Taiwan Cement Corp (TCC, 台灣水泥) yesterday announced that its subsidiary E-One Moli Quantum Energy (Canada) Ltd would establish a battery cell plant in the Vancouver suburb of Maple Ridge, with one-fifth of the funding to be provided by the Canadian government.
E-One Moli plans to start construction of the plant next year, Taiwan Cement said in a statement on its Web site.
The plant, which is to have 2.8 gigawatt-hours of battery capacity, is expected to become fully operational in 2028, producing up to 135 million lithium-ion batteries per year, it said.
Photo courtesy of Taiwan Cement Corp
Taiwan Cement plans an initial investment of NT$25.5 billion (US$794.19 million) in the facility, with a subsidy of NT$4.8 billion from the Canadian government’s Strategic Innovation Fund, the statement said.
TCC Group (台泥集團) is to raise NT$10 billion to finance the investment, with the rest from bank loans and support from strategic investors, the statement said.
The project would be the largest high-performance lithium-ion battery cell investment in Canada, it said.
With British Columbia-based electric utility BC Hydro to build a special transmission and distribution network for E-One Moli to use hydroelectric power in the province, the new plant would become the world’s first battery cell factory that “uses 100 percent green electricity,” it said.
E-One Moli’s announcement came as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, accompanied by British Columbia Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation Brenda Bailey and British Columbia Premier David Eby, visited the subsidiary’s production base in Vancouver on Tuesday.
Trudeau said that British Columbia has long been known for innovation in the clean technology space, and securing the major clean battery project in Maple Ridge would build on that expertise to create jobs and fight climate change.
“When we support projects like E-One Moli’s new facility in Maple Ridge, we bolster Canada’s role as a global clean tech leader, we create good jobs and we help keep our air clean,” the statement quoted Trudeau as saying.
The investment is expected to create 450 jobs, making E-One Moli one of the largest private-sector employers in the region, the firm said.
TCC Group chairman Nelson Chang (張安平) and E-One Moli Energy Corp (能元科技) president Casey Shiue (薛人禎) were at the site to welcome Trudeau and other Canadian officials.
E-One Moli is committed to innovation, creativity and social values, Chang said.
“We believe that carbon dioxide reduction is key to the success of all businesses in the future,” the statement quoted him as saying.
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