Pierre Fitzgibbon’s Ministry of Economy is awarding a $22.6 million grant to the city of Saint-Basile-le-Grand for the construction of a temporary access road that will be necessary for the construction of the Swedish Northvolt factory.
“Access to this site is currently insufficient and unsafe for the estimated traffic flows that will be generated by the construction of the battery factories,” says the government decree published on November 1 and consulted by Le Journal.
“The temporary and permanent access road to the site is the responsibility of a project office led by the municipalities and the Quebec government. “The project office determined that the best access to the site during construction would be via Route 116,” Northvolt spokesman Laurent Therrien told the Journal.
The Northvolt field Photo Francis Halin
Quebec has already committed to providing nearly $1.4 billion in all kinds of public aid to Northvolt and up to $1.5 billion in incentives if production goes well.
Earlier this month, Northvolt bought the properties in Saint-Basile-le-Grand and McMasterville thanks to a $240 million repayable loan from the Legault government.
Dreaded traffic jam
In recent weeks, many residents have expressed concern about the impact of the factory’s construction on the environment and traffic.
The $22.6 million grant awarded to Saint-Basile was to be spread over several years.
In 2023-2024 it could be $9 million, in 2024-2025 it could be $11.4 million and in 2025-2026 it could be $2.2 million, the decree says.
-In collaboration with Sylvain Larocque