Taiwan firm halts plan for $1B battery plant in BC that had federal support

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 construction has stopped in order to focus on Taiwanese production, in step with other battery makers suspending similar projects across North America.

The statement from Chang says it will be "very difficult" for the company to build new plants abroad before achieving full efficiency at its Taiwanese facility.

The B.C. government had previously promised to contribute $80 million toward the facility, while the federal government pledged $204.5 million as part of Ottawa's strategy on securing key battery manufacturing facilities.

A spokeswoman from the office of Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne says they've heard from the company about the decision to halt the B.C. plant, adding that none of Ottawa's pledged funds had been disbursed.

"We are aware of the plans to halt expansion of the E-One Moli facility in Maple Ridge, B.C.," the statement says. "We are keeping a close eye on the situation."

The statement also says the existing research and development operations at the site for material and cell-chemistry development will be maintained.

E-One Moli's existing facility has been operating in Maple Ridge since 1990, and it had been estimated that expanding the plant would create 350 new permanent jobs in addition to safeguarding the 100 positions currently at the site.

The company's offices in B.C. and in Taiwan have not responded to requests for comment on the development.