A $1-billion lithium-ion battery cell production plant that was planned for Maple Ridge, B.C., has been shelved.
The parent company, Taiwan Cement Corp., announced construction of the Canadian plant with much fanfare last year, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier David Eby attending and promising a combined $284.5 million in government funding.
Taiwan Cement Corp. company chairman Nelson Chang is quoted in a release saying that the plant construction has stopped in order to focus on Taiwanese production, in step with other battery makers suspending similar projects across North America.
The corporation's E-One Moli facility has been operating in Maple Ridge since 1990, but expanding the plant was estimated to bring 350 new permanent jobs in addition to safeguarding the current 100 positions at the site.
The B.C. government promised to contribute $80 million at the time towards the facility, while the federal government pledged $204.5 million as part of Ottawa's strategy "on securing key battery manufacturing facilities."
E-One Moli's offices in B.C. and in Taiwan have not responded to requests for comment on the development.
The statement from Chang says E-One Moli has informed the Canadian government of its decision to halt the plans, adding that it will be "very difficult" for the company to build new plants abroad before achieving full efficiency at its Taiwanese facility.
