Busan is good

Busan Metropolitan City Secures Official Used Battery Safety Inspection Institution, Laying the Foundation for a Secondary Battery Circular Economy

내용

Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that, as an outcome of the “E-mobility Industry Ecosystem Revitalization Project Using Reused Batteries,” jointly advanced with Busan Techno Park (President Kim Hyeong-gyun), Busan Techno Park has been designated by the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy as an official “Used Battery Safety Inspection Institution.”

In 2023, Busan Metropolitan City was selected for a new eligible project under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s Smart Specialization Infrastructure Development Program. Since then, the City has carried out a range of tasks to build a reused battery ecosystem, including establishing reused battery evaluation equipment, supporting companies, building platforms and training specialized personnel, and securing the safety foundation for used batteries.

As the implementing organization for this project, Busan Techno Park has now secured the status of an accredited specialized institution capable of conducting safety inspections for the reuse of used batteries.

Used batteries are a rapidly growing emerging industry alongside the expanding adoption of electric vehicles. Even after their service life ends, EV batteries can be reused across various applications such as energy storage systems (ESS) and small mobility devices, giving them high utilization value. Compared to new batteries, they are highly competitive and are regarded as an industry that satisfies both economic feasibility and environmental sustainability through resource recycling.

With this certification, Busan Techno Park can now officially conduct used battery safety inspections in accordance with the KC10031 standard.

KC10031 is a newly established system introduced following amendments to the Electrical Appliances and Consumer Products Safety Control Act, and is an inspection framework designed to mandate safety assurance for used batteries.

Inspection institutions are responsible for the entire process, from pre-checking reused batteries to issuing test reports, and play a role in objectively verifying battery safety and performance.

Used battery safety inspection is a core system for preventing accidents involving reused and recycled batteries, which are rapidly increasing due to the growing adoption of electric vehicles, and for securing trust in the industry. It is considered an important element that goes beyond simple technical verification, serving as the basis for ensuring traceability of responsibility and standardizing procurement and transactions.

With this designation as a turning point, Busan Metropolitan City plans to strengthen the foundation for ensuring safety across the full lifecycle of used battery reuse and recycling, and to foster the region as a hub for the battery circular economy.

Until now, local companies had to use institutions in other regions for used battery safety inspections. With this designation, tangible corporate support effects are expected, including improved access to testing services and shorter inspection lead times.

Building on this, Busan Metropolitan City plans to fully launch a project to establish a used battery safety verification platform, and to advance the creation of a full lifecycle support system for secondary batteries and the development of a used battery ecosystem in a more systematic and advanced manner.

Mayor Park Heong-joon said, “Used batteries are a key field leading the global circular economy, and the reuse of used batteries begins with ensuring safety and trust in the market,” adding, “With the securing of a used battery safety inspection institution as a turning point, Busan Metropolitan City will continue to advance a wide range of projects to establish a used battery safety verification platform, and will lead meaningful changes in fostering new local industries and revitalizing the industry.”