Hydro-Québec wants to reclaim the large tract of land left vacant by the Swedish company Northvolt, which went bankrupt in 2025. Northvolt was set to build a mega-factory for battery cells on a site straddling Saint-Basile-le-Grand and McMasterville, south of Montreal. However, the project was never completed due to the multinational’s financial troubles. As a result, the state-owned energy corporation says it has reached an agreement to acquire the 18 million-square-foot site after the receiver, Raymond Chabot, obtained court authorization under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act. The transaction still requires court approval, officials note. Hydro-Québec says it intends to use this land “to support its operations on Montreal’s South Shore.” The company is planning to build a new substation and create a logistics centre. “Hydro-Québec will be able to discuss the next steps with the local community and the public once the transaction has been formally concluded,” it added. The governments of Quebec and Canada had announced the Northvolt plant project with great fanfare in 2023. The $7 billion project had been touted as the largest private investment in Quebec’s history. However, construction never progressed beyond the preparatory stage, and the Quebec government lost $270 million in the venture. - This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 6, 2026.
