Montreal, May 29, 2023 — Propulsion Québec, the industry cluster for electric and intelligent transportation, welcomes today's announcement of an innovation zone in the Energy Transition Valley (VTÉ). The government sends a clear signal of its commitment to Quebec's energy transition, and the VTÉ will help raise the province's profile internationally while promoting innovation, talent attraction and workforce training in promising sectors.
The news was announced by the Premier of Quebec, Mr. François Legault; the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry of Canada, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne; the Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, Minister responsible for Regional Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Metropolis and the Montreal region, Mr. Pierre Fitzgibbon; and the Member for Nicolet-Bécancour and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy (innovation zones file), Mr. Donald Martel.
"This announcement has been long awaited and will have significant fallouts for the electric and intelligent transportation sector, whose revenue already reached $3.3 billion in 2021. This initiative adds to an already dynamic existing ecosystem and will bring together key Quebec players who will be able to leverage their know-how and expertise, notably in the development of the battery supply chain and green hydrogen," says Sarah Houde, President and CEO of Propulsion Québec.
The establishment of the innovation zone (IZ) will increase the region's capacity for innovation and development. Propulsion Québec is committed to actively collaborating in the development of the zone, notably through our Collaborative Innovation Centre in Mobility (CIM) project, which aims to support innovative companies, accelerate their growth and the emergence of new mobility solutions. The alignment of the various strengths and projects will maximize the impact, to the benefit of the entire ecosystem.
In 2019, a Propulsion Québec study demonstrated the immense potential of a Quebec lithium-ion battery industry. Our cluster is proud to see that the Quebec government and the actors of the EIT ecosystem continue to honor their commitments. We also wish to commend the recent announcement between the City of Shawinigan, the National Center for Electrochemistry and Environmental Technologies (CNETE) and Concordia University, which foresees a themed campus project in Shawinigan dedicated to the energy transition.
Other announcements that also marked the day
- Nearly $300 million from the Government of Canada and Quebec for the GM-POSCO cathode active materials plant, resulting in 200 jobs,
- Five million dollars to the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT) to support the research priorities defined in the innovation zone and to establish new research chairs focused on innovation as well as scholarship and research grant programs.
This second point is among the recommendations of the roadmap proposed last June by Propulsion Québec. The cluster encourages the government to continue investing in R&D in support of innovation.
