Major Quebec aluminum smelter announces $1.5B investment with new electricity deal
SEPT-ÎLES — The company operating a major Quebec aluminum smelter says it will invest at least $1.5 billion in its North Shore facilities over the next 20 years.
Representatives of Aluminerie Alouette say the announcement is tied to an agreement in principle with the province's hydro utility on electricity rates until Dec. 31, 2045.
At a news conference in Sept-Îles, Que., the company said it has committed to investing $750 million by 2030, for a total of at least $1.5 billion by 2045.
Quebec Premier François Legault told the news conference the electricity deal is a positive sign for an industry that has been hit by 50 per cent tariffs on imports to the U.S.
The government says the agreement allows Hydro-Québec to share in the profits when aluminum prices are high, and permits the company to stay competitive when market prices for the metal drop.
The smelter employs approximately 950 people and has an annual production capacity of 630,000 tons of aluminum, representing 20 per cent of the aluminum produced in the province.
Multinational Rio Tinto is the main shareholder with a 40 per cent stake in the company.
---
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
CTV National News: Alarm bells over Canada's growing deficit
Watch New reports suggest the government will have to make cuts to public service to meet election promises without growing the deficit. Mike Le Couteur explains.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
What could a scrapped EV mandate mean for Windsor's NextStar battery plant?
A truck seen leaving NextStar Battery Plant in Windsor, Ont. on July 4, 2025. (Robert Lothian/CTV News Windsor) The potential scrapping of Canada's electric vehicle mandate could create more uncertainty in the short term for Windsor's NextStar Energy electric vehicle battery plant. Earlier this week, automotive leaders asked the federal government to scrap its electric vehicle sales mandate. 'Now, what's changed since it was designed and came into force is that we've had this collapse in EV sales,' Brian Kingston, the CEO of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association, said after a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Wednesday. The meeting included the CEOs of Ford Canada, Stellantis Canada, and GM Canada. Greg Layson, the Digital and Mobile Editor for Automotive News Canada, told CTV News the targets were always 'ambitious.' 'With no zero emissions vehicle purchase incentives, it becomes more difficult to meet those targets from the government standpoint,' Layson said. Potentially lowered EV production creates another hurdle to overcome for the NextStar battery plant. Production of battery cells has been expected to begin at the plant later this year. NextStar Battery Plant NextStar Battery Plant seen in Windsor, Ont. on July 4, 2025. (Robert Lothian/CTV News Windsor) 'We were never going to see three shifts of production at the battery plant on day one,' Layson said. 'We weren't even going to see two shifts of production on day one. It was going to be a long, slow process. It might just be a longer, slower process.' Previous estimates expected the battery plant to create about 2,500 jobs when fully operational. NextStar Energy declined to comment on potential changes to the vehicle mandate. In a previous unrelated inquiry last week, the battery manufacturer noted about 850 employees have been hired so far. 'We're not going to hire 2,500 workers overnight to fill this place. They're going to hire shift at a time, fill what they need, work when they need to,' Layson added. Under the EV sales mandate, 20 per cent of all new light-duty vehicles sold in Canada must be zero-emission as of next year. The target rises annually to 100 per cent by 2035. Layson believes Canada could loosen the mandates and 'spread' out the targets. He's optimistic the plant will play a key role in the EV sector when consumers transition, but it could take longer than expected. The automotive journalist added the industry will need better infrastructure and more competitive pricing to see demand take off. 'When sales fall, production falls, and when production falls, batteries aren't needed,' he noted. -With files from the Canadian Press.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
‘Nobody was ever promised a refund': Cactus Rats ticket holders won't get money back, club official says
An official with the Energy City Cactus Rats baseball club says season-ticket holders who requested refunds shouldn't expect to see any money back. Jennifer Vachon and Sandie Miller told CTV News Edmonton they each paid more than $1,000 for season tickets to watch the team. Both women asked for refunds after learning that the team's ballpark, which has been under construction since 2023, would not be ready for this season. Spruce Grove ballpark Energy City Metro Ball Park under construction on July 3, 2025, in Spruce Grove, Alta. (Nav Sangha/CTV News Edmonton) Miller said she was put on a 'refund list,' but had not seen a return of the $1,050 she spent on two season seats. Instead, both women were told their tickets would carry over to the 2026 season, something neither of them say they want. On Friday, CTV News Edmonton spoke to Patrick Cassidy, the managing partner for the club, about the refunds. Cassidy says while the refund list exists, it doesn't mean anyone is getting their money back. 'They're asking about refunds, so we put them on a refund list. It gets called a refund list, and then people assume they're going to get a refund, but they're on a list where people are asking for refunds. So there's kind of a difference there, right?' Cassidy said. He claims the list is internal, and the public wasn't supposed to know about it. 'Somebody got information that says you're on a refund list, and maybe it wasn't clarified, but I can almost guarantee you that nobody was ever necessarily promised a refund.' 'We don't do refunds. We do pay it forward.' Cassidy says season-ticket holders were never told when the ballpark would actually open. 'We've never guaranteed a date. We wouldn't do that. We're still not doing that. When you buy tickets, you sort of buy them with that understanding that it's a project under construction. And if that's too risky for you, there's a lot of people that want to buy tickets,' he said. 'Some people maybe assumed it was going to be a guaranteed opening this year. That was never a story that came from us.' Spruce Grove ballpark Energy City Metro Ball Park under construction in Spruce Grove, Alta., on July 3, 2025. (Nav Sangha/CTV News Edmonton) He chalks the delays up to permitting and zoning issues and land title transfers tied to the self-storage facility, restaurant and residential condos that are also planned for the development. 'Our plan right from day one was to construct the self-storage facility, get it filled and sell it. And that's still the plan. The concept behind that is basically just reduce debt on everything else, maybe eliminate debt. So that's our long term goal.' With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nav Sangha
