Northvolt has requested authorization to excavate contaminated soil in wetlands on its land in order to construct factory buildings, it has been learned The duty. The Ministry of the Environment, which is currently analyzing the request and must authorize the work, is however unaware of the levels of soil contamination and the volumes that will be excavated. It is the company that is responsible for monitoring the “quality” of the soil.
Following the authorization to destroy wetlands obtained on January 8, Northvolt filed a “request for modification” on February 4. The entry in the register only mentions an “intervention in wetlands for the preparation of the Northvolt 6 project site, in Saint-Basile-le-Grand and McMasterville”.
The Quebec Ministry of the Environment, however, clarified Duty that the company actually wants to carry out “excavation work” in wetlands that it is already authorized to destroy.
During discussions with the government last November with a view to granting authorization to destroy wetlands, Northvolt indicated that “no excavation” would be carried out “during this first stage of the work”. She had therefore not provided a “contaminated soil management plan” to the ministry, according to what we can read in a document obtained thanks to the Act respecting access to documents held by public bodies.
In this “request for information” document, the ministry asked Northvolt to provide this information in the event of an excavation project, including “contamination levels, estimated volumes, planned shipping locations.” “Additional characterization at the excavation sites” was also recommended, due to the “very heterogeneous” nature of the soils resulting from decades of manufacturing of chemicals, fertilizers and explosives on the site.
Refusal
It is not possible to verify whether this information is included in the application filed on February 4. The Ministry of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks (MELCCFP) has in fact refused to send us the documents filed by the company, referring us to the Law on Access to Documents public bodies.
The ministry’s responses to questions from Duty indicate, however, that certain requests for information mentioned by the ministry in November would not be there. The latter simply specified that “the request is still being analyzed” and that the excavation work is planned in wetlands “located on the site of future buildings” and whose destruction is already permitted.
The ministry was not able to provide details on the surface area of wetlands covered by this request, nor on the volume of excavation planned. “This data is not required for demand analysis. The question could be addressed to the company, because the MELCCFP does not have information regarding the depths of excavations required for the foundations of all future buildings,” we explained by email.
The ministry also does not know if Northvolt plans to excavate contaminated soil, even if it is very present on this land with a heavy industrial past. “It is possible that contaminated soils will be excavated. It is currently not possible for us to estimate the volume of contaminated soil that will be excavated,” argues the MELCCFP communications department.
“It is the responsibility of the developer to ensure the quality of the soil leaving the site. If they are reused on site, this is not required. However, contaminated soil cannot be used to fill wetlands,” adds the ministry. The duty recently revealed that Northvolt had proposed to the Quebec Ministry of the Environment to use an illegal method to fill in wetlands on its site, namely the use of contaminated soil.
Fall 2024
In a written response, the company explains that the upcoming excavation work will take place in wetlands “which have not already been backfilled for the needs linked to the construction of the first building, that is to say those located in McMasterville as well as those located in the Saint-Basile-le-Grand sector, where construction work will not begin until fall 2024. The volume of soil to be excavated in these sectors depends on the nature of the infrastructure to build there as well as the characteristics of the wetlands found there.
Northvolt adds that this work “involves management of contaminated soils which will be carried out in accordance with the MELCCFP Intervention Guide”, while recalling that “the contaminated soils present on the Northvolt site are suitable for industrial use”, and this, with the exception of one area where 50,000 tonnes of contaminated soil are confined.
It is the responsibility of the developer to ensure the quality of the soil leaving the site.
The land where the industrial project is located still contains tens of thousands of tons of contaminated soil. In particular, there are many “areas to be rehabilitated in the future”. The company’s work to build its mega-industrial complex could also cause contaminants to leak into the Richelieu River, according to stakeholders consulted by The duty.
The Quebec Ministry of the Environment nevertheless considers that the presence of contaminated soil on this site located upstream of three drinking water intakes does not represent any risks. Northvolt adds for its part that the work in progress should not cause leaks of contaminants.