[Edaily Reporter PARK MIN ] Domestic secondary battery material stocks, including L&F(066970)and POSCO FUTURE M(003670), are showing strength in early trading on the 31st, driven by expectations that they will benefit from the U.S. government’s efforts to strengthen grid security.

According to MP Doctor, as of 9:53 a.m. today, L&F is trading at 144,600 won, up 7.27% from the previous trading day. At the same time, POSCO FUTURE M(003670)is also trading at 195,900 won, up 5.15%.

L&F’s strong performance today follows news that SK On, a battery cell manufacturer, has signed a large-scale battery supply contract estimated to be worth 1.5 trillion won in the U.S. energy storage system (ESS) market. This is interpreted as buying interest surging on expectations that L&F, a key partner in cathode materials, will also benefit from the spillover effect.

Additionally, analysts note that U.S. President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency regarding the U.S. bulk power system on the 26th of this month served as momentum for the rebound in rechargeable battery stocks. The White House determined that, given the increasing importance of a stable power supply, reliance on foreign-made power equipment could lead to supply chain disruptions and the risk of cyberattacks.

Notably, the scope of this executive order directly includes not only transformers and generators but also battery energy storage systems (BESS), grid-connected inverters, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), and related software. This indicates that the U.S. government has begun treating the entire ESS system—beyond the country of origin of individual battery cells—as a strategic supply chain component for its national power grid.

Analysts in the securities industry predict that this measure will shift the competitive focus in the U.S. ESS market from simply “price” to “local production capacity” and “supply chain stability and security,” thereby significantly strengthening the position of South Korean battery companies.

Choi Bo-young, an analyst at KYOBOSECURITIESCO.,LTD., stated, “The U.S. has begun to view ESS not merely as a battery market but from a national security perspective.” She added, “As the competitive criteria in the U.S. ESS market expand to focus on local production and security, the strategic value and competitiveness of South Korean battery companies—which possess production infrastructure within the U.S.—will be further highlighted compared to Chinese firms that previously dominated the market by leveraging price competitiveness.”