The newly formed Canadian startup will spend an estimated $200 million to $300 million on construction and machinery for a battery-cell manufacturing plant in Quebec, though StromVolt’s CEO Maxime Vidricaire said it is still in negotiations with investors and governments on a location. The company has a deal to use technology from Taiwan’s Delta Electronics, the terms of which were not disclosed. (La Presse, The Logic)

Talking point: StromVolt aims to fill gaps in Canada’s battery supply chain, which have caused much hand-wringing both in industry and government as the electric-vehicle transition looms. Vidricaire, founder and chief business officer of battery maker Stromcore, said at a conference Tuesday that StromVolt will source from local mining projects. He told La Presse the new company will first target Canadian customers, with Stromcore as the launch customer. But it won’t be easy for Canada to go up against South Korea, Japan and China, which collectively make about 80 per cent of the world’s batteries, according to Clean Energy Canada. South Korean battery giant LG Energy Solution, for one, has agreed to buy lithium concentrate from Vancouver’s Sigma Lithium through 2027.