The governments of Canada and Quebec are announcing a contribution of nearly $3.6 million for Propulsion Québec, Quebec’s industrial cluster for electric and smart transportation, to help innovation in Canada’s mining industry. The Honourable Seamus O’Regan, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, accompanied by Parliamentary Secretary Paul Lefebvre, made the announcement today along with Quebec’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Jonatan Julien, and Quebec’s Minister of the Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change, Benoit Charette.
This investment will support the design and development of an electric propulsion system for a 40-ton mining truck, along with a battery solution technology and a fast-charging infrastructure adapted to mining operations. The project has the potential to eliminate the burning of more than 80,000 litres of diesel annually per vehicle, eliminating more than 220 tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The solutions developed will be tested and validated in real-world conditions in a quarry in Val-d’Or as well as in the facilities of the Nouveau Monde Graphite mine in Saint-Michel-des-Saints, a forward-looking mining company planning to build Canada’s first all-electric open-pit mine. The project brings together co-founding partners Propulsion Québec, the Innovative Vehicle Institute (IVI) and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), in collaboration with Adria Power Systems, Dana TM4, Fournier & Fils and Nouveau Monde Graphite.
The importance of Canada’s resource sectors to our national economy and our everyday lives has been magnified during the pandemic. The governments of Canada and Quebec remain committed to building a clean energy future that will support the natural resource sectors through this tough economic time while contributing to improving its environmental record, economic growth and the creation of good-quality jobs.
Quotes
“We’re helping mining companies lower their emissions by investing in onsite emissions reduction technologies, and they’re helping us by powering the clean technologies we’ll need to reach net zero by 2050.”
Seamus O’Regan, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources
“With companies like Nouveau Monde working toward all-electric mines and producing the critical minerals we need for advanced batteries, we are positioning Canada’s mining industry as a progressive, sustainable global producer of critical minerals needed for the transition to a clean energy future.”
Paul Lefebvre, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources
“This project demonstrates how effective Propulsion Québec can be in bringing new technologies to the fore through collaboration and expertise of various partners. Quebec is well on its way to shifting to electricity, and the project announced today falls perfectly in line with our commitment to produce commercial electric vehicles. I am even more excited by the fact that the prototype will be used in a graphite mine, graphite being a key element in the development of Quebec’s battery industry.”
Pierre Fitzgibbon, Quebec Minister of Economy and Innovation
“We are very pleased to support this electric heavy vehicle project that shows great promise for the sustainable development of the mining industry. As part of our strategic vision for mining development, we are looking to prevent and mitigate environmental impacts. This collaborative project, supported by Société du Plan Nord, will certainly help in achieving this objective.”
Jonatan Julien, Quebec Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and Minister Responsible for the Côte-Nord Region
“To overcome the climate challenge, we need to replace fossil fuels with hydroelectricity as much as possible. I therefore commend the commitment shown by the partners in this project to create the first 100-percent electric heavy vehicle to be used in open pit mining. We are pleased to support this project that falls perfectly in line with our government’s vision to electrify the Quebec economy, the transportation sector in particular, with the dual objective of reducing our greenhouse gases and stimulating our economy. Given our desire to foster sustainable mining development in Quebec, we will be following this project with great interest!”
Benoit Charette, Quebec Minister of the Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change
“With the support of the Innovative Vehicle Institute and the National Research Council of Canada, Propulsion Québec is pleased to have been able to bring together the key partners needed to electrify the first heavy vehicle for the open pit mining industry. We are in the midst of a full transition to an operational capability with a low environmental impact, and it is thanks to our innovative ecosystem and our government programs that support electrification that we will succeed in progressively eliminating diesel vehicles, which are responsible for major greenhouse gas emissions, and improving our environmental performance.”
Sarah Houde, President and CEO of Propulsion Québec, Cluster for Electric and Smart Transportation
Highlights
The $2-million federal investment for this project is provided by Natural Resources Canada’s Clean Growth Program — a $155-million investment fund for clean technology research, development and demonstration in Canada’s energy, mining and forest sectors. The investment also supports the government’s announcement earlier this year to expand Budget 2019 incentives to include off-road vehicles.
The Government of Quebec’s contribution includes $1,479,718 from the INNOV-R Program, offered by the Ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation, thanks to the Electrification and Climate Change Fund. This assistance is being granted to InnovÉÉ to fund part of the project’s research and development activities. The Société du Plan Nord is also participating with a contribution of $100,000 under the Fonds d’initiatives du Plan Nord.
