Hanjung America, a subsidiary of South Korea-based battery manufacturer Hanjung NCS, will build its first US energy storage system (ESS) manufacturing facility in Huntington, Indiana, US.
Hanjung, which manufactures ESS components for South Korean battery and electronics materials manufacturer Samsung SDI, will construct the facility on 133 acres at the Riverfork West Industrial Park.
According to the company, it will primarily utilise the new site to supply cooling systems and advanced direct injection fire extinguishers for ESS. This will support the supply chain for auto manufacturer Stellantis and Samsung SDI’s StarPlus Energy electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing plant in Kokomo, Indiana.
Press releases from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) and Huntington County state that Hanjung will support the EV plant, but they do not specify how ESS equipment will contribute to it.
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From the IEDC release, Hanjung NCS does make “parts such as cooling fan modules, battery modules for electric and hybrid vehicles, and various sensors and controllers that support the functionality and safety of these systems.”
Reports suggest Stellantis might exit the StarPlus venture with Samsung SDI. If this occurs, Samsung may examine retooling the plant to produce ESS cells, but it remains uncertain at this point.
Hanjung plans to break ground in April, with operations starting at the facility in June 2027. The company also states it will initially hire over 300 employees in Huntington and anticipates that full employment could exceed 440 jobs in the future, with average wages surpassing the county average.
The IEDC has committed to investing up to US$4.5 million in Hanjung America through incentive-based tax credits. This includes up to US$400,000 in Hoosier Business Investment tax credits and up to US$200,000 in training grants, contingent upon the company’s plans to make substantial investments in Indiana and generate over 500 new jobs across the state.
These incentives are tied to performance, so the company can claim state benefits after making investments and creating jobs. Huntington County said it also provided extra incentives to back the project.
Hanjung is not the only South Korea-based company establishing operations in Indiana to support the StarPlus gigafactories. Soulbrain MI announced in 2022 that it would be constructing a manufacturing facility to increase production of high-purity electrolyte for lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries.
In 2023, Jaewon Industrial announced plans to establish a chemical recycling plant in Kokomo to serve Li-ion battery manufacturers.
In September 2025, at the RE+ US clean energy industry event, Samsung SDI introduced two domestically produced BESS products: Samsung Battery Box 1.7 (SBB 1.7) and SBB 2.0.
SBB 1.7 is a 6.14MWh high energy density system utilising nickel cobalt aluminium oxide (NCA) battery cells. In the company’s Q3 2025 financial results, it stated that local production of NCA batteries had already begun in October, at a factory in Indiana, through StarPlus Energy.
In February, Samsung SDI and South Korean state-utility Korea East-West Power (EWP) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop and invest in global ESS and renewables projects. The signing ceremony was held on 6 February at StarPlus Energy.
Under the agreement, the companies will partner to develop and invest in energy projects both domestically and internationally, including ESS. Additionally, they will collaborate on new business models, such as renewable energy initiatives and grid stabilisation efforts.
Last year, a consultant told Energy-Storage.news that evolving trends in the US BESS industry might soon reduce its reliance on Chinese batteries. This shift is partly driven by South Korean battery makers, like Samsung SDI, announcing plans to ramp up local production and repurpose some EV battery lines for BESS cells.
In February, LG Energy Solution (LG ES) purchased Stellantis’s stake in its large-scale battery plant in Ontario, Canada. LG ES has started supplying LFP cells to BESS customers from its Holland, Michigan, plant, where it is increasing annual capacity to 17GWh, mainly through retooled EV battery lines, with plans to expand further.
Energy Storage Summit USA 2026 will be held from 24-25 March 2026, in Dallas, TX. It features keynote speeches and panel discussions on topics like FEOC challenges, power demand forecasting, and managing the BESS supply chain. ESN Premium subscribers can get an exclusive discount on ticket prices. For complete information, visit the Energy Storage Summit USA website.
