2023-11-16 23:44:25
The opposition accuses Quebec Environment Minister Benoit Charette of having failed in his duty of reserve on Thursday by extolling the merits of the Northvolt mega-battery factory project and hoping that it would start as soon as possible possible. At the same time, its officials are still assessing the environmental repercussions of the project before authorizing it.
Accompanied by the Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister Charette affirmed on Radio-Canada that this Swedish company does not benefit from preferential treatment: In the case of the Northvolt company, like any other company, there is no privilege. The regulations are respected.
Everything indicates that this company will very soon obtain authorization from the ministry to fill in 130,000 square meters of wetlands, a record deadline for a request made in September, while the wait is on average 15 months.
Benoit Charette also added a sentence that sparked a reaction:
We are going to hope that this beautiful project will be completed as quickly as possible.
At Greenpeace Canada, the head of the Climate-Energy campaign, Patrick Bonin, can’t believe it. The minister should maintain a duty of reserve. He is putting undue pressure on his staff to authorize this project when we do not know all of the impacts.
He recalls that a change in regulations has already allowed Northvolt to avoid the Office of Public Hearings on the Environment (BAPE). Only the recycling phase will be studied by the BAPE.
We have the impression that a parallel evaluation process is being put in place for the largest manufacturing project in the history of Quebec.
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Representation of the future Northvolt factory in Montérégie on this company’s land.
Photo : Northvolt
It is obvious that there is a fast track, reacted the spokesperson for Québec solidaire in matters of economy and energy, Haroun Bouazzi. The MP affirms that industrialists fear that their own projects will be delayed by the analysis priorities granted to Northvolt.
On Wednesday, the Regional Environmental Center of Centre-du-Québec, which includes Bécancour, affirmed that analysts from the ministry were specially mobilized on the battery sector to accelerate [le traitement des] dossiers.
It is obvious that this company has preferential relations with our institutions, believes Mr. Bouazzi.
The Parti Québécois environmental spokesperson, Joël Arseneau, also has questions.
Will civil servants do their job rigorously if there is some pressure from the minister who says that this project must be unblocked?
For its part, the Liberal Party of Quebec believes that the latest information in this matter argues for the entire project to be submitted to the BAPE.
The government bent the rules to exempt Northvolt and we now know why, said Liberal MP Désirée McGraw, official opposition environment critic.
“Do it well and do it quickly”
On the Swedish company’s website, we can read a quote from Northvolt’s environmental manager, Emma Nehrenheim: The real challenge is to do it well and to do it quickly. (“ The real challenge is to do it right and do it fast. »)
The company says it has made considerable efforts to meet the requirements. Minister Benoit Charette also explained that a good degree of preparation can explain the fact that a promoter obtains authorization faster than another. Northvolt collaborates well, he added.
Even the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec seems convinced that the project will receive the green light shortly. In its press release published Thursday to announce an investment of $200 million in Northvolt, it mentions construction which should begin towards the end of 2023.
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