Northvolt's Swedish 'gigafactory' is its template for Quebec. Do regulations here need an update?

Concerns are again being raised over the environmental impact of Quebec's Northvolt plant being constructed near the Richelieu River following a report on the company's "gigafactory" in Sweden.

This comes as Swedish media have reported on recent workplace incidents at that factory and as the company faces production delays.

An environmental and social impact assessment published in 2020 by the battery manufacturer shows its plant in Skellefteå, Sweden, releases nickel, cobalt, lithium and ammonia into the air and a nearby river.

The emissions are within the threshold accepted by the European Union, but Quebec's regulations don't provide a specific cap on the presence of those chemicals in drinking water. The forthcoming Northvolt Six plant's potential effect on air, water and wildlife is already being questioned after an approval that critics say was rushed.

Northvolt has said the 170-hectare plant between the municipalities of Saint-Basile-le-Grand and McMasterville, about 30 kilometres southeast of Montreal, would be a copy of the one in northern Sweden. With investments from the federal and provincial level, the plant would be a key part of electric vehicle production in North America.

And while Quebec's Environment Ministry said regulatory norms will be established, Opposition parties in the province are urging the government to adopt strict measures immediately.

McMasterville residents have said repeatedly that they are concerned about possible toxic discharges into the river affecting the fauna and flora and the quality of the drinking water. They also fear atmospheric emissions of pollutants from the battery recycling process, which could lead to short- and long-term health risks.

The Richelieu River provides drinking water for about 300,000 households in Quebec's Montérégie region and is home to the copper redhorse, a protected fish species.

In the spring, a document published by Quebec's Environment Ministry showed Northvolt anticipates various environmental impacts to the area, including changes to air quality and degradation of surface water quality. There is also mention of possible impacts on fish populations.

The document says "mitigation measures will be put in place to reduce or minimize any unavoidable impact on the environment." It also says a water filtration system will be put in place.

Lithium has psychoactive properties and is often prescribed in low doses to patients with mental health conditions. 

"Our trust in the project is not blind. We expect the Environment Ministry to enforce the law and there's a whole process to deliver operational permits to make sure it's all legal," said McMasterville Mayor Martin Dulac on Radio-Canada's Tout un matin Wednesday morning. 

Northvolt spokesperson Laurent Therrien insists Quebec regulations do "make sure that the concentration and loads of contaminants can be discharged into this environment without compromising its quality."

Therrien added Northvolt has its own pollution standards and that it makes its studies public.

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet criticized the Quebec government over its handling of the Northvolt file, which included circumventing certain environmental evaluations like a review by the Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement (BAPE), except for the plant's battery recycling component.

"I have the impression that the Quebec government told Northvolt everything would be taken care of," Blanchet said. "Concerns over the environmental norms and social acceptability have been pushed to the side."

Quebec has said a lengthy BAPE process would have caused the company to look elsewhere. But Northvolt insists it hasn't asked for exceptions.

Ammonia leak at Swedish plant

Though the Skellefteå plant has risk-mitigation measures in place, the act of manipulating cathodes — which power batteries — can lead to serious accidents.

Northvolt's report says the two worst-case scenarios for serious chemical accidents are the uncontrolled release of environmentally hazardous substances and electrolyte or lithium-ion batteries catching fire, which can generate dangerous fumes.

In April, Northvolt employees at the Skellefteå plant were instructed to keep working despite an ammonia gas leak in the plant. CBC News obtained a copy of an internal Teams message that told workers to stay on the job.

The Swedish Work Environment Agency has set a limit of 50 parts per million (ppm) for ammonia in workplaces. But in the message to the employees, Northvolt set its own, higher limit — staff were expected to work at up to 500 ppm before needing to evacuate.

Northvolt told CBC News that staff wear protective equipment and are "not exposed at all." It says a maximum level of 155 ppm was measured in the lab during the leak, and "employees were able to take action quickly." 

The Skellefteå battery factory has been criticized for a lack of safety training among subcontractors like cleaners, who are often migrant workers. Northvolt says it has a "co-ordination responsibility for the work environment," but that the companies it hires are ultimately responsible for their employees.

Northvolt has recorded 26 serious workplace incidents at the Swedish plant, including injuries and at least two deaths in the last four years.

Skellefteå police are also investigating after three Northvolt workers died under mysterious circumstances. None of the men had underlying health conditions and coroners couldn't determine the cause of death, according to Swedish newspaper Norran.

All three were found dead in their homes following their shifts at the factory: one in January, the second in February and the third in June.

Northvolt said that previous investigations into the first two deaths did not put blame on Northvolt. The file was reopened following the third.

The company said it welcomes the investigation "in order to give as good answers as possible to our colleagues' families."

Production problems

Northvolt announced on Tuesday that it was closing its San Francisco Bay Area research and development centre and consolidating its development of lithium-metal batteries to its lab in Västerås, Sweden.

The company said in July that it was undergoing a "strategic review" as it saw its operating loss more than triple to $1.4 billion last year. It is also dealing with internal problems in the transition to full-scale production — customers like Volkswagen AG's Scania have complained of delivery delays, while BMW AG backed out of a $2.9-billion battery order because of quality concerns.

In a news release, Northvolt encouraged laid-off workers to apply to jobs at the Montreal plant, which is expected to be operational in 2026.

Pierre Fitzgibbon, Quebec's economy minister, told Radio-Canada the closure of the California plant could lead to more jobs in Quebec.