A study has been launched into the development of Canada’s Quebec province as a manufacturing and commercial hub for the lithium-ion battery industry.
The province’s electric and smart transportation organisation, Propulsion Quebec, said the initiative would “analyse opportunities Quebec could seize in connection with the manufacturing steps of components and battery cells and the recycling of batteries”.
Propulsion Quebec’s executive director Sarah Houde (pictured) said the study “will identify the concrete actions to be implemented in order to capitalise on the development of this promising niche and the province’s important assets”.
Houde said: “Quebec has significant assets to develop this high value-added geostrategic niche and thus facilitate the energy transition for the economy as a whole: significant reserves of renewable energy (hydro-electricity), internationally recognised scientific and technical expertise, innovative companies, deposits of strategic materials and expertise in recovery and recycling.”
The study will be conducted with the financial support of the Quebec Ministry of Economy and Innovation and the Shawinigan Development Corporation. Study partners include Canada’s Nemaska Lithium and the Hydro-Quebec utility’s centre of excellence in transportation electrification and energy storage.
Results of the study are scheduled for publication in spring 2019— after which a “committee of independent experts” will follow up on the findings.
Earlier this year, Japanese holding company SoftBank signed an agreement to acquire a stake of up to 9.9% in Nemaska Lithium, to help meet growing demand for batteries used in electric devices and vehicles.