The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, was joined today by the Premier of Quebec, François Legault, to welcome a new electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility.
The electric vehicle battery facility will be built by Northvolt Batteries North America in Saint-Basile-le-Grand and McMasterville, Quebec.
All along the electric vehicle supply chain, from mining to processing critical minerals, through building batteries, Quebec is attracting historic investments from companies all around the world.
These investments are growing the economy and creating well-paying jobs for decades to come.
The electric vehicle battery facility will produce the cleanest batteries in the world
Powered by clean electricity, the batteries produced at the facility will be amongst the greenest batteries in the world.
Once fully operational, the electric vehicle battery plant will generate economic benefits equal to the value of the production incentives provided, within five to nine years.
It will also support tens of thousands of jobs across the country and contribute up to CA$1.6bn to GDP annually when at full capacity.
Peter Carlsson, co-founder and CEO of Northvolt, stated: “We established the facility with a clear vision to pioneer a sustainable model for the battery industry.
“Today, we begin an exciting new chapter for the company by establishing a foundation for North American operations in Canada from which to deliver solutions to accelerate the decarbonisation of society.”
Building a strong and competitive economy
Occupying an area equivalent to 318 football fields, the Northvolt project will have an annual electric vehicle battery manufacturing capacity of up to 60 GWh, which is enough to power approximately one million electric vehicles per year.
The first 30-GWh phase of the project, valued at $7bn in total investment, will create up to 3,000 jobs in the region as the plant reaches its full production potential.
This first phase will also include adjacent facilities for cathode active material production and battery recycling. This will make it the only fully integrated electric vehicle battery facility of this type in Canada, and one of the only ones in the world.
“Once again, with Northvolt’s new facility, the world is choosing Quebec and Quebec workers,” said Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada.
“When electric vehicle batteries are made in Quebec, it’s a win-win-win for workers, communities, and the environment. We’ll always keep doing our part to make sure global companies and automakers can keep setting up shop in Quebec.”
These investments in Canada’s electric vehicle supply chain are a historic vote of confidence in Quebec from global automakers.
They also continue to put Quebec, and Canada, at the forefront of electric vehicle manufacturing, as the country works to build a strong, competitive economy and fight climate change.
