Survey on the Northvolt mega-factory | A “good project”, but the BAPE would have been “necessary”

The 7 billion mega-factory that Northvolt will build in Montérégie is “rather a good project”, but an evaluation by the Bureau d’audiences publique sur l’environnement (BAPE) would have been “necessary”. This is what emerges from a survey conducted by Léger for the Swedish company in the two municipalities that host the complex and four others located nearby. Overview.

72%

Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed believe that the battery cell factory, built on former industrial land that straddles Saint-Basile-le-Grand and McMasterville, is “a rather good project.” “Seven out of ten respondents agree with the fact that despite the criticism, we must move forward with the project,” underlines the survey. Overall, about half of respondents have a favorable opinion of Northvolt due to job creation. More than 3,000 people are expected to work in the factory eventually.

67%

This is the proportion of respondents who believe that a BAPE assessment would have been “necessary” for the plant. In total, 34% of people surveyed “totally agree” with this scenario. The BAPE mechanism notably requires the promoter to present an impact study and hold public consultations. This is where the public can intervene. The organization then sends its recommendations to the government. Northvolt is not subject to this procedure. The company benefits from the modification of a regulation by Quebec, which raised the ceiling of coverage of the regulatory framework for factories that manufacture battery materials.

64%

Despite the absence of a BAPE, a majority of respondents believe that the company and “local elected officials” will “properly consult the population” as part of this megaproject. According to the survey, environmental impacts, the repercussions of the construction site on wetlands and the size of the complex are at the top of the list of reasons given by those surveyed who have a “poor opinion of the project”. “We understand that we still have answers to provide and we will do so,” says Paolo Cerruti, co-founder of Northvolt and president and CEO of the company’s North American activities. We want to carry out this project with and for the communities. »

59%

An overwhelming majority (91%) of respondents believe that the construction of a battery cell factory on the South Shore will have a “positive impact on the economy” in the region. But the construction of a mega-factory, whose activities are due to start in 2027 and which will eventually accommodate several thousand workers, risks worsening “the housing shortage problems in the region”. This is what six out of ten respondents (59%) believe. In Saint-Basile-le-Grand and McMasterville, this proportion reaches 56%.

500

This is the number of residents interviewed as part of the Léger telephone survey. In addition to Saint-Basile-le-Grand and McMasterville, the investigation took place in Beloeil, Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Otterburn Park and Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville. The margin of error is approximately 4.4%, 19 times out of 20.