Four-day customer event held in Houston
Next-gen ESS 'GridOn Gen2' unveiled
Mass production targeted for 2027 to meet data center demand
SK On said Thursday it unveiled next-generation energy storage system products to US customers as part of its strategy to expand business in North America.
SK On participated as a sponsor at Clean Power 2026, organized by the American Clean Power Association in Houston, Texas, from June 1 through Thursday (local time), and held a private customer event at a venue in downtown Houston near the exhibition hall.
Around 150 representatives from approximately 50 companies attended, including global and US-based independent power producers, renewable energy project developers, utility companies, ESS system integrators, ESS solution providers and financial investors. The event was held on a closed, invitation-only basis, and SK On used the occasion to discuss business cooperation with key customers and lay the groundwork for expanding its local operations.
The event highlighted SK On's global business performance and technological competitiveness. The company said it had proactively built a US production base, operating a wholly owned factory in the country since 2022, and now holds approximately 100 gigawatt-hours of production capacity in the United States.
Industry figures from the US ESS sector spoke as guest presenters, outlining market growth prospects driven by the expansion of renewable energy and rising demand for grid stabilization, and said a stable and transparent supply chain was essential. They said SK On's established US production base and supply reliability have earned it strong trust among local customers.
SK On also unveiled its ESS product brand "GridOn" and its next-generation product, "GridOn Gen2." The GridOn name reflects the concept of "switching on the grid," embodying the company's commitment to advancing the energy transition through grid stabilization.
GridOn Gen2 is a next-generation ESS product under development tailored to the US market and customer requirements. SK On is targeting mass production in the third quarter of 2027. The product supports both DC and AC block configurations, in line with the industry's shift from traditional direct-current block systems toward power conversion system-integrated alternating-current block architectures.
To address growing demand for large-scale power capacity, SK On increased the energy capacity per container by an average of 15 percent. The company also applied advanced safety technologies, including an electrochemical impedance spectroscopy battery state estimation system and a coolant-based fire suppression system.
SK On also highlighted its supply chain competitiveness, saying its domestic production base and supply chain traceability system are designed to help customers reliably secure investment tax credits of up to 40 percent through 2030. The company operates four factories in the United States: SK Battery America Plants 1 and 2 in Georgia, the HSBMA plant scheduled to begin operation this year, and SK On Tennessee, a wholly owned facility in Tennessee.
SK On is targeting orders of more than 20 gigawatt-hours in the global ESS market this year and is currently in talks with US customers on ESS supply contracts totaling more than 10 gigawatt-hours.
"The United States is a key market where demand for both renewable energy expansion and grid stabilization is growing simultaneously," said Choi Dae-jin, head of SK On's ESS business division. "We will continue to expand our customer touchpoints, actively promote our differentiated product competitiveness and fire safety technology, and further strengthen our position in the North American ESS market."
Meanwhile, SK On recently completed a restructuring of BlueOval SK, its US battery joint venture with Ford, transitioning the Tennessee plant to sole operation. The move is intended to increase operational autonomy at its North American battery production base while reducing debt and fixed-cost burdens to improve its financial structure. The company plans to leverage its newly secured independent production base to respond more actively to shifts in the North American market.
eyre@heraldcorp.com
