- Launch of a training program in green technology industrial
processes in partnership with the region’s education and industrial
partners to secure a local and qualified workforce
- Meetings held with over 300 regional companies in recent months
to identify local capacity and plan the Company’s procurement
strategy
- Progress in pre-construction, permit applications, and
engineering for the final investment decision, supported by offtake
and investment agreements with GM and Panasonic
- Implementation of NMG’s Phase-2 Bécancour Battery Materials
Plant in the heart of the Bécancour industrial park, where
construction on the GM-Posco, Ford and Nemaska Lithium plants is
underway
Nouveau Monde Graphite Inc. (“NMG” or the “Company”) (NYSE:NMG,
TSXV: NOU) is ramping up its efforts in Bécancour, Québec, to
implement its Phase-2 Bécancour Battery Materials Plant. To meet
its expected needs for a skilled workforce, construction
contractors, and product and service suppliers, NMG is actively
engaged in regional development initiatives in the areas of
training and procurement. The Company is also continuing its
engineering, permitting, and pre-construction work towards the
final investment decision (“FID”). These activities are underpinned
by offtake agreements and strategic investments with Panasonic
Energy Co., Ltd. (“Panasonic Energy”), a wholly owned subsidiary of
Panasonic Holdings Corporation (“Panasonic”) (TYO: 6752) and
General Motors Holdings LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of General
Motors Co. (collectively, “GM”) (NYSE:GM).
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Panasonic Energy and NMG leaders
celebrate the new chapter in their collaboration. (Photo: Business
Wire)
Arne H Frandsen, NMG’s Chair of NMG, declared: “Beyond its
industrial infrastructure and the synergy from the battery
industry, Bécancour is a region full of talent, dedication and
expertise. With our Phase-1 plant operations up and running, our
Phase-2 execution plan is taking shape with the commitment of our
anchor customers and investors, Panasonic and GM. This is the ideal
time to align all key ingredients—qualified employees and
performing business partners—to make the launch of our commercial
operations a success.”
Training the local workforce
NMG is working closely with education and industrial partners in
the region, to support the implementation of an innovative,
customised training program to equip the local workforce with
qualifications and training for green tech jobs, integral for both
the development of NMG and the fast-faced establishment of a
regional battery hub. The first cohort of the Attestation of
Collegial Studies (“ACS”) program in green tech industrial
processes began at the Cégep de Trois-Rivières at the end of
January. The alternating work-study program is paid, and lasts 15
months. The program allows students to apply what they have learned
at an actual plant, become accustomed to working in an industrial
environment, and build relationships with their future colleagues.
NMG is supporting five students within this first cohort who will
work at its Phase-1 plants throughout their training period and who
are on track to become permanent employees upon their
graduation.
Kateri Champagne Jourdain, Minister of Employment and Minister
Responsible for the Côte-Nord Region, commented: “The training
offered by the Cégep de Trois-Rivières will certainly meet the
needs of businesses. The Mauricie and Centre-du-Québec regions will
be key players in the energy transition with the battery industry,
and this announcement enables us to invest in jobs of the future
today.”
This mutually beneficial and collaborative approach to
developing training services echoes the formula that NMG developed
with stakeholders in Saint-Michel-des-Saints to create a diploma of
vocational studies (“DVS”) in production equipment operation.
Launched in 2021, this DVS supports NMG’s training and recruitment
efforts for the Phase-1 operations at the Matawinie Mine.
Preparations are currently underway for a ninth cohort of this
program, a significant mark of its historical success and
impact.
Connecting with local contractors and suppliers
NMG is taking advantage of the broad reach of the battery
industry in the Bécancour industrial park to position itself in the
business community ahead of the FID. The Centre-du-Québec and
Mauricie regions boast a large pool of specialized contractors in
construction and industrial services along with a variety of
suppliers that provide a range of products and services.
Furthering its 2023 efforts to build relationships with the
regional business community, NMG took part in the Rendez-vous
économique held by the Ville de Bécancour and Investissement Québec
on January 30 to connect with entrepreneurs and suppliers in the
region. At the event, NMG representatives presented the project for
the Phase-2 Bécancour Battery Materials Plant as well as its ESG
requirements and procurement process. NMG has met with over 300
companies in recent months to promote business opportunities and
determine regional capabilities.
Work is already well underway in the Bécancour industrial park
for the GM-Posco, Nemaska Lithium and Ford plants. The planned
construction of NMG’s Bécancour Battery Materials Plant should fit
in with the current mobilization, allowing the sequence of work to
be staggered by specialty, across the jobsites, to reduce pressure
on trades, ease construction management logistics, and maximize
synergies between major projects.
Eric Desaulniers, Founder, President and CEO of NMG, said: “The
priority for our Phase-2 execution plan is to responsibly develop
our commercial facilities in partnership with the community. So
many workers, contractors and suppliers have responded to our
invitation to take part in this project that is shaping the future
of the Bécancour region and Québec’s economy. We are excited to
start working together!”
Along with field-based activities to promote NMG’s training
program and its procurement strategy, the Company’s project team is
also working closely to advance the engineering, pre-construction,
and permit applications for the FID. The Bécancour Battery
Materials Plant is expected to supply the North American market
with approximately 43,000 tonnes of active anode material per year.
NMG’s 200,000-m² site in the heart of Québec’s battery industry
will enjoy robust industrial infrastructure, access to clean and
affordable hydroelectricity, a direct supply of chemicals, and a
multimodal logistics base.
About Nouveau Monde Graphite
Nouveau Monde is striving to become a key contributor to the
sustainable energy revolution. The Company is working towards
developing a fully integrated source of carbon-neutral battery
anode material in Québec, Canada, for the growing lithium-ion and
fuel cell markets. With enviable ESG standards, Nouveau Monde
aspires to become a strategic supplier to the world’s leading
battery and automobile manufacturers by providing high-performing
and reliable advanced materials while promoting sustainability and
supply chain traceability. www.NMG.com
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Cautionary Note
All statements, other than statements of historical fact,
contained in this press release including, but not limited to those
describing the start of commercial operation of the Bécancour
Battery Material Plant, the planned construction of the Bécancour
Battery Material Plant, a positive final investment decision and
closing of project financing, receipt of any regulatory approvals
and permits in respect of the initiatives described herein, the
anticipated benefits of the initiatives described herein, the
Company’s relationship with its stakeholders, including suppliers,
contractors and employees, the realization of the condition
precedents of the supply agreements and their entry into force, the
intended supply of active anode material to GM and Panasonic
Energy, expected volume of active anode material per year, the
intended results of the initiatives described in this press release
and those statements which are discussed under the “About Nouveau
Monde” paragraph and elsewhere in the press release which
essentially describe the Company’s outlook and objectives,
constitute “forward-looking information” or “forward-looking
statements” (collectively, “forward-looking statements”) within the
meaning of Canadian and United States securities laws, and are
based on expectations, estimates and projections as of the time of
this press release. Forward-looking statements are necessarily
based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while
considered reasonable by the Company as of the time of such
statements, are inherently subject to significant business,
economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. These
estimates and assumptions may prove to be incorrect. Moreover,
these forward-looking statements were based upon various underlying
factors and assumptions, including the current technological
trends, the business relationship between the Company and its
stakeholders, the ability to operate in a safe and effective
manner, the timely delivery and installation at estimated prices of
the equipment supporting the production, assumed sale prices for
graphite concentrate, the accuracy of any Mineral Resource
estimates, future currency exchange rates and interest rates,
political and regulatory stability, prices of commodity and
production costs, the receipt of governmental, regulatory and third
party approvals, licenses and permits on favorable terms, sustained
labor stability, stability in financial and capital markets,
availability of equipment and critical supplies, spare parts and
consumables, the various tax assumptions, CAPEX and OPEX estimates,
all economic and operational projections relating to the project,
local infrastructures, the Company’s business prospects and
opportunities and estimates of the operational performance of the
equipment, and are not guarantees of future performance.
Forward-looking statements are subject to known or unknown risks
and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ
materially from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking
statements. Risk factors that could cause actual results or events
to differ materially from current expectations include, among
others, those risks, delays in the scheduled delivery times of the
equipment, the ability of the Company to successfully implement its
strategic initiatives and whether such strategic initiatives will
yield the expected benefits, the availability of financing or
financing on favorable terms for the Company, the dependence on
commodity prices, the impact of inflation on costs, the risks of
obtaining the necessary permits, the operating performance of the
Company’s assets and businesses, competitive factors in the
graphite mining and production industry, changes in laws and
regulations affecting the Company’s businesses, including the
changes in China’s policy regarding restrictions on Chinese
graphite materials exportations, political and social acceptability
risk, environmental regulation risk, currency and exchange rate
risk, technological developments, the impacts of the global
COVID-19 pandemic and the governments’ responses thereto, and
general economic conditions, as well as earnings, capital
expenditure, cash flow and capital structure risks and general
business risks. A further description of risks and uncertainties
can be found in NMG’s Annual Information Form dated March 23, 2023,
including in the section thereof captioned “Risk Factors”, which is
available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and on EDGAR at
www.sec.gov. Unpredictable or unknown factors not discussed in this
Cautionary Note could also have material adverse effects on
forward-looking statements.
Many of these uncertainties and contingencies can directly or
indirectly affect, and could cause, actual results to differ
materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking
statements. There can be no assurance that forward-looking
statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future
events could differ materially from those anticipated in such
statements. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose
of providing information about management’s expectations and plans
relating to the future. The Company disclaims any intention or
obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements or to
explain any material difference between subsequent actual events
and such forward-looking statements, except to the extent required
by applicable law.
The market and industry data contained in this press release is
based upon information from independent industry publications,
market research, analyst reports and surveys and other publicly
available sources. Although the Company believes these sources to
be generally reliable, market and industry data is subject to
interpretation and cannot be verified with complete certainty due
to limits on the availability and reliability of raw data, the
voluntary nature of the data-gathering process and other
limitations and uncertainties inherent in any survey. The Company
has not independently verified any of the data from third-party
sources referred to in this press release and accordingly, the
accuracy and completeness of such data is not guaranteed.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services
Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX
Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release.
Further information regarding the Company is available in the
SEDAR+ database (www.sedarplus.ca), and for United States readers
on EDGAR (www.sec.gov), and on the Company’s website at:
www.NMG.com
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240226491128/en/
MEDIA Julie Paquet VP Communications and ESG Strategy
+1-450-757-8905, ext. 140 jpaquet@nmg.com
INVESTORS Marc Jasmin Director, Investor Relations
+1-450-757-8905, ext. 993 mjasmin@nmg.com
Grafico Azioni Nouveau Monde Graphite (NYSE:NMG)
Storico
Da Gen 2025 a Feb 2025
Grafico Azioni Nouveau Monde Graphite (NYSE:NMG)
Storico
Da Feb 2024 a Feb 2025
