The Legault government has made this one of its priorities: Quebec wants its own lithium-ion battery industry, from extracting the minerals needed for electric vehicle batteries to recycling them. Does Quebec really have the means to achieve its ambitions? And what are the steps to put in place for this sector to emerge? The duty offers a portrait of the situation.
States around the world are playing elbow to try to take the lead in the race to electrify transport, or at least to carve out a place for themselves to avoid being left behind. Quebec is no exception. “This is a daring project for Quebec society,” says Karim Zaghib, interviewer Karim Zaghib, expert in lithium-ion batteries and former director of the Center of Excellence in Transportation Electrification and Energy Storage at Hydro-Quebec. .
The one who now advises Investissement Québec on the establishment of this sector recognizes that “the competition is fierce”, but the province can, according to him, count on a competitive ecosystem – considering its mining potential, its hydroelectricity making it possible to improve the balance sheet. energy supply, in addition to its proximity to the American market.
The government is working hard to make this project a reality. “What we have invested to date in the battery industry is approximately $ 250 million. If we manage to complete the entire chain, we are talking about total investments that would not be far from 10 billion over the next 5 to 10 years ”, assesses the Minister of Economy and Innovation, Pierre Fitzgibbon, in interview at To have to.
The objective is to put in place all the stages of this sector to prevent our minerals from going abroad along the way. But it is not yet in the pocket.
Mineral exploration and extraction
It takes several minerals to make a lithium ion battery, especially graphite, lithium, cobalt, nickel, and copper. Mining projects related to these minerals have sprung up like mushrooms in recent years. For example, there are ten graphite mining projects, nine of which are in the exploration or development stage. Five out of six lithium mine projects are also at this stage.
“We are seeing quite a revival in mining exploration linked to renewable energies and the electrification of transport,” reports Tony Brisson, President and CEO of SOQUEM, the branch of Investissement Québec devoted to mineral exploration.
Currently, Canada produces a very small percentage of these minerals. The production of graphite is dominated by China in particular, and that of lithium by Australia. However, global demand is expected to increase by around 500% by 2050 compared to 2018 production levels for graphite, lithium and cobalt, estimates the World Bank. And Americans prefer to source from Quebec rather than from outside the continent, believes Investissement Quebec.
Mineral transformation
The transformation of minerals is a key step in the industry. And it should be done in Quebec, insists Minister Fitzgibbon. “The collective wealth will come from converting the ore into added value, compared to what we did before, sending our minerals elsewhere. Several projects are underway on this flank. Nemaska Lithium has started work in Bécancour for the construction of a plant to transform ore extracted from its Whabouchi mine, in Nord-du-Québec, into lithium hydroxide. This hydroxide can then be used in batteries powering electric cars.
In Abitibi, Sayona Quebec plans to restart mining at its North American Lithium mine in about a year and a half. It also intends to initiate a transformation into lithium carbonate within five years, explains CEO Guy Laliberté. In the meantime, Mr. Laliberté admits that his lithium will have to be transformed outside Quebec.
Nouveau Monde graphite, for its part, intends to open a plant in Bécancour in 2025 for the transformation of graphite into anode material.
Creation of anodes and cathodes
After the minerals are transformed, they are used to create anodes and cathodes, the main components of a battery cell.
The Quebec government is still trying to attract a cathode producer and is in discussions with at least “three groups”. None, however, has yet publicly announced their intention to settle in the province. In interview at To have toMinister Fitzgibbon said he expected to be able to make announcements “within three to six months.”
Quebec has no other choice but to look outside North America – more precisely Asia or Europe – to find a producer, concedes Mr. Fitzgibbon. “Of course we talk to people who are already doing it,” he says. We have never made a battery in Quebec. So, if we want to convince a major equipment manufacturer, like GM, Tesla or Ford [de s’approvisionner au Québec], they will look at us and tell us: “yes, you have the materials, but there, making a cathode, that takes a few years of experience”, ”he explained.
Cell assembly
The anodes and cathodes are assembled in an individual cell. A series of cells connected together form the battery.
Again, it’s racing. The announcements of setting up cell assembly factories are multiplying in North America, as elsewhere in the world. In Quebec, the companies Britishvolt (from the United Kingdom) and Stromvolt (from Ontario) have already made known their intentions. The first covets the industrial park and port of Bécancour to settle; this is where the Nemaska Lithium and Nouveau Monde graphite transformation plants will be located. The second has not yet specified its plans.
Mounting the battery pack
The assembly of the battery pack is itself most often carried out by vehicle manufacturers so that it is suitable for their models. This means that the cells that would be produced in Quebec could be sent elsewhere in North America and the rest of the world to manufacturers of electric vehicles.
Quebec does not have automobile manufacturers, but it does stand out in the production of heavy and commercial vehicles. Lion Electric, a Saint-Jérôme company specializing in the production of electric buses and trucks, has already announced the construction of a battery pack assembly plant. Quebec and Ottawa jointly injected $ 100 million for the project, the total bill for which is estimated at $ 185 million.
Battery recycling
The last link in the chain is that of recycling batteries. In Quebec, this key step is taking place at the Recyclage Lithion demonstration plant in Anjou, in operation since February 2020. The company is currently in the development phase and will be ready for marketing by 2023.
“At Lithion, we practice the circular economy”, summarizes Jean-Christophe Lambert, responsible for the business development of the company. By recycling 95% of battery components, Lithion manages to recover “battery grade” minerals, which can be reintegrated into the chain to produce anodes and cathodes. In other words, we skip the stages of extraction and transformation.
The advantage of a shorter circuit could be reflected in the prices. “The long-term goal is for recycled materials to cost less than virgin materials for this reason. But currently, as the recycled market is emerging, prices follow those of virgin materials, ”says Lambert.
Ultimately, Lithion plans to recycle 7,500 tonnes of batteries annually in Quebec, or the equivalent of 20,000 electric vehicles per year.