최초입력 2025.07.31 11:00:40
LG Energy Solution Ltd. has secured a $4.3 billion supply deal for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, with industry watchers speculating that Tesla Inc. is the buyer.
The South Korean battery maker disclosed Tuesday that it signed a three-year contract to deliver LFP batteries worth $4.3 billion starting August 1.
The deal accounts for 23.2 percent of LG Energy Solution’s 2024 revenue and marks the company’s largest-ever energy storage system (ESS) order based on a single contract.
The contract may be extended up to seven years depending on customer negotiations, which could alter the final value and duration.
Market sources believe Tesla is the likely customer, given the automaker’s aggressive expansion of its ESS business in the United States based on LFP battery technology.
The speculation comes shortly after Tesla reportedly signed a 23 trillion won ($16.7 billion) chip manufacturing agreement with Samsung Electronics.
During its first-quarter earnings call, Tesla emphasized its intent to source LFP batteries from domestic U.S. suppliers to avoid tariffs on Chinese imports.
Among Korean battery makers, LG Energy Solution operates the largest number of production bases in the U.S., including plants in Ohio, Tennessee, and Michigan.
LG Energy Solution has been ramping up ESS battery orders, particularly in the U.S.
In March, the company signed a 4 gigawatt-hour (GWh) deal with Delta Electronics, a global energy management firm serving Tesla and Apple. In November 2024, it inked a contract to supply up to 8 GWh of LFP batteries to U.S. renewable energy firm TerraGen.
Among global battery producers, LG Energy Solution is currently the only company operating large-scale LFP production lines for ESS use in the U.S.
The company began mass production of long-cell pouch-type LFP batteries at its Michigan plant earlier this month. Originally, the firm planned to begin LFP production in Arizona starting in 2026, but it expedited the timeline by converting part of its Michigan EV battery facility to ESS production.
According to BloombergNEF, U.S. cumulative ESS installations are projected to grow from 19 GW in 2023 to 250 GW by 2035. The International Energy Agency reported that LFP batteries accounted for 80 percent of the global ESS market in 2023.
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