Northvolt

Planned $7 million lithium-ion battery gigafactory in southern Quebec secured as “essential” to Swedish battery-maker’s global manufacturing strategy despite filing for bankruptcy in the U.S last week

Northvolt says it will continue construction of a $7-billion factory on Montreal's South Shore "as planned" — hours after its CEO said the Swedish battery manufacturer would hit the brakes on its international development plan to refocus on its plant back home.

An environmental group sued; Quebecers complained that the price tag was too high at a time when Legault was crying poverty during salary negotiations with teachers and nurses; and vandals sabotaged the work site east of Montreal by driving metal bars into trees, hoping to damage clear-cutting machinery.

Ian Sam Yue Chi, the president and CEO of the Corporation des concessionnaires d'automobiles, the province's auto dealers association, said that without the rebate, currently worth up to $7,000, some consumers won't be able to afford zero-emission electric vehicles. 

Lawyer Jessica Leblanc says it was "unreasonable" for the province's Environment Department to have authorized Northvolt to begin work on the site because it didn't have enough information on the environmental impacts.

Nikkei Asia, a Japanese news outlet, reports Honda is considering building both a vehicle and battery plant in the country as part of efforts to catch up in the electric vehicle market.

A billion-dollar battery cell production plant in Maple Ridge, B.C., will produce up to 135 million batteries each year as part of Canada's push toward clean technology, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2023, during a stop in Metro Vancouver.

The Quebec government has committed upto $2.9 billion to secure the deal, including both construction help and production incentives, while the federal government will contribute up to $1.34 billion.