‘INCENDIARY DEVICES’ PLANTED AT SITE OF QUEBEC EV BATTERY PLANT

MONTREAL • A company building a major factory for electric-vehicle batteries in Quebec says incendiary devices were found Monday morning at its construction site east of Montreal, in what is the latest act of alleged vandalism against the project.

The devices consisted of bottles filled with flammable liquid with a “rudimentary” ignition system, said Paolo Cerruti, co-founder of Swedish manufacturer Northvolt.

Cerruti, also CEO of Northvolt North America, told reporters the ignition system “allowed for a certain delay” before the bottles were supposed to catch fire, but “thank God it didn’t work.”

Northvolt initially called the devices “homemade bombs” but Cerruti later referred to them as “incendiary devices.” Cerruti said multiple bottles were placed under the tires of “certain elements of equipment” at the site. Chantal Graveline with the Richelieu-saint-laurent police force confirmed that officers had discovered incendiary devices beneath a vehicle and that an investigation is underway.

Monday’s discovery is the latest act of alleged vandalism at the future site of Northvolt’s $7-billion factory for electric vehicle batteries. Straddling two communities about 30 kilometres east of Montreal — Mcmasterville and Saint-basile-le-grand — the 170-hectare site is scheduled to open by the end of 2026. Since it was announced in September, the project has faced opposition from environmental groups and some in the Mohawk community, who say the plant is being built on environmentally sensitive land without being subjected to a proper review.

At the end of February, police opened an investigation after individuals had laid spiked mats at the site. A vehicle was also damaged.