The Legault government has just authorized Northvolt to raze the natural environments of the site of the future factory, which escaped an environmental assessment. The company, which plans to begin its work in the coming days, estimates that 8,000 trees will have to be felled and wetlands will be destroyed, in exchange for financial compensation. The land was until now home to rich biodiversity.
According to what Northvolt announced Tuesday morning, the Ministry of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks (MELCCFP) granted it “a permit for intervention in wet and water environments”.
“The preparatory work on the site will be able to begin in the coming days, following obtaining a construction permit issued by the town of Saint-Basile-le-Grand,” also affirmed the company, which organized a meeting with media on Tuesday to present details of the upcoming work.
Northvolt, which did not have to produce an impact study for its industrial project, nor submit to an environmental assessment, assures that it will carry out “a vast project to protect natural environments”, in particular by avoiding certain areas of the land.
It also plans to compensate for planned tree cutting. As just over 8,000 trees will be cut down, a total of 24,000 trees are expected to be planted elsewhere.
Tree cutting must be completed before spring to allow Northvolt to comply with the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994. This law prohibits work during the nesting period. The habitat that was previously used by these bird species may therefore be destroyed, since nesting is over. At least 142 species of birds frequent the site, some of which are threatened.
74 wetlands
The natural site, which will be largely destroyed to make way for the Northvolt gigafactory thanks to public funds, has no less than 74 wetlands. A large majority of them are important for the conservation of biodiversity. The Montérégie region has lost most of its natural environments over the decades, due to urban sprawl and the development of agriculture.
“As it is not possible to avoid all wetlands, Northvolt has paid a financial contribution of 4.75 million to the State Environmental and Water Protection Fund,” specifies the company by press release.
CIMA + also documented, for the company, the presence of herpetofauna, which includes amphibians and reptiles. We learn in particular that the inventory made it possible to “confirm the presence on the site of several painted turtles and snapping turtles”. Since the site preparation work is planned during the hibernation period of these turtles, they should be buried alive.
Furthermore, Northvolt plans to pump water from the Richelieu River as part of its operations. The planned volumes are currently unknown, but this water will then be treated on site before being discharged into the river.
The MELCCFP published a press release on Tuesday to announce the granting of authorization on Monday. “The site is suitable for industrial use,” the ministry said. A site of 30 to 50 hectares will have to be preserved or restored elsewhere in Quebec, but Northvolt has three years to propose a site to the ministry and obtain its approval.
Furthermore, only one portion of the Northvolt industrial megaproject should be subject to review by the Office of Public Hearings on the Environment, but only once the plant is built and already in operation. The environmental assessment will therefore not take into account the destruction of the site’s natural environments.
With Roxane Léouzon