If he does not say which ones, the Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, assures that Quebec is working on other investment projects in the battery sector, in addition to the one lost to hands. of Ontario in the Volkswagen case.
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“We are looking at other projects that will be better sequenced to have the electric current. We are working on other alternatives, ”he said on Monday, when an investment from his ministry was announced in Montreal.
In mid-March, federal Innovation, Science and Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne announced that Volkswagen will build a mega-factory for batteries for electric vehicles in Ontario.
Mr Fitzgibbon had already known for a year that this would be the case, he previously said. “We needed 800 megawatts in Montreal for the end of 2026, it was impossible,” repeated the minister on Monday.
Hydro-Québec does not have the transmission lines necessary to supply the metropolis in such a way, at least not as quickly as Volkswagen wanted.
“Even if we hit Hydro-Quebec on the head, it was impossible,” argued the minister on Monday.
He then made sparing comments on the type of investment projects that could come. “We will make announcements in due course,” he said.
Soon an appointment at the head of Hydro
Minister Fitzgibbon also indicated on Monday that it will not be this week that we will know the identity of the person who will replace Sophie Brochu at the head of Hydro-Québec.
“We expect to have an announcement at some point, somewhere in April or May, but not this week,” he offered.
The state corporation’s board of directors is still preparing its recommendations for candidates, the minister suggested.
Ms. Brochu, who recently left her position in the middle of her term, is due to leave the Crown corporation on April 11.