(LG Energy Solution)

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South Korea’s three major battery makers — LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI, and SK On — are ramping up competition for the nation’s 1 trillion won ($735 million) energy storage system (ESS) Phase 2 project, with the tender set to open later this year. The new bidding round will place greater emphasis on non-price factors, signaling a possible shake-up in the rankings.

According to industry sources Tuesday, the Korea Power Exchange (KPX) will soon announce the second-phase tender for its central ESS contract market, with a preferred bidder expected to be named in February next year. The evaluation framework has been updated — the weighting for non-price factors has risen from 40 percent in the first round to 50 percent, while the scores for fire and facility safety and industrial and economic contributions have each been increased to 25 points.

To strengthen their competitiveness in industrial contribution, the three battery firms plan to manufacture their ESS batteries domestically: Samsung SDI in Ulsan, and LG Energy Solution and SK On in Seosan. Industry watchers expect the deciding factor to be safety performance, a key area under the revised scoring system.

“The first tender was heavily driven by price competitiveness,” a KPX official said. “This time, we raised the non-price component to ensure balance, with particular focus on fire safety.”

Competition will also split along battery chemistry lines — LG Energy Solution and SK On will propose lithium iron phosphate (LFP) pouch-type batteries, while Samsung SDI will enter with nickel-cobalt-aluminum (NCA) prismatic batteries.

Samsung SDI, which led the first round by securing 76 percent of total supply through its consortium, aims to maintain dominance by leveraging its strong safety management record. Meanwhile, LG Energy Solution — which took second place with a 24 percent share — is responding aggressively by building a dedicated LFP production line for ESS applications.