Port Colborne will be the site of a new electric vehicle battery separator plant, as announced this morning by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
Both leaders, as well as a number of MPs, MPPs and municipal officials were on hand for the $1.6-billion investment to build the plant by Asahi Kasei Corporation – a Japanese-based chemical company.
Asahi Kasei’s new plant in Port Colborne will produce Hipore battery separators, an essential component of the lithium-ion batteries used in EVs which is said to make batteries more sustainable and durable. Construction of the facility will be completed by the end of 2024 and the plant is expected to be commercially operational in 2027.
Trudeau adds that this plant will be one-of-a-kind in Canada once it’s completed.
(Photo: Asahi Kasei)
Asahi Kasei’s website adds that the company also has an agreement with Honda Motors to make this new plant happen.
On April 25, Honda unveiled a significant expansion project for its Alliston facility in Ontario. The expansion is geared towards both battery manufacturing and the assembly of electric vehicle models of its popular brands.
Doug Ford says this will only help expand the EV landscape in Ontario – which is a something they’ve made a point of doing over recent years.
Earlier this year, BloombergNEF ranked Canada’s attractiveness to build EV battery supply chains first in the world, surpassing China which has held the top spot since the ranking began.
Another official on hand was Vic Fedeli, Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. He says there was one meeting specifically that turned the tides in selecting Niagara as the location for this plant.
Fedeli did add that Ontario is now the only place in North America that all six of the world’s largest car manufacturers have plants set up. Locally, Niagara is no stranger to the automotive manufacturing sector, as General Motors has operated in St. Catharines since 1952 and has a 2-million square-foot facility.
St. Catharines MP Chris Bittle says he thinks this is something that was considered along the way.
Details regarding direct jobs created by this investment are currently being finalized and will be announced at a later date, but it was strongly emphasized by Premier Ford that they were looking to have Ontario-based jobs.
As for the location of Port Colborne itself, it is one of a number of areas within the Niagara Region that were considered for this new battery plant. Mayor Bill Steele says once it was settled on Port Colborne, they went to work on all the logistics of the plant.
Steele adds that manufacturing is something Port Colborne is very well known for, as well as industrial work given the fact that it’s a port city. He says an announcement like this may also attract more businesses that may be looking for somewhere to set up shop – which is always a good thing.
Trudeau says it is projected that the global sales of EVs will be over three times higher in 2030 than it was in 2023, and that Canada is well positioned to be a major player in EV production.
(Written by: Matt Latour)
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