“A lack of transparency affecting the acceptance of the project.” “The cat is out of the bag.” “Unacceptable.” The Quebec government's change in line of communication regarding environmental regulations surrounding the Northvolt project sparked strong reactions from the opposition.
Quebec Environment Minister Benoit Charette admitted in La Presse columns yesterday and in an interview with Radio-Canada this morning that the project could not have been carried out if it had been subject to scrutiny by the Office of Public Hearings on the Environment (BAPE) due to a highly competitive environment and excessively long deadlines.
The minister admits he misled Quebecers for weeks about the rule change. He admits that Northvolt received all the privileges he wanted, says Joël Arseneau, MP for Îles-de-la-Madeleine and spokesman for the Parti Québécois for the environment and the fight against climate change.
For him, the CAQ simplifies, even brazenly, links the development of battery manufacturing in Quebec with goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Virginie Dufour, Liberal MP for the Thousand Islands and official opposition spokesperson for the environment and the fight against climate change, denounces a two-speed regime in which the rules are circumvented to favor one company more than any other.
That's not how you run a state.
For Ms. Dufour, this lack of transparency is all the more unfortunate given that the project benefits Quebec's economy. The CAQ shows that it is Northvolt's worst ally. In their opinion, an accelerated BAPE could well have been introduced.
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Virginie Dufour is a Liberal MP for the Thousand Islands.
Photo: The Canadian Press / Jacques Boissinot
A view shared by Haroun Bouazzi, head of energy at Québec Solidaire: By taking this approach, the CAQ is sabotaging the social acceptance of the project and damaging the image of the battery sector, despite being essential to our energy transition.
His colleague Alejandra Zaga Mendez, solidarity manager of the Environmental File, believes that Benoît Charette now has no choice but to announce a BAPE.
The energy transition can and must succeed, but the prerequisite for this is social acceptance and respect for environmental standards.
Virginie Dufour requests an urgent meeting with the Minister to shed light on the process that has been initiated to get to this point today.
The government has not done its job
For Éric Pineault, President of the Research Committee of the Institute of Environmental Sciences at UQAM, it is clear: the government has not fulfilled its task.
It's fair for a private company to aim for as little regulation as possible and as many subsidies as possible without too many strings attached. However, this is not the role of a state that must exercise an opposing balance of power.
I am sure that Northvolt did not have this privilege in either Germany or Sweden. The company is able to adapt to other contexts, he notes.
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Éric Pineault, Professor at the Department of Environmental Sciences at UQAM
Photo: Radio-Canada / François Lemay
This lack of transparency from the government, in his view, is not only damaging to the social acceptance of the project, but also to the ignorance in which it keeps the public.
We are not sure about the impact on the water, air and the nature of the residues as no environmental impact assessment has been carried out. “So we are pushing ahead with a huge project without knowing what we have gotten ourselves into,” he regrets.
Northvolt recognizes “tight” schedule
In response to questions from Radio-Canada, Northvolt Communications Director Laurent Therrien reiterated that the company has always been transparent and clear about the project's tight timeline and the success conditions associated with its Quebec operation.
However, he denies that any steps have been taken to change the thresholds already included in the regulations. At most, there is a comment to the Quebec government that will allow it to adapt Quebec regulations to reflect the reality of the battery production sector on a global scale, he explains.
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The Northvolt factory will be built on this site between McMasterville and Saint-Basile-le-Grand in Montérégie.
Photo: The Canadian Press / Christine Muschi
Would the company have come to Quebec if it had had to undergo a BAPE? Laurent Therrien responds by pointing out the fierce global competition while China and the United States heavily subsidize projects like ours. He recalls Northvolt's contractual constraints with the delivery of the first cells in 2026.
Northvolt adheres to a very strict and rigorous environmental assessment process, he emphasizes, recalling that its battery recycling plant will be subject to a BAPE.
Citizens tend to view the project positively
For Martin Dulac, mayor of McMasterville, one of the two towns affected by the creation of Northvolt, the debate over the BAPE does not directly affect his community.
We can challenge the rules that mean Northvolt is not subject, but that is outside our remit. We let the parliamentarians debate. “What we are asking for is an exemplary project that respects Quebec's environmental laws,” responds Mr. Dulac.
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McMasterville Mayor Martin Dulac
Photo: Radio-Canada
On this page, the mayor, who traveled to Sweden to visit Northvolt headquarters, says that he is convinced of the company's profile, which meets very demanding European and Swedish environmental standards.
According to him, the majority of McMasterville residents are in favor of the project.
There are people who have concerns, we hear them. In addition, the Quebec government came last week to explain the project. There are people for whom the project will never be acceptable for ideological and political reasons.
He promises that he will maintain the dialogue.