After the Northvolt company announced that it was slowing down its international development plans, possibly affecting the schedule for its plant in Quebec, and despite BMW canceling a $3 billion contract with the Swedish company in June, Premier François Legault said he remains “confident” about the battery plant project currently under construction in Montérégie.
“We will need batteries and electric vehicles in the future,” assured the Premier of Quebec on Tuesday during a visit to Mirabel for an announcement related to the financing of Airbus.
He took the opportunity to point out that part of Northvolt’s funding from Quebec and Ottawa continued to be conditional on the production of batteries. “If that didn’t happen, and there’s no reason to believe that, the amounts invested by governments wouldn’t be there,” Legault said.
Earlier in July, Northvolt announced that it was slowing down its international development to focus its efforts on its “gigafactory” in Sweden.
The effects of this announcement on the Montérégie plant remain uncertain, however. “Construction is continuing. As for the project schedules, they will be among the elements that will be part of the strategic review of activities. For the moment, it is too early to decide on the decision that will be taken to this effect,” Northvolt had specified in writing to Duty earlier in July.
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