SK Innovation

Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the solar energy industry, with $13 billion invested in integrating AI across the value chain, from manufacturing to grid integration. This structural shift includes AI-driven improvements in product quality, production efficiency, and energy consumption, as well as partnerships between tech firms and solar developers. Innovations like digital twins and virtual power plants are moving from experimental to essential, driven by rising data center energy demands. In other market news, SK Innovation rose 8% to ₩135,600, while Shandong Sinocera Functional Material fell 8.5% to CN¥64.01. SK Innovation's merger of battery and energy divisions could boost EBITDA by ₩200 billion by 2030. Tesla closed at $367.95, up 5.5%, Equinor at NOK399.40, up 3.4%, and GE Vernova at $898.53, down 1.5%.

South Korea's Kospi closed at 6,835.8 points on Tuesday, up 0.23%, as buyback-driven gains in Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix offset net selling from foreign, institutional, and retail investors alike. The index marked its second straight gain, having opened 0.52% lower after fresh U.S.-Iran airstrikes and a hawkish Fed speech from Chair Kevin Warsh unsettled global markets. The Kospi erased losses in the afternoon as government data showed Korea's August exports stayed solid on strong chip demand, with Samsung rising 0.38% and SK Hynix advancing 1.14%, both aided by recently announced buyback programs. Trade volume was light at 263.7 million shares worth 17.5 trillion won ($12.8 billion), with advancers narrowly beating decliners 444 to 421. Foreign investors sold a net 491.9 billion won, institutions sold 634 billion won, and retail investors sold 539.8 billion won. Oil refiners gained on rising crude prices, with SK Innovation up 7.81% and S-Oil up 1.07%, while Hanwha Aerospace fell 3.99% and Celltrion slipped 0.48%. The won weakened 1.8 won to trade at 1,370.4 per dollar as of 3:30 p.m., reflecting broader risk-off pressure from the Middle East escalation.

TerraPower announced two agreements with Hyundai Engineering & Construction and SK Innovation to develop and commercialize its Natrium nuclear technology across the United States, Korea and select international markets. Under a framework agreement, TerraPower selected HDEC as its engineering, procurement and construction contractor to build up to eight future Natrium reactors with completion, price and performance guarantees. Separately, TerraPower and SK Innovation signed a term sheet to advance their intent to develop Korea's first commercial Natrium plant and explore collaboration on digital twin technology and artificial intelligence. The first Natrium plant is being developed through the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program and is expected to be completed in 2030.

SK Inc. and KKR have signed definitive agreements to launch Korea's largest renewable energy platform, valued at KRW 2 trillion, approximately $1.3 billion. The platform consolidates renewable assets from SK Innovation, SK ecoplant, and SK eternix, covering solar, onshore and offshore wind, and fuel cells. It currently has about 1.7 gigawatts of capacity in operation, with a development pipeline that will bring total capacity to 10 gigawatts. KKR will have management control in the initial phase, while SK participates as an equity investor. The platform aims to meet surging clean-power demand from AI data centers and semiconductor manufacturing.