Taiwan Cement Shelves \$1 Billion Battery Plant in Maple Ridge, B.C.

Plans for a \$1-billion lithium-ion battery cell production facility in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, have been shelved. The parent company, Taiwan Cement Corp., announced that construction has been halted to focus on production in Taiwan, aligning with similar decisions by other battery manufacturers to suspend projects across North America.

The Canadian plant, which was initially announced last year with much fanfare, included government commitments totaling \$284.5 million from the federal and provincial levels. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and B.C. Premier David Eby attended the announcement, pledging support to secure key battery manufacturing infrastructure.

However, Taiwan Cement Corp. Chairman Nelson Chang cited challenges in expanding production abroad before achieving full efficiency at the company's existing facility in Taiwan. "It will be very difficult for us to build new plants internationally until we reach full efficiency in our Taiwanese operations," Chang said in a statement.

The federal government had committed \$204.5 million, while the B.C. government had pledged \$80 million to support the project. A spokeswoman from the office of Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne confirmed that none of Ottawa's pledged funding had been disbursed, adding that they were monitoring the situation closely.

"We are aware of the plans to halt expansion of the E-One Moli facility in Maple Ridge, B.C.," the spokeswoman said. "We are keeping a close eye on the situation."

Despite the halted expansion, the existing research and development operations for material and cell-chemistry development at the Maple Ridge site will be maintained. The E-One Moli facility, which has been in operation since 1990, was expected to create 350 new permanent jobs through the expansion, alongside retaining the 100 positions currently employed at the site.

Neither Taiwan Cement Corp.'s offices in B.C. nor its headquarters in Taiwan have responded to requests for further comment on the decision.