Advanced precision chemical materials company ITCEM has secured production facilities for heavy water, a strategic material for displays and semiconductors, for the first time in Korea. Its annual production capacity is 10 tons, equivalent to about 10% of current domestic annual consumption.

ITCEM held a completion ceremony for “Goesan Plant 1” at the Goesan Industrial Complex in North Chungcheong Province on the 21st. The plant, which spans approximately 4,000 pyeong, is scheduled to produce heavy water and display materials such as organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The event was attended by members of the National Assembly, the chairperson of the provincial council, the vice governor of Goesan County, officials from the Ministry of Science and ICT, former Science and Technology Innovation Office head Professor Joo Young-chang, as well as executives from major companies including LG and Lotte, and heads of government-funded research institutes, among others from politics, government, industry, and academia.

ITCEM built Goesan Plant 1 to establish a stable mass-production system for advanced electronic materials such as OLED materials and to secure a production base for heavy water. Heavy water is a strategic material whose applications are expanding across various fields, including OLED displays, semiconductors, and pharmaceuticals, but Korea has so far relied entirely on imports. ITCEM is regarded as the only company in Korea that has secured mass-production technology for heavy water.

Unlike ordinary water, heavy water is composed of deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen, and is used as a moderator in nuclear power generation, with its production and distribution strictly controlled internationally. ITCEM has secured heavy water commercialization technology through its waste heavy water recycling technology. The company stated that, with the completion of Goesan Plant 1, it plans to reduce dependence on overseas heavy water supplies and contribute to industrial competitiveness and national security.

ITCEM has also secured an additional site of about 5,000 pyeong near Goesan Plant 1 and is constructing Plant 2. Plant 2 is scheduled for completion at the end of this year and is targeted to begin operation in 2027. If the operation of Goesan Plant 1 and the completion of Plant 2 proceed in stages, total production capacity is expected to expand to more than three times the current level.

Kim In-gyu, CEO of ITCEM, said, “The completion of Goesan Plant 1 marks the starting point for substantially strengthening ITCEM’s mass-production and supply capabilities aimed at the global market, based on the precision chemical materials technology the company has accumulated.”

Popular News