Ford Motor Co. and two South Korean companies have announced a new C$1.2-billion battery cathode factory in Bécancour, Quebec, supported by $644 million in loans from the federal and Quebec governments.
The 280,000-square-metre plant is expected to create more than 345 jobs and begin production in the first half of 2026, Electric Autonomy Canada reports. It’s meant to produce 45,000 tonnes of cathode active materials (CAM) annually, enough to support production of 225,000 EVs per year.
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Company and government representatives said the deal had been in the works for three years. It continues the transformation of Bécancour, a town of about 15,000 located halfway between Montreal and Québec City, into the province’s central battery component manufacturing hub, Electric Autonomy says.
That follows recent investment announcements by GM and its partners Posco and Vale Canada, German chemical giant BASF, cobalt sulphate refiner Electra Battery Materials, and lithium hydroxide miner Nemaska Lithium.
“This is a milestone announcement,” said federal innovation and industry minister François-Philippe Champagne. “Putting Bécancour, Quebec, on the world stage is something we have achieved and putting Quebec at the centre of the EV supply chain is no small accomplishment.”
The announcement shows “that we’re now capable of attracting big players like Ford,” said Premier François Legault. “And for me, that’s a source of great pride. It confirms that Quebec is truly positioning itself as a world leader in the green economy.”
Even a year ago, the province would not have been seen as a leader in batteries, EVs, or green manufacturing, agreed Champagne. “But today, we’re talking about Quebec,” he said. “Behind what you see today is a region that is emerging, a region that is positioning itself in the automotive ecosystem.”
Lisa Drake, Ford’s vice-president of EV industrialization, said the factory’s output will be earmarked for the company’s truck assembly lines. “If you know Ford, you know our passion for trucks,” she told a media conference last week. “That is probably one of the premier and most important products in our lineup. So this facility is a cornerstone for Ford Motor Company in all of North America. That’s how important this plant is to us.”
“We chose Bécancour, Quebec and Canada for a number of reasons,” said Jae-hwan Joo, CEO of Chongju, South Korea-based cathode specialist EcoPro BM. “For the skilled work force here and the strong federal and provincial governments, for access to advanced battery lithium minerals, for access to stable, clean, and inexpensive hydroelectric power generation. For Bécancour’s water port, and well-organized infrastructures including highways, railways, and shipping lanes. EcoPro BM is in Bécancour for a long time.”
SustainableBiz says Montreal-based engineering giant SNC-Lavalin has landed a $141-million contract for initial concept design, basic design, project management and delivery services for the plant.
