EV battery giant Northvolt to build multibillion-dollar plant in Quebec

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Quebec Premier François Legault are in Montreal Thursday to announce that a multibillion-dollar electric vehicle battery plant will be built east of the city.

Executives with the Swedish company Northvolt, a battery manufacturer and the largest integrated battery maker in Europe, will join the political leaders in Montreal at 11 a.m. ET to announce their pick for the new mega-factory.

The plant, poised to be built in the area near Saint-Basile-le-Grand and McMasterville, Que., about 30 kilometres east of Montreal, is expected to create approximately 4,000 jobs. The chosen location is expected to be the size of more than 75 football fields, or 100 hectares.

The province beat out California for the deal by having more attractive financing conditions, according to Radio-Canada.

Various reports including by Radio-Canada have cited public and private investments close to $7 billion for the project.

In total, Quebec and Ottawa are expected to invest $2.7 billion for the construction of the factory, expected to be built by the end of 2026.

The Swedish giant purchased almost double the amount of land needed for the project for a possible future expansion.

But the news is already raising fears in the region related to noise and pollution from the plant.

A petition with 700 signatures has been submitted to the McMasterville municipal council to block the project.

Thursday's event will add to a series of recent announcements in the battery ecosystem in Quebec. Ottawa and Quebec announced an investment of more than $640 million for a new Ford EV plant in Bécancour, Que., last month.