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Quebec environment ministry fines Northvolt for polluted run-off water

MONTREAL — Quebec’s Environment Department has fined Northvolt for allegedly releasing wastewater with high levels of aluminum and chromium at its Montérégie region site.
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The entrance to Northvolt, the new EV battery plant being built by the Swedish manufacturer in Saint-Basile-le-Grand, east of Montreal, Que.,Thursday, May 16, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

MONTREAL — Quebec’s Environment Department has fined Northvolt for allegedly releasing wastewater with high levels of aluminum and chromium at its Montérégie region site.

Provincial officials issued the $10,000 penalty in June, saying the wastewater allegedly exceeded legal limits of the metals.

The department says the North American branch of the Swedish battery manufacturer had released the run-off water at its site in December.

The future of the proposed electric vehicle battery plant on the site is up in the air, after its parent company filed for bankruptcy in Sweden.

This is the third time the Quebec ministry has penalized the company.

It previously fined Northvolt for allegedly clearing a marsh without authorization and for allegedly failing to install barriers needed to protect a nearby wetland.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 4, 2025.

The Canadian Press