Construction on Volkswagen’s St. Thomas EV battery gigafactory is expected to begin next month.
That’s according to chief production officer Sebastian Wolf who advised site preparation was completed this week.
The plant will sit on 370 acres in the city’s new 1,500-acre industrial park now known as Yarmouth Yards.
According to a report presented to city council this past Monday (Dec. 11) work on site infrastructure including internal roads, sanitary, storm and water began this fall and will continue until the fall of 2026.
The twinning of Hwy. 3 and interchange work being undertaken by the MTO is underway and will extend beyond the end of 2027.
The widening of Highbury Avenue is to be completed by the end of 2024.
The expansion of the fire hall on Burwell Road and the process of acquiring a foam truck is to begin early in 2024 and continue through to the end of 2026.
Environmental remediation at the industrial park will commence early next year and likewise continue through to the fourth quarter of 2026.
Transit enhancements will begin early in 2026 and roll out throughout the year.
All of the above projects are on schedule according to the update.
What is not on schedule is the rail spur from the CN line south of the property and the railway yard to be located on-site.
Work was to have begun this summer and be completed by the third quarter of 2025.
Likewise, construction of the wastewater treatment plant was to have begun this year and continue through 2027.
There is concern about the status of both of those large undertakings.
According to information from Volkswagen, subsidiary company PowerCo is undertaking partnerships with the province, St. Thomas, and local colleges to prepare the Canadian workforce for the emerging EV and EV battery industries.
Production is scheduled to begin in 2027.
