First‑Ever Export of Lithium Hexafluorophosphate to South Korea Opens Overseas Market for GPC's New‑Energy Materials

    In July 2025, a shipment of lithium hexafluorophosphate passed customs inspection and was shipped from Shanghai Port to South Korea. This marks Guizhou Province’s first export of lithium hexafluorophosphate in the new energy materials sector. The exporter is GPC New Energy, a subsidiary of Guizhou Phosphate Chemical Group (GPC).

    Lithium hexafluorophosphate serves as the core solute for lithium‑ion‑battery electrolytes. As the “blood” of lithium‑ion batteries, electrolytes transport lithium ions between cathodes and anodes. The purity of lithium hexafluorophosphate directly determines battery conductivity, cycle life and safety performance. Key battery performance metrics including driving range, charging speed and service life largely hinge on the quality of lithium hexafluorophosphate. The product features high technical barriers, and its manufacturing process was long monopolized by a small number of global major chemical enterprises. GPC is a relatively new entrant to this segment: its production line came online at the end of 2023 as Guizhou’s first lithium hexafluorophosphate production facility.

    Following the official commissioning of the lithium hexafluorophosphate line at GPC New Energy, amid industry‑wide technological iteration and product upgrading, R&D efforts focused on process optimization and quality consistency. The production team devoted substantial efforts to parameter tuning and equipment improvement, and finally overcame bottlenecks in stable product quality. Having passed quality audits by South Korean buyers, the product was successfully exported, fully demonstrating GPC’s R&D and technical‑problem‑solving capabilities.

    South Korea is a global hub for the lithium‑battery industry, home to leading players such as Samsung SDI and LG Energy Solution. As a core electrolyte raw material, lithium hexafluorophosphate is subject to stringent supplier qualification requirements in the South Korean market. Market access to South Korea proves that GPC’s products have met mainstream international standards in quality and stability.

    GPC is now planning to expand new lithium hexafluorophosphate production lines in Kaiyang County, Guizhou. Leveraging its industrial and resource advantages in thermal‑process phosphoric acid (yellow phosphorus‑chlor‑alkali chemicals), purified phosphoric acid and fluorochemicals, GPC will systematically build a complete industrial system covering phosphate ore‑phosphoric acid‑iron phosphate‑lithium iron phosphate and lithium hexafluorophosphate.

    The Group will continue to scale up phosphorus‑based new‑energy‑material businesses and forge ahead into the promising new‑energy‑materials track.