Lotte Energy Materials is increasing battery copper foil shipments to energy storage system (ESS) and North American customers as electric-vehicle demand remains uneven, while converting capacity toward high-value circuit foil for AI accelerators and network equipment. The company reported second-quarter revenue of ₩194.2 billion (approximately $141.0 million), up 21% from ₩159.8 billion, and SK Securities projects third-quarter revenue of ₩262.2 billion (approximately $189.5 million), with shipments rising 43% from 6,100 tons to 8,750 tons. North American demand is supported by U.S. restrictions on Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit eligibility when more than 40% of battery costs come from Foreign Entities of Concern, including China. Lotte’s factory utilization rate rose from 66.6% to 72.1% in the second quarter, but ESS-grade foil carries lower margins than EV foil and expansion-related depreciation remains a burden. SK Securities expects a third-quarter operating loss of ₩20.4 billion (approximately $14.7 million), compared with ₩16.9 billion (approximately $12.2 million) in the second quarter. Longer-term earnings could benefit from higher circuit foil prices, high-value HVLP copper foil and potential semiconductor packaging supply agreements, although yields on technically demanding 2–5μm products with surface roughness of 0.8μm or less remain a major challenge.