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Back in August, PowerCo announced work would commence shortly on Canada’s largest EV battery plant, located in the Yarmouth Yards industrial Park in St. Thomas.
And a company announcement today (Oct. 28) advised construction is underway on a trio of major buildings on the site.
Foundation work is being undertaken by Canadian-owned Magil Construction, involving more than 500,000 square feet of formwork and more than 32,000 cubic metres of concrete.
Steel erection by Canadian partner Steelcon is set to get underway in the coming weeks.
“Today marks a big milestone for PowerCo Canada,” advised Frank Blome, CEO of PowerCo SE, “as we officially mark the beginning of construction on our third and largest EV gigafactory worldwide.”
He continued, “We aim to build a global battery champion with a strong footprint in Europe and North America.”
In a conversation with Meredith Gibbons, Chief Procurement Officer for PowerCo Canada back in August, she advised the initial phase of construction will focus on the first cell production building incorporated in the massive facility.
She stressed PowerCo is primed to weather whatever economic impacts are churned up during President Trump’s tariff war.
According to a media release, once completed, the St. Thomas gigafactory will bring PowerCo’s advanced unified cell battery technology to Canada, supporting a more resilient domestic supply chain and further solidifying Canada’s position as a global EV manufacturing hub.
Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP Rob Flack noted, “This is a major milestone for St. Thomas and our entire region. PowerCo’s gigafactory cements our region as a leader in in clean technology and the the electric vehicle revolution.”
St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston added, “The St. Thomas gigafactory is rapidly coming to life and already delivering on its promise of prosperity – supporting hundreds of local jobs and providing a significant boost to our economy right here in our community.”
Blome concluded, “Electric vehicles are the future of the global automotive sector, and we’re proud to spearhead such a significant investment, while positioning Canada at the forefront of of innovative EV battery production.”
On Aug. 6, PowerCo launched a hiring campaign with high-quality, well-paying jobs now available.
“So basically what we’re trying to do is now,” advised Norman Wickboldt, Chief Human Resources Officer at PowerCo Canada, “is we are going to have more activity on the actual construction site, and then we will have two, let’s say, locations. One here, we will still use that office here (on Talbot Street in the downtown core), but our focus will then slowly but surely shift to the work that needs to be done at the site.”
Written by Ian McCallum
