A New EV Battery Plant for Eastern Ontario
Consistently ranked among North America’s top auto-producing regions for more than a decade, Ontario is an ideal location for Umicore to expand its operations. In 2021 alone, due to the global microchip shortage, Ontario built 1.1 million vehicles.
The province will also allow Umicore to leverage Ontario’s clean electricity system, which was more than 90 per cent emissions-free in 2021, as well as take advantage of Ontario’s coming clean energy credit (CEC) registry that will enable companies such as Umicore to voluntarily purchase CECs to demonstrate all of their electricity has been sourced from non-emitting resources.
Spanning about 350 acres near County Road 4 and Bath Road, construction on the electric battery plant is targeted to begin next year, with operations planned for the end of 2025.
The location will allow the plant to take advantage of many raw materials, readily available in Northern Ontario, that the plant needs to produce the cathodes. The area also boasts an extensive availability of talent.
This investment, which supports Ontario’s vision of building an end-to-end electric vehicle (EV) supply chain in the province and becoming a North American hub for building the cars of the future, will provide employment for around 1,000 people in the construction phase. When it becomes operational, several hundred people will be employed.
For a province with a focus on building a strong and resilient economy, as well as on sustainability, it’s excellent progress.
“Today’s announcement is about creating jobs, cutting pollution, and building a stronger, cleaner economy for Canadians,” said The Rt. Honourable Justin Trudeau Prime Minister of Canada. “Umicore’s intention to establish its new facility in Loyalist Township is another major step forward as we make Canada a global leader in producing electric vehicles – from minerals to manufacturing. With over 1,000 good jobs to build the plant, and hundreds of permanent positions once it is up and running, this new facility will play an important role in Canada’s clean automotive sector well into the future.”
Jim Hegadorn, now serving as Loyalist Township Mayor, said the project represents a huge economic boost to the regional economy.
“We are very proud that Loyalist Township is able to make a significant contribution to the EV sector value chain and the electrification revolution.”
With extensive expertise in the fields of material science, chemistry and metallurgy, Umicore has a storied past.
Over the past 200 years, a number of mining and smelting companies came together, gradually evolving into the materials technology and recycling company Umicore is known as today.
With the belief that materials have been a key element in furthering the progress of mankind, Umicore has steadily grown to 11,050 colleagues, 46 production sites, and 15 R&D technical sites. Their goal? To be a “true transformation partner” for its customers, and to guide them on their “journey toward sustainability and circularity.”
As 2022 draws to a close, Umicore – which has set new industry standards for sustainability, rebalancing its portfolio of activities, and strengthening its leadership position in clean mobility materials and recycling – has an ambitious plan moving forward: to become a leading circular materials technology company.
As Umicore says, “The transformation of tomorrow starts today.”
And part of that transformation is starting right here in Lennox & Addington.
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