The establishment of Canada’s first Indigenous-led gigafactory in Malahat Nation marks a significant step towards sustainable economic development and environmental stewardship. @malahatnation.com
VICTORIA – Malahat Nation is partnering with Energy Plug to build a 100,000 square foot battery factory at its 52-acre business park next to the Trans-Canada Highway.
The state-of-the-art facility will specialize in assembling lithium iron phosphate batteries for residential, commercial and industrial storage, and it will be the first Indigenous-led Gigafactory.
It will be 51 percent Indigenous led, and will also aim to work on other technologies, including lithium, nickel, manganese, cobalt, oxide, sodium-ion and solid state batteries. The facility will focus on grid-scale and storage-related batteries from 5 kilowatts to 50 megawatts.
Because the plant will be in a free trade zone next to tidewater, it will offer strategic advantages in terms of connections to the United States and Asia. Batteries produced on site will be eligible for the 5 percent Federal Procurement Mandate implemented by the federal government, which means that a minimum of 5 percent of the total value of contracts are held by Indigenous businesses.
Commercial applications include backup power, energy stability, incremental revenue opportunities, and carbon credits. For residential use, batteries can store excess energy for backup power.
Business Examiner Staff