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Asahi Kasei announced today that it will construct an integrated plant in Ontario, Canada for the base film manufacturing and coating of Hipore™ wet-process lithium-ion battery (LIB) separator¹. In relation to this plant, Asahi Kasei has concluded a basic agreement with Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda) and the two parties are currently studying joint investment. Also with regard to the Canadian plant, it has been agreed that Asahi Kasei Battery Separator Corp.², which is scheduled to be established in October 2024, will receive funding from the Development Bank of Japan Inc. (DBJ) through the issuance of preferred shares. Furthermore, receipt of financial support from the federal government of Canada and the provincial government of Ontario regarding this investment is expected.

Outline of the Canadian investment (plant construction)
1) Location: Ontario, Canada
2) Plant overview: Integrated plant for the base film manufacturing and coating of Hipore™ lithium-ion battery separator
3) Total investment amount: Approximately ¥180 billion
4) Production capacity: Approximately 700 million m² per year (as coated film)
5) Start of operation: Commercial start-up scheduled in 2027

The necessary funds for this investment will be provided to ES Materials Canada Corp., the Canadian separator business company, and E-Materials Canada Corp., the local manufacturing company responsible for plant construction and manufacturing, through ES Materials Holdings Corp., the North American separator business company.

For more detail about this press release, please visit at our corporation website.

¹A lithium-ion battery separator is a microporous membrane that provides a barrier between the positive and negative electrodes of a lithium-ion battery, allowing lithium ions to pass through while preventing short circuits.
²Please refer to the press release “Transfer of lithium-ion battery separator business by corporate separation (simplified absorption-type separation) （107.9KB）” dated February 7, 2024.