South Korea’s battery industry is targeting a growing U.S. market for ESS (energy storage systems that store and dispatch power) as artificial intelligence data centers (facilities serving AI workloads) drive power demand higher. The first project under the government’s strategic investment plan for the United States involves a 6.3-gigawatt combined-cycle gas-fired plant in Encinal, Texas, costing approximately 30 trillion won ($22.1 billion) and designed to supply nearby data centers with a combined capacity of 5 GW. Analysts say BESS (battery energy storage systems) will need to operate alongside gas generation to manage output fluctuations and power quality. SK On, LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI are adapting U.S. production capacity for ESS, including lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, while transformer, circuit-breaker and cable manufacturers also stand to benefit. KOTRA projects U.S. data-center power demand will rise from 52 GW last year to 115 GW by 2030.