SK Innovation bleeds W2.5tr in operating losses as revenue shrinks 30%

2021. 1. 29. 17:56
글자크기 설정 파란원을 좌우로 움직이시면 글자크기가 변경 됩니다.

이 글자크기로 변경됩니다.

(예시) 가장 빠른 뉴스가 있고 다양한 정보, 쌍방향 소통이 숨쉬는 다음뉴스를 만나보세요. 다음뉴스는 국내외 주요이슈와 실시간 속보, 문화생활 및 다양한 분야의 뉴스를 입체적으로 전달하고 있습니다.

SK Innovation CEO Kim Jun (SK Innovation)

SK Innovation’s revenue fell to 34.16 trillion won ($34.16 billion) last year, a 30.7 percent plunge from 49.87 trillion won on-year, as the pandemic dealt a massive blow to its petrochemical business.

According to the South Korean battery-to-petrochemical giant’s regulatory filing on Friday, the company posted an operating loss worth 2.5 trillion won, swinging to red from an operating profit 1.2 trillion won in 2019.

The revenue of SK Innovation’ petrochemical business, which stood at 35.81 trillion won in 2019, nosedived to 22.63 trillion won last year, due to aggravated sales amid the coronavirus outbreak.

However, SK Innovation managed to salvage its key business: batteries. The company’s battery business registered 1.6 trillion won in revenue, more than double from 690.3 billion won on-year.

“SK Innovation’s battery business entered trillion-won figures in revenue for the first time,” a company official said.

Despite the bleak annual results, SK Innovation pledged that it will continue its investment in the booming battery business. On the same day, SK Innovation said it would invest 1.26 trillion won in SK Battery Hungary to build battery plant No. 3 in the country.

“This year, SK Innovation’s battery production capacity will increase to 40 gigawatt-hours as battery plants in China worth 20 gigawatt-hours will be operational,” the SK Innovation official said.

SK Innovation aims to establish battery production capacity worth 85 gigawatt-hours by 2023 and 125 gigawatt-hours by 2025.

By Kim Byung-wook (kbw@heraldcorp.com)

<ⓒKoreaHerald(www.koreaherald.com)무단전재 및 재배포 금지>

Copyright © 코리아헤럴드. 무단전재 및 재배포 금지.

이 기사에 대해 어떻게 생각하시나요?