Northvolt said it is moving forward as it presented the next steps to build its massive battery factory on Montreal's South Shore yesterday, Wednesday.

After six months of announcing a $7 billion investment to build a battery cell factory, the company’s co-founder Paolo Cerruti met with journalists yesterday, Wednesday.

He said he does not expect to retreat from the project.

He confirmed, "Yes, I was surprised. The indication of not participating responsibly in an environmental discussion was very shocking to us."

He pointed out that since the announcement of the project, it has been criticized by environmental groups and local residents, and the site was even vandalized due to tree removal.

He said, “When we arrived here, maybe it was very naive, and we did not expect this to happen.”

He confirmed that now, up to 450 trucks will move daily along local roads and more trees will be cut down bringing the total number of trees to 14,000.

Last week, the Quebec government imposed sanctions on the company due to filling a wetland.

Environmental groups say it harms endangered species such as the "lesser bitterling" and argue that Northvolt does not provide advice to the public.

Patrick Bonin from Greenpeace said, "They are cutting down trees. There are endangered species on the land. They are filling wetlands. All of this is done behind closed doors." "We do not have these details, so they should not be surprised."

Northvolt said it needs more than ten approved permits to continue moving forward. This comes after reports that the land in McMasterville, where part of the factory is located, is still not zoned for industrial use.

Cerruti said, "We are taking a risk by spending billions of dollars in the pre-project phase without being sure that we will get all the permits in the end, and if we take this risk, it is because we realize that the technology we are deploying will enable us to obtain all the necessary licenses."

The mayor of McMasterville has publicly stated the fact that they are doing what they are allowed to do. It is a process that takes three to six months [to sort out], so I am very comfortable that the process is going well, said Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon now.

He confirmed part of the factory that handles recycling processing will need to undergo an environmental assessment, although other facilities will not.

Greenpeace is pushing for an independent assessment, especially since the planned withdrawal and unloading process in the Richelieu River has not yet been approved.
Even with all the controversies, Northvolt said it is not a speculative building in Quebec and said it will not go anywhere.

Cerruti said, "The power and access to natural resources and great talent." "We are committed to Quebec for the long term."

Construction is expected to begin in the coming months and production to start in 2026.