Eventually, the cathodes made in Bécancour will power the F-150 electric truck plant that Ford is building in Tennessee.
This was explained to media representatives by the vice president responsible for electric vehicles at the automaker, Lisa Drake, when announcing a 1.2 billion investment aimed at the construction of a factory of cathodes in partnership with Korean companies EcoProBM and SK On.
“The cathodes that will be produced here, in this factory, will end up in our electric trucks,” Ms. Drake replied in a press briefing when asked about the importance of the investment for Ford. If you know us, building trucks is something we do very well and know well. We are building a new electric truck factory in Tennessee. This will be our fourth F-Series truck plant in the United States. The cathodes from here will be routed to the battery cells and ultimately to this factory. It couldn’t be more strategic as an investment. »
The cathodes represent the positive pole of the lithium-ion battery that powers electric vehicles. Their components represent about 40% of the cost of a battery. The anodes constitute the negative pole.
It was a day of great visit to Bécancour to officially announce the construction of the EcoPRO CAM Canada plant (CAM being the English acronym of cathode active materials, or active matter of the cathode, in French).
There were leaders of the two Korean multinationals, the South Korean ambassador, the president of Ford Canada, a v.-p. from the manufacturer’s headquarters at the blue oval, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry of Canada, François-Philippe Champagne, the Premier of Quebec, François Legault, two ministers from his cabinet, the mayors Trois-Rivières, Shawinigan and Bécancour and the senior executives of Investissement Québec, the provincial government’s investment arm. Ian L. Edwards, CEO of SNC-Lavalin, also went down to the Auberge Godefroy, in Bécancour, for the occasion. His firm won the engineering contract for phase 1 of the plant valued at 141 million.
The governments will advance more than half of the amount needed to build the Ford plant in Bécancour. Quebec and Ottawa grant loans of 644 million for the construction of a new production plant for battery materials in Bécancour. Quebec’s “forgivable loan” portion is $194 million, the equivalent of a grant.
Despite the importance of public assistance, representatives of both levels of government ensure that the investment remains profitable for taxpayers. “We ensure that the foreseeable benefits in the next 10 to 20 years exceed the cost to the government,” explained François Legault during the press briefing.
The smiles were numerous and the emotion contagious. In 119 years of history in Canada, this is after all Ford’s first investment in Quebec.
Quebec, which has been a peripheral player in the automotive industry since the closure of the GM plant in Boisbriand, is becoming a strategic supplier in the supply chain of electric vehicles, insisted for his part the federal Minister François- Philip Champagne.
“18 months ago, people did not necessarily associate Quebec with the electric vehicles of the future,” said the federal minister. With this investment, we are integrating Quebec into the value chain of electric vehicles with the element [the cathode] having the highest added value. Eventually, in every Ford vehicle circulating in North America, there will be a piece of this plant essential to its power. »
Before him, Prime Minister Legault was just as lively. “My goal in politics is to create better paying jobs,” he said in his speech. What I want is that our young people have challenges here and that they do not need to go into exile to have exciting and well-paid jobs. We have young people who are brilliant, who have ambition and who are ready to take up these challenges. We must offer them quality jobs. »
The cathode plant will create 345 jobs. The EcoPro CAM Canada plant will produce an average of 45,000 tonnes of active cathode material per year. The production will be intended for the manufacture of batteries for future electric vehicles from Ford. The plant is expected to be operational in 2026.
The EcoPro CAM plant is the result of a consortium formed by Ford and the Korean companies EcoProBM and SK On. EcoPro BM is the world’s leading manufacturer of high-nickel active cathode materials, while SK On is a global leader in the development and manufacture of electric vehicle batteries.
Among the benefits, there is the positioning of Quebec as a world leader in the green economy, in the eyes of Mr. Legault. “We have just demonstrated today that we are capable of attracting big players like Ford. It is a great pride. It confirms that Quebec is really positioning itself as a world leader in the green economy. Clean and inexpensive energy is one of the reasons why Ford and its two partners have chosen Quebec. Quebec wants to reserve 900 megawatts of additional electricity for the battery sector in Bécancour.
The government and its education partners will work hard to create a school for trades in the energy transition. The parties are aiming for the doors to open in September 2024. The preferred site for the moment is the La Prade industrial park, where the former Atomic Energy buildings are located, which the Société du parc Industriel et Port de Bécancour has just acquired, while just east of the future Ford and GM-Posco cathode plant. Innovative nature of the initiative, the establishment will offer both secondary (DEP), college (technical) and university education. At least 200 students are expected in the first cohort. “We have to see how much it costs the laboratories, etc., commented the CAQ MP for Nicolet-Bécancour, Donald Martel, on the sidelines of the event. What is exceptional are the eight school service centers in Mauricie and Centre-du-Québec that are working on it, the four CEGEPs and UQTR. »
Bécancour, a town of 15,000 inhabitants spread over six villages, is in the process of applying to the MRC and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs to expand the urban perimeter of its village cores in order to build approximately 5,000 housing units in the short and medium term, mainly in the sectors of Sainte-Angèle-de-Laval and Gentilly. “There will be no encroachment on the agricultural zone,” assures Mayor Lucie Allard, present at the event.