[October 15, 2026] National Assembly Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs and Startups Committee Visits Standard Energy to See Next-Generation Battery and ESS Industry Firsthand
본문
– Field visit during the 2026 parliamentary audit period offers a look at VIB production and ESS commercialization –
- Members of the National Assembly Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs and Startups Committee tour Standard Energy’s VIB production site
- Company shares the need to diversify the ESS ecosystem by expanding demonstration and market entry opportunities for non-lithium batteries
- Company requests growth support for advanced manufacturing startups that extends from technology development through to mass production
Members of the National Assembly Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs and Startups Committee (the “Industry Committee”) visited Standard Energy as part of their field visit schedule during the parliamentary audit period, to learn about the company’s next-generation battery technology and ESS commercialization.
Industry Committee members tour Standard Energy’s VIB production site
Standard Energy announced on the 15th that members of the National Assembly Industry Committee visited its headquarters in Daejeon on Tuesday, October 13. The visit was one of the field visits scheduled by the Industry Committee during the 2026 parliamentary audit period, and was attended by Committee Chairman Kim Sung-won and 17 committee members. Standard Energy introduced how, building on VIB’s high safety and fast charge-discharge characteristics, it is expanding its ESS business to meet new power demands such as grid stabilization, AI data centers, and ultra-fast electric vehicle charging.
The committee members toured “V-Line,” the automated production line for VIB cells, where they saw the main production processes and learned about the company’s mass production progress, and were introduced to ESS products using VIB and their applications. They also heard about VIB’s technical characteristics and commercialization progress, the market expansion of non-lithium ESS, and the challenges advanced manufacturing startups face as they grow. In particular, the members showed interest in the fact that Korea has homegrown technology capable of serving high-output ESS markets such as AI data centers (AIDC) and ultra-fast EV charging infrastructure. They went on to ask whether a stable supply of vanadium, the raw material for the electrolyte, can be secured, as well as about the future mass production schedule and the potential for business expansion that would follow. While watching a VIB cell penetration safety test, they were also impressed that, even after being penetrated, the battery neither caught fire nor exploded and continued to supply power steadily.
Sharing the need to diversify the ESS ecosystem by expanding demonstration and market entry for non-lithium batteries
During the visit, Standard Energy shared its view that opportunities should be expanded for a variety of ESS technologies, including non-lithium batteries, to gain demonstration and commercialization experience. The point was that in the domestic ESS market, which has grown mainly around lithium-based batteries, using diverse technologies according to their respective strengths could also help broaden the base of the industrial ecosystem.
The two sides also exchanged views on the growth environment for advanced manufacturing startups. The company noted that because manufacturing startups require substantial investment in building production facilities and stabilizing processes on the way from technology development to actual mass production, scale-up support tailored to the nature of the manufacturing industry is needed.
Request for growth support for advanced manufacturing startups from technology development through mass production
A Standard Energy representative said, “We are grateful that the National Assembly Industry Committee took the time to visit the mass production site of an energy manufacturing startup and see our technology and commercialization journey for themselves. As the stable supply and efficient use of electricity become ever more important with the growth of new industries such as EV charging and AI data centers, along with the expansion of renewable energy, we will devote ourselves to the commercialization and mass production of VIB to help prepare for the new era of electrification.”
Photo 1) Chairman Kim Sung-won and members of the National Assembly Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs and Startups Committee pose for a commemorative photo with company officials during their visit on the 13th to Standard Energy, which developed and commercialized the next-generation vanadium ion battery and ESS.
Photo 2) On the 13th, Chairman Kim Sung-won and members of the National Assembly Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs and Startups Committee listen to CEO Kim Bu-gi as they tour V-Line, Standard Energy’s automated production facility for vanadium ion battery cells, during a field visit held as part of the parliamentary audit period.