Final goals include an operational lithium hydroxide processing plant by 2024, anode and cathode production, and producing battery-grade copper sheets at a restored plant in Granby, Que., Innovation Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon, Investissement Québec CEO Guy LeBlanc and Investissement Québec International head Hubert Bolduc, told a La Presse editorial board. LeBlanc will travel to Japan this week. (La Presse)

Talking point: Quebec seems to be homing in on the missing links of an end-to-end battery supply chain like nickel sulfate and copper foil. La Presse said the province is also being realistic, and not expecting near-term investments in electric-vehicle assembly plants or large cell-making plants. The report comes after Fitzgibbon told The Logic that recent POSCO and BASF’s battery-industry announcements were in the works for months to wean dependence on Asia. Quebec is also educating thousands of students on topics relevant to the battery industry, LeBlanc told La Presse. Earlier this month, the Chinese battery giant CATL was reportedly shopping North American sites, but was favouring Mexico over Canada and the U.S. amid “concerns over the availability of labour and other trade issues.”