Korea Southern Power Builds Vanadium Redox Flow Battery ESS at Myeongji Noksan National Industrial Complex in Busan

First Domestic Application of Fire-Safe Vanadium Redox Flow Battery in an Industrial Complex

Korea Southern Power (KOSPO) announced on the 2nd that it had completed the nation’s first installation of a fire-resistant, non-flammable Vanadium Redox Flow Battery (VRFB) Energy Storage System (ESS) at the Myeongji Noksan National Industrial Complex in Busan on the 30th of last month.

According to KOSPO, the ESS installation project was carried out as part of the ‘Industrial Complex Energy Self-Sufficiency Infrastructure Construction and Operation Project,’ led by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and the Korea Industrial Complex Corporation, with support from Busan Metropolitan City.

After winning the project in June 2023, KOSPO began full-scale efforts to build a fire-safe ESS. The company later partnered with H2 to complete the installation of the energy storage system.

The newly installed VRFB ESS has a capacity of 1MWh and will be applied to companies within the industrial complex. It is expected to improve power quality, reduce peak loads, lower carbon emissions, and cut energy costs, thereby enhancing the energy self-sufficiency of the complex.

The Vanadium Redox Flow Battery uses a water-based electrolyte, making it a non-flammable ESS. Compared to lithium-ion batteries, it structurally reduces fire risks and offers high safety. With a lifespan of over 25 years and the ability to withstand more than 20,000 charge-discharge cycles, it is considered a leading technology for long-term operation.

Kwon Dal-jeong, Head of Carbon Neutrality at KOSPO, stated, “We will lead the way in establishing the Myeongji Noksan complex as a representative RE100 (Renewable Energy 100%)-based carbon-neutral industrial complex in Busan and in spreading this exemplary model to industrial complexes nationwide.”