South Korean firm opening copper foil plant in Quebec for use in electric vehicles

A new player has entered Quebec's electric vehicle battery sector, with a South Korean firm announcing it will open a copper foil factory in the province by 2026.

Volta Energy Solutions, a subsidiary of South Korea's Solus Advanced Materials, will produce copper foil for car batteries destined for a growing North American market. The company will retrofit a facility in Granby, Que., southeast of Montreal, for the copper plant, which will provide Quebec with another piece of the global EV battery supply chain.

Volta Energy's plant, the first of its kind in Canada, is to initially produce 25,000 tons of copper foil per year starting in 2026. The company intends to increase capacity to allow for 63,000 tons when an expansion to the plant is ready to open in 2027, enough for about 2.5 million electric vehicle batteries. Construction on the expansion will begin next year.

The Quebec government is giving the company a $150-million loan -- $26 million of which is forgivable -- for the $750-million project that is expected to create 260 jobs. Ottawa, meanwhile, won't invest a matching amount but will offer Volta Energy about $70 million through green investment tax credits and other programs.

Volta Energy Solutions has two other copper foil plants, in Hungary and Luxembourg.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault attended the announcement Tuesday in Granby and said the project confirms the province is attracting global leaders in the battery and electric transportation industry.

"It will permit Quebec to have the first factory for EV battery copper foil in Canada, so we will be a leader," Legault said. "This factory will export all over North America."

Last month, Ford Motor Company announced a $1.2-billion manufacturing plant in Quebec for cathode active materials, which determine the capacity and power of EV batteries.

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Sept. 5, 2023