Publication Date
Mar 03, 2023
◇ U.S. solar power business solidifies itself as a flagship business of Samsung C&T T&I Group's project development portfolio
◇ Set to engage in various business areas including rechargeable battery materials and clean hydrogen value chain
Focused on profitability and sustainability, Samsung C&T Trading & Investment (T&I) Group is primarily built on three key business portfolios, namely 'Trading', 'Business Operation', and 'Project Development'. Under its strategy of select and focus on growth businesses, the T&I Group continues to witness solid performance, as its sales and operating profit respectively stood at KRW 20.2 trillion and KRW 397 billion last year.
While expanding its business in key industrial materials, the T&I Group strives to seek the next growth engine in promising fields such as eco-friendly business. Samsung C&T put an end to all coal-related businesses as the first non-financial company in Korea to spearhead a coal-exit commitment in 2020. Against such a backdrop, the T&I Group is strengthening its green business portfolio by expanding its presence not only in the renewables sector but also in rechargeable battery materials, hydrogen, etc.
U.S. solar power business cements itself as a flagship business of T&I Group's project development portfolio
In the renewable energy sector, Samsung C&T is actively expanding its solar power development business in the U.S. In 2018, a wind and solar power energy cluster, then the single largest renewable cluster, was successfully built in Ontario, Canada by the T&I Group with a total capacity of 1,369 MW (Wind: 1,069 MW, Solar: 300 MW)
Samsung C&T also made its foray into the U.S. market in 2018. Since then, a solar and energy storage system (ESS) pipeline with a total capacity of 13 GW has been developed. The company is focused on a pre-NTP process that involves project planning, title securing, Interconnection study, permitting process, etc., as it is competitive in data collection based on its extensive global network, project planning, negotiation, etc. – skills of which it has long sharpened as a general trading company.
Following the project development in California, Texas, etc., Samsung C&T is constantly making meaningful progress by landing a new deal with a local energy company in the U.S. As such, the solar power development business is solidifying itself as T&I Group's new bedrock for continuous growth.
Furthermore, in September 2022, Samsung C&T established Samsung C&T Renewable Energy Australia, a local subsidiary in Australia, with an aim for expanding the solar power business beyond the U.S.
Samsung C&T strives to expand rechargeable battery recycling business overseas
In the rechargeable battery materials sector, in 2011, Samsung C&T acquired stakes as a strategic investor in a Korean company that is equipped with raw materials extracting technology for rechargeable battery recycling. Since then, Samsung C&T has been sourcing extracted nickel and cobalt to companies that manufacture battery materials.
Leveraging its business know-hows and extensive network acquired as a general trading company, the T&I Group is strengthening its partnership with companies specialized in rechargeable battery recycling. Recently, it has started to jointly develop the rechargeable battery recycling business in Germany.
Samsung C&T is set to seek various business opportunities across the clean hydrogen value chain
Furthermore, Samsung C&T is strengthening its partnership in various eco-friendly areas such as clean hydrogen importation, environment-friendly materials, etc. with competitive companies across the value chain.
The company strives to develop the hydrogen business in line with the transition to a hydrogen economy, building on various experiences and know-hows acquired from energy resources trading and renewable energy business.
Samsung C&T is actively extending its cooperation with prestigious companies at home and abroad across the hydrogen industry value chain. In 2022, the company signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Namhae Chemical, Doosan Enerbility and LG Chem on hydrogen production and utilization. Also, an array of other MOUs was signed with KSS Line on eco-friendly transportation, and with Petronas Hydrogen in Malaysia on clean hydrogen business.
Despite the unfavorable business environment caused by protracted global inflation, policy tightening, etc. Samsung C&T aims to achieve sustainable growth by strengthening its risk management, boosting competitiveness of its product and service, and seeking new growth engines in the eco-friendly energy sector, etc.