A major announcement is scheduled for Friday morning in St. Thomas that will detail plans for a future Volkswagen electric vehicle (EV) battery plant, with both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Doug Ford to attend.
Friday morning’s announcement will take place in St. Thomas, and joining Trudeau and Ford will be a number of cabinet ministers from both levels of government, including Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, Vic Fedeli, and local representatives.
Announced on March 13, 2023, the new St. Thomas facility, located south of London, Ont., will be the German automaker’s first overseas battery manufacturing plant.
Volkswagen has secured an exclusive contract of $13 billion over the next 10 years to build the electric vehicle battery plant in the Railway City. The contract will include up-front capital of $700 million and up to $13 billion in subsidies.
The subsidies are designed to match what Volkswagen would have received had it chosen a location in the United States to construct the facility.
The St. Thomas site, measuring 1,500 acres in size, beat out at least 90 other locations from around the world, including 40 in North America.
The two-million square foot plant is expected to cost $7 billion to build, will employ approximately 2,000 people, and is expected to be operational by 2027.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available
— With files from CTV News London’s Bryan Bicknell, Daryl Newcombe, Gerry Dewan and Kristylee Varley
People gather in St. Thomas, Ont. on April 21, 2023 ahead of a Volkswagen announcement. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)
