MONTREAL — Quebec Premier François Legault is under pressure over his government's investment in a planned battery factory near Montreal, as Swedish manufacturer Northvolt cuts costs following a slowdown in demand for electric vehicles.
Normand Mousseau, scientific director of the Trottier energy institute at Polytechnique Montréal, said the Quebec government failed to communicate to the public that the Northvolt deal was inherently uncertain. "The project in Quebec remains a priority," she told reporters."We were aware that this is a new sector. And any new sector has to live with ups and downs. And so we've been careful in order to make sure that the protection of the public money is there."
On Tuesday, Fréchette confirmed the government could inject another $300 million into the project once construction has started and private financing is in place. Québec Solidaire spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois told reporters Tuesday he supports the development of the battery supply chain in the province, but wants the government to provide"the bare minimum in terms of transparency and information" about a project that he said is in"serious difficulty."
Mousseau said if Quebec wants to get into the electric vehicle battery industry, it has to take some risks and find a better way of explaining the uncertainty.