Representatives of three major associations and institutions from South Korea arrived in CW48 for a 5-day visit to the Czech Republic to secure locations and entities in the planning of a new battery development center, as well as other possible projects. The organizing partner on the Czech side of the visit was the Czech Battery Cluster.
BRNO – A detailed discussion sbout establishing of a new common battery development center, which was already mentioned by the Korean President Yoon Suk Jeol during his visit to Czechia in September 2024, as well as other possibilities for future cooperation in the battery chain, was the goal of the recent visit of major representatives of the Korea Electronics Technology Institute (KETI), Korea Planning & Evaluation of Industrial Technology (KEIT) and the Korea Battery Industry Association (KBIA) to the Czech Republic. The effort to connect the forces and further expand the Korean battery industry into Europe is also motivated by the Czech government’s intention to sign a contract for the revitalization of the Dukovany nuclear power plant with the Korean company KHNP.
On Tuesday the Korean battery delegation visited Brno and the Brno Technical University, which represent a serious candidate and partner in localising of the battery development center. On Wednesday, the Korean interests were presented at a conference In Prague with the eloquent name „Czech-Korean Battery Technology Cooperation Forum“, organized by the Korean Embassy in the Czech Republic and the local branch of the Korean investment agency KOTRA. This event was attended by representatives of some other major companies from South Korea that have already invested in the Czech Republic, as well as government representatives from the investment and business development agency CZECHINVEST. In the afternoon, the delegation and othe conference visitors went for a visit to Kovohutě Příbram where they were presented with a tour to the lead-acid battery recycling premisses and also had a chance to see their test line for recycling Li-ion batteries. On Thursday, the Korean representatives moved to Liberec as honored guests of the two-day member meeting of the Czech Battery Cluster (CBC), where they shared and discussed the Korean experience in establishing the whole battery value chain. In addition the delegation visited the research facilities of the Technical University of Liberec (TUL) and the industrial research complex of the VÚTS company.
The mission confirmed the interest of the Korean side to build a development center in the Czech Republic. CBC, a contractual cooperating partner of KETI and KEIT, in cooperation with the Czech Ministry Of Industry And Commerce, has now to confirm the specific location for the project.
