithium Hydroxide Supply Deal with Ecopro to Support U.S. Battery Operations
“Thanks to the Hungarian government’s comprehensive and rapid one-stop support, we completed the first European production base by a Korean cathode material company just three years after construction began in 2023,” EcoPro Group founder Lee Dong-chae said at the opening ceremony. “This marks a new beginning for EcoPro and Europe to shape the future together at a time when the EV industry is rapidly changing.”
EcoPro BM supplies cathode materials to Samsung SDI’s battery plant in Göd, near Budapest. Samsung SDI and EcoPro BM established a joint venture for cathode materials in 2020. The batteries produced in Hungary are used in electric vehicles for multiple global automakers. While Samsung SDI has a long-standing relationship with BMW, it is not among the confirmed battery suppliers for BMW’s new Neue Klasse vehicle plant in Debrecen, where China’s CATL and EVE Energy are expected to provide battery cells.
See also: China Moves to Rein In Excessive Competition in Battery Industry
Construction of the Debrecen cathode plant began in April 2023. In April 2025, EcoPro BM confirmed it had moved into full construction of its European production base, targeting annual output of 108,000 tonnes and employment of 631 people once the full expansion is completed. Earlier disclosures placed total investment at about 728 million euros ($790 million). The factory covers an area of roughly 440,000 square metres.
The plant will initially manufacture high-nickel NCA and NCM cathode materials and may later expand to medium-nickel and lithium iron phosphate (LFP) products depending on customer demand. The nickel used in production is sourced from a low-cost refinery in Indonesia.
Hungary has emerged as a key destination for South Korean foreign direct investment in Europe. Between 2019 and 2022, South Korea accounted for the largest share of foreign direct investment into Hungary, with 49 related deals over the nine-year period, most of them linked to the e-mobility sector.
See also: Study Finds Modern EV Batteries Retain Most Driving Range After Three Years
EcoPro BM’s project is part of a broader wave of electric vehicle investment in Hungary. BMW is building a new electric car factory in Debrecen that is scheduled to begin production in 2025, while China’s CATL is planning a battery cell plant with an annual capacity of 100 GWh aimed at supplying automakers including Mercedes-Benz.
