What Samsung C&T Renewables does

Samsung C&T Trading Division (삼성물산 상사부문) is the global trading and energy project development arm of Samsung C&T Corporation (KOSPI: 000830), a publicly listed South Korean conglomerate with corporate origins dating to 1938. The division operates across five business segments — Industrial Materials I (steel, with 50+ years of experience), Industrial Materials II (chemicals, fertilizers, non-ferrous metals, 70+ years), Energy (LNG, renewable energy development), Tech (semiconductor and battery materials), and New Business (renewables, recycling) — and generated approximately 13.3 trillion KRW in revenue and 3.6 trillion KRW in operating profit in 2024. It serves enterprise B2B clients across 41 countries through 70 overseas offices and regional headquarters in North America, Latin America, Europe/Africa/Middle East, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia.

The renewable energy business has become a strategic growth pillar, built around a greenfield development model in which the division acquires land use rights, conducts grid interconnection studies, obtains permits, and then sells the resulting "project rights" (intangible assets) to institutional buyers — typically a 3-year cycle. This model has produced approximately $300 million in cumulative US solar divestment gains over 5 years and a 23.2 GW development pipeline in the United States alone as of March 2025. The energy portfolio also spans BESS co-development (LS ELECTRIC, eREX, Renova), clean hydrogen and ammonia trading (exemplified by a $3 billion 15-year green ammonia SPA with India's Reliance Industries beginning 2028), and the first Korean-operated RSPO-certified palm plantation (20,000 hectares in Indonesia).

Revenue is generated primarily through commodity transaction margins on cross-regional trade flows (steel, chemicals, fertilizers, non-ferrous metals, LNG), renewable energy project rights sales, and ownership of long-cycle industrial assets including LNG terminals and combined-cycle power plants (Mexico, Chile), stainless steel precision plants (Romania, China), steel coil centers (Slovakia, Mexico, Malaysia, Vietnam), and the Indonesian palm plantation acquired in 2008. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales through directly staffed regional and country offices, with contracts negotiated bilaterally on multi-year terms rather than through intermediary channels.

Name

Samsung C&T Renewables

Legal name

Samsung C&T Corporation (삼성물산 주식회사)

Website

https://trading.samsungcnt.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1938

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Samsung C&T Trading Division (삼성물산 상사부문) is the global trading and renewable energy project development arm of Samsung C&T Corporation, generating 13.3 trillion KRW (~$10B) in 2024 revenue across steel, chemicals, fertilizers, LNG, and solar/BESS project development for enterprise clients in 41 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Commodity Trading and Renewable Energy Development

NAICS

Battery Manufacturing (335910)

SIC

Wholesale-Electrical Appliances, Tv & Radio Sets (5064)

akta.pro primary industry

C&I Renewable Supply & Green Tariffs (Bundled RE, Sleeves, Utility Green Tariffs) (EUAGACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

DC/DC Converters & Battery Interface Power Electronics (EUAFAIAD)

Keywords

• Industrial commodity trading
• Renewable energy development
• Solar project development
• Battery energy storage
• Green ammonia trading

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices30 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Industrial Materials Trading: Trading of steel, chemicals, fertilizers, and non-ferrous metals globally. Revenue is generated through commodity transaction fees and margins on cross-regional trade flows. This is the historical core revenue driver with over 50 years (steel) and 70 years (chemicals) of operating experience.
2. Renewable Energy Project Development: Development and sale of solar, wind, and BESS project rights (intangible assets). The company acquires land use rights, conducts grid connection studies, obtains permits, then sells the 'project rights' before construction commencement. Samsung C&T has sold projects generating approximately $300 million in cumulative gains over 5 years in the US solar market. Also expanding to co-development and power plant operation.
3. Green Hydrogen/Ammonia Trading: Long-term green ammonia supply contracts (e.g., $3 billion SPA with Reliance Industries for 15-year supply starting 2028), hydrogen trading, and clean energy supply chain development.
4. Palm Oil Production and Trading: 20,000 hectare palm plantation in Indonesia producing CPO (crude palm oil) and biomass fuel. Includes RSPO-certified sustainable production and local small business support programs.
5. Energy Infrastructure Investments: LNG terminals (Manzanillo, Mexico), gas combined-cycle power plants (Chile), stainless steel precision processing plants (Romania, Slovakia, China), and oil/gas exploration participation.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Samsung C&T Renewables (삼성물산 상사부문) is the Trading Division of Samsung C&T Corporation, operating as a global trading and project development company. It trades industrial materials including steel, chemicals, fertilizers, and non-ferrous metals, and develops renewable energy projects (solar, battery energy storage systems, green hydrogen and ammonia) from greenfield site acquisition through to the sale of project rights to institutional buyers.

Product overview

Samsung C&T Trading Division operates as a comprehensive trading company with five main business segments: Industrial Materials I (Steel), Industrial Materials II (Chemicals/Fertilizers/Nonferrous Metals), Energy, Tech, and New Business. The company offers global trading services across industrial materials while also developing renewable energy projects including solar photovoltaic development, hydrogen and ammonia business, and battery energy storage systems (BESS). Additional operations include palm oil plantation management in Indonesia and steel service centers (coil centers) across multiple countries. With over 70 years of trading experience and 70+ global offices in 41 countries, the company serves as a full-line energy provider and industrial materials supplier.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Solar project development cycle of ~3 years from greenfield to project rights sale
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Reliance Industries Limited (India)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2026Samsung C&T Trading Division signed a $3 billion green ammonia long-term purchase and supply agreement (SPA) with India's Reliance Industries. Starting 2028, Samsung C&T will receive green ammonia from Reliance for 15 years. This is the largest such agreement in Reliance's global green ammonia portfolio and enables Samsung C&T to address growing domestic and international clean ammonia demand and expand its hydrogen trading foundation.
• Octopus Australia (subsidiary of Octopus Group, UK)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 February 2026Samsung C&T's Australian renewable energy subsidiary (Samsung C&T Renewable Energy Australia, SREA) sold its developed 300MW solar + 150MW/300MWh BESS project at Dunmore, Queensland to Octopus Australia. The project powers ~60,000 Australian households annually. This represents Samsung C&T's first successful exit in the Australian solar market, validating its greenfield development model in that region.
• eREX Co., Ltd. (Japan)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 November 2025Samsung C&T's Tokyo office signed an MOU with Japanese power utility eREX for joint development of BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) projects in Japan. The two companies plan to establish a joint venture company and start with a pilot 2MW/8MWh BESS project in Miyazaki Prefecture's Kushima City, targeting expansion to 20MW+ large projects.
• PT Inecda (Indonesia Palm Plantation)coreOthers · 1 August 2025PT Inecda (Samsung C&T's palm plantation subsidiary in Riau, Indonesia) was awarded the Riau Province Local Small Business Collaboration Best Award in 2025 for its community development programs supporting local small businesses and micro-enterprises. Operates 20,000 hectares with RSPO certification.
• LS ELECTRIC (Korea)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2025Samsung C&T completed the establishment of a joint venture with LS ELECTRIC for solar development in the US. The first collaboration project is a 500MW BESS project in Texas. LS ELECTRIC contributes power technology expertise (transmission/distribution) while Samsung C&T brings project development capabilities. This represents a model diversification from pure greenfield development to co-development with specialized partners.
• Namhae Chemical (Korea)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025Samsung C&T and Namhae Chemical signed a joint agreement to promote clean ammonia infrastructure business in South Korea. Both parties are collaborating on developing clean ammonia infrastructure to support the hydrogen economy.
• Renova (USA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024Renova partnership for Dios BESS project in Texas, USA. Partnership focused on co-development of battery energy storage system project.
• DSM SemiChem (USA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024DSM SemiChem completed construction of a high-purity sulfuric acid plant in Texas, USA in July 2024. Samsung C&T has been involved in related infrastructure and development.
• HyStation (Korea)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2024HyStation's first hydrogen charging station was completed in June 2024, marking Samsung C&T's entry into hydrogen refueling infrastructure. Samsung C&T is a shareholder in this initiative alongside Korean Gas Corporation and other partners.
• Korean Gas Corporation (Korea)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023Samsung C&T participated in the shareholder agreement for HyStation, a hydrogen charging station project alongside Korean Gas Corporation and other partners, indicating involvement in the hydrogen charging infrastructure ecosystem.
• Korea Southern Power (Korea)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023Samsung C&T signed a business development agreement with Namhae Chemical and Korea Southern Power for clean hydrogen import and utilization, expanding the clean energy supply chain ecosystem.
• Petronas Hydrogen (Malaysia)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Samsung C&T exchanged an MOU with Malaysia's Petronas Hydrogen for hydrogen business collaboration, marking entry into the Southeast Asian hydrogen market.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SK Ecoplant: Korean company with renewable energy development (solar, wind), ESS, and clean energy infrastructure businesses. Direct Korean-market peer to Samsung C&T's renewable project development and energy storage activities.
• Lightsource bp: Global solar project developer and operator with major US utility-scale pipeline. Direct competitor for US greenfield solar development deals where Samsung C&T is active with its 23.2 GW pipeline.
• Sumitomo Corporation: Japanese trading house with growing renewable energy, energy infrastructure, and hydrogen business alongside traditional commodity trading. Closely comparable to Samsung C&T's mix of trading heritage and emerging clean energy franchise.
• Marubeni Corporation: Japanese general trading company (sogo shosha) with significant US and global solar/renewable energy development operations, including a major US renewables business. Most directly comparable peer given the combination of diversified commodity trading and greenfield renewable project development at global scale.
• Hanwha Solutions: Korean conglomerate unit with large-scale solar manufacturing (Qcells) and renewable energy development globally. Korean peer that competes with Samsung C&T in solar project development and clean energy ambition.
• ITOCHU Corporation: Japanese sogo shosha with active renewable energy development and energy trading operations across power, LNG, and hydrogen. Comparable to Samsung C&T's diversified trading-plus-renewable development model with similar global geographic reach.
• Mitsui & Co. Japanese sogo shosha with substantial renewable energy (solar, wind, BESS) project development worldwide plus global commodity trading. Direct competitor in the greenfield renewable project origination and trading model that defines Samsung C&T's renewables strategy.

Broad incumbents

• ENGIE: Large French multinational utility with substantial global renewable energy development and hydrogen strategy. Overlaps with Samsung C&T in green hydrogen/ammonia and renewable project origination, though much larger and more diversified.

Others

• Octopus Energy Group: UK-based renewable energy investor/operator that acquired Samsung C&T's Dunmore solar+BESS project in Australia. Customer and acquirer of Samsung C&T-developed project rights rather than a direct competitor.
• Reliance Industries Limited: Indian conglomerate and Samsung C&T's counterparty in the $3B green ammonia SPA. Strategic partner in the hydrogen/ammonia value chain rather than a competitor, but a critical relationship given the contract size.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SamsungTrading
• Facebookfacebook.com/samsungcnt.trading
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/samsung-c-t-renewables

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Samsung C&T Renewables