Project Bulletin: October 03, 2023

The Québec site meets the company’s criteria to sustainably produce EV batteries.

Rendering courtesy of Northvolt AB

Sweden-based EV battery manufacturer Northvolt AB has announced plans to invest $5 billion in a new 420-acre integrated lithium-ion battery gigafactory just outside of Montréal, Québec, Canada. The 60-gigawatt-hour (GWh) facility, dubbed Northvolt Six, will be constructed in two phases, the first due to begin in 2023. This first phase will bring 30 GWh through cathode and cell manufacturing, as well as its own battery recycling unit, when it becomes operational in 2026, creating 3,000 new jobs. “We have in Northvolt Six enormous potential, not only to rapidly expand our ability to bring sustainable batteries into markets of North America, but to accelerate Québec’s emergence as a key actor in the global energy transition,” said Northvolt North America CEO Paolo Cerruti. “With its unique access to renewable power and raw materials, we see this as the ideal base of operations for Northvolt’s first gigafactory outside of Europe.” The company anticipates full completion in 2028 at the 420-acre site in McMasterville and Saint-Basile-le-Grand. The project will be run out of the company’s Montréal office, which Northvolt said would be its North American HQ.

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In September 2023, ORLEN Group’s Daniel Obajtek announced a contract for construction was signed for the oil compressor complex in Kętrzyn, Poland.

Photo courtesy of ORLEN Group

Rapeseed, a flower used to produce vegetable oil and biodiesel, will soon take center stage for the transportation industry. And by mid-2026, ORLEN Group subsidiary ORLEN Południe will be processing 500,000 tons of rapeseed in Poland’s northeastern town of Kętrzyn. The newly announced compressor station will allow the company to produce 200,000 tons of oil, which will be used in low-emissions biofuels production. “We have an ambitious strategy for the development of biofuel production, which will ensure the ORLEN Group’s position as a regional leader in this segment,” said ORLEN Management Board President Daniel Obajtek. “For this purpose, we are investing in refineries in Trzebinia, Jedlicze, Płock and Gdańsk, and our latest venture is the construction of our own rapeseed oil pressing plant in Kętrzyn. The plant will process 500,000 tons of rapeseed annually, which means that it will be able to utilize as much as one-seventh of the national production of this raw material.” This location was selected due to agricultural richness and availability of raw material, having produced 3.2 million tons of rapeseed in 2022. The $195 million investment will create 100 new jobs.

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Galp has operated at its Sines, Portugal, site since 1978.

Photo courtesy of Mitsui & Co

Portugal’s largest energy company Galp SGPS, S.A., and Japan-based trading company Mitsui & Co., Ltd., are embarking on a joint venture for a renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production plant. Almost two hours outside of Lisbon, Galp’s Sines location will expand with a new biorefinery facility that will produce 270,000 tons of renewable diesel and SAF. This decision represents both companies’ goals to meet growing demand for sustainable biofuels. As part of the investment the new facility will be converted to switch between HVO and SAF production as commercial operation begins in 2026. In addition, a 100-megawatt electrolysis plant will be constructed to produce about 15,000 tons of renewable hydrogen annually. Galp will hold 75% of the share, while Mitsui owns the remaining 25%. For Mitsui, this JV fits into its initiative to expand its business portfolio in diesel fuel.

Reports compiled and written by Alexis Elmore