Part of Northvolt battery plant project to be submitted to BAPE

The Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement (BAPE) will assess part of Northvolt's mega-project for a battery cell plant in Quebec.

Friday morning, the Swedish company confirmed the information, first reported by Radio-Canada, saying the company's Revolt programme would be subject to an environmental assessment.

Northvolt said it "welcomes this decision."

With its Revolt programme and battery recycling plant, the company says it hopes to move closer to its goal of manufacturing batteries that are 50 per cent recycled by 2030.

Northvolt stated in a press release that it has "demonstrated in Europe that its projects are capable of meeting some of the highest environmental standards in the world."

The launch of the mega-plant project south of Montreal had prompted calls for it to be subjected to a BAPE assessment, including a petition with several hundred signatures that was submitted to the National Assembly.

The idea of submitting only part of the project to BAPE has already attracted criticism.

"Unacceptable," tweeted Patrick Bonin, head of the Climate-Energy campaign at Greenpeace Canada. "Despite having the power to do so [Environment Minister Benoît Charette] and the government refuse (sic) to submit the most important industrial project in Quebec's history to a full public environmental assessment."

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 10, 2023.