LG Energy answers CATL: a sodium-ion 'mother line' at Ochang by year-end

LG Energy Solution will set up a sodium-ion battery mother line at its Ochang plant in North Chungcheong by the end of 2026, then run proof-of-concept projects with global customers in 2027, per Korean industry reports. Its approach is deliberately differentiated from CATL: LG will apply its proprietary Advanced Z-Stacking (AZS) process — which improves space utilization and energy density in the same footprint — rather than CATL's winding process. The plan follows a two-stage sample cadence (A-sample in Ochang, B-sample in Nanjing) toward a mass-production-ready C-sample, extending the sodium roadmap LG unveiled in 2025 and showcased at InterBattery in March.

Why it matters

The sodium-ion race just became a two-front battle. Days after CATL locked in a 5 GWh European deployment with Alfen, LG is moving from roadmap to production line — but chasing energy density (AZS) rather than pure cost, a bet that sodium can serve more than the cheapest grid tier. This is the same "made in [somewhere other than China]" hedge that won LG the Google Steel River LFP order, now extended to the next chemistry: as tariff walls harden, Korean cells with a differentiated process are the alternative Western buyers can source without Chinese exposure.

What to watch

Whether the Ochang line hits its year-end target, which global customers sign the 2027 PoCs, and AZS-sodium's delivered energy density and cost against CATL's Tener Sodium in real tenders.