Interest in the battery giant Northvolt’s financial situation is great worldwide and especially in the regions where Northvolt has built or wants to build battery factories.
In the Canadian province of Québec, where Northvolt wants to build a battery factory, interest has been strong for a long time, not least when it was reported that the company’s factory in Canada could be delayed by over a year earlier this year.
– This is the largest industrial project in Québec of all time, says Thomas Gerbet, journalist at the Canadian public service company Radio Canada.
Canada entered with SEK 52 billion
Both the Canadian state and the province of Québec have invested heavily in the investment, which according to Northvolt will generate 3,000 jobs at the factory and produce one million electric car batteries per year.
Together, they entered with 7 billion Canadian dollars, equivalent to 52 billion kroner, says Thomas Gerbet.
In the clip, he tells how the politicians’ and the population’s view has changed since the news that Northvolt’s economy is rocking.
Factory construction in Québec continues
While the expansion in Skellefteå has stopped, factory construction continues outside the Canadian metropolis of Montréal.
– Right now they are preparing the land, says Thomas Gerbet.
No word yet on whether the economic situation will affect the plans in North America.
– We cannot understand that there has been no announcement for Canada in view of what is happening in Sweden, but we believe that the factory is very important for Northvolt if it wants to establish itself in the North American market, he says.
“Northvolt is a business card”
Radio journalist Matthias Heim for the Swiss public service company SRF has visited Skellefteå and northern Sweden for several days to shed light on the green transition.
– It is interesting to see how international northern Sweden and Skellefteå have become in such a short time. It surprised me, says journalist Matthias Heim
He believes that Northvolt is an important example for the outside world to see how the green transition in northern Sweden works.
– The situation for Northvolt is very challenging. The market in Europe for electric cars is currently weak. In addition, the company has perhaps grown a little too fast, he says.