Northvolt is ready to raze the wooded areas and wetlands located on the site of its future factory, it has been learned The duty. The plan for deforestation work planned for the coming weeks was developed taking for granted that the megaproject financed by Quebec and Ottawa will escape the environmental assessment procedure provided for major industrial projects.
The duty has obtained details of the work planned by the end of the year by the multinational, with a view to preparing the land it has just acquired for the construction of its vehicle battery component factory located in Montérégie.
Even before receiving the necessary authorizations and before the Ministry of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks (MELCCFP) has determined whether the project should be subject to a complete environmental assessment procedure. , the company had already planned to carry out “deforestation” work on the majority of the land by the end of December.
His plan, dated October 5, plans to eliminate most of the wooded areas. The area of fallow natural environments and wetlands that will be destroyed for site preparation is approximately 40 hectares, or 400,000 square meters. It is one of the last environments of its kind in the region, where the occupation of the territory has caused virtually all natural environments to disappear over the decades.
Threatened species
The environments found on the Northvolt site serve as habitat for several dozen species, including “threatened” or “endangered” species and which are protected by the federal government’s Species at Risk Act. .
The company has also documented the presence of certain species on its site, but it refused to transmit it to the Duty the detailed report which was produced and transmitted to the MELCCFP. The ministry, which is responsible for protecting wildlife in Quebec, also refused to send us the document(s).
Northvolt, however, asks the company which will be responsible for deforesting the site to “move” the “live” animals which will be “observed in the work zone”.
Carrying out tree and shrub cutting work in the fall allows Northvolt to comply with the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994. This 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, including endangered species.
The plans indicate that the presence of wetlands is well documented on the site. A wetland classified as being of interest by the Montreal Metropolitan Community will also be spared, as will a watercourse which flows towards the Richelieu River. But more than twenty wetlands of different sizes are found in the areas targeted by the different phases of the work.
Green light imminent?
The work schedule shows that the company is hopeful of not being subject to the environmental assessment procedure normally provided for large-scale industrial projects.
It also specifies that it “will hold the authorization” required from the MELCCFP under the Environmental Quality Act, “before the start of the work”. These could have been launched, in the best case scenario, as early as Monday October 30, according to the plan drawn up.
It must be said that in July the Legault government modified the rules which would oblige Northvolt to produce an impact study of its project, which would deal with environmental issues, but also with the social and economic issues of the future factory financed to the tune of several billions. dollars of public funds by the governments of Quebec and Canada.
From now on, battery factories have a provision specific to them and which provides that the liability threshold is set at an annual production capacity of 60,000 metric tons. Norhtvolt plans production of 56,000 tonnes, according to information currently available.
At the time of publishing this text, the MELCCFP had not responded to questions from Duty, who asked him if the analysis of the project was completed. Normally, this analysis should determine whether the project will be subject to a full environmental procedure, with the possibility of review by the Office of Public Hearings on the Environment. A request for authorization for “intervention” in wetlands is also being analyzed, but the ministry did not respond to our question on this subject.
Northvolt currently has eight lobbyists registered in the Quebec register. Their mandates target four ministries, including the MELCCFP. Quebec Environment Minister Benoit Charette could recommend submitting the project to an environmental assessment. He hasn’t done it until now.
The federal government has not made any commitment in this direction either. Everything also indicates that the Trudeau government will not prevent Northvolt from destroying the habitat of endangered species to build its mega-factory. The reason: it is private land.
As part of the global agreement on the protection of biodiversity signed in Montreal less than a year ago, the Government of Canada made a commitment to curb the decline of biodiversity, including the disappearance of species, but also to restore degraded natural environments and promote the recovery of threatened species. The Prime Minister of Quebec, François Legault, also welcomed the signing of the agreement.
Northvolt had not responded to our request for reaction at the time of publishing this text, Wednesday midday. The duty had also requested an interview.