Vehicle OEM General Motors and South Korean materials firm POSCO Chemical will work with the governments of Canada and Quebec to build a new cathode active material (CAM) facility in Bécancour, Quebec.
The $400 million facility will produce CAM for GM’s Ultium batteries, which will power its electric vehicles.
Last December, the companies announced plans to form a CAM processing joint venture majority owned by POSCO Chemical.
Construction on the new facility, which the joint venture will operate, will begin immediately.
The site’s construction will allow for future expansion opportunities as GM continues to pursue many potential future EV supply chain projects.
Doug Parks, GM executive vice president, global product development, purchasing and supply chain, said: “Canada is playing an important role in our all-electric future.”
By the end of 2025, GM plans to have capacity to build one million electric vehicles in North America, with the goal of the majority of components to be sustainably sourced, processed or manufactured in North America.
GM has announced a series of actions to create a new and more secure EV supply chain, including projects targeting key EV materials and components.
CAM manufacturing
This month has also seen German chemicals firm BASF sign an agreement to secure land for a planned lithium-ion battery cathode active material (CAM) and recycling site in Bécancour.
The site allow the firm to increase output to 100 kt CAM per year with potential for fully integrated precursor cathode active materials (PCAM) supply.
BASF to add link in global CAM lithium-ion battery materials supply with Canada land grab
