'Transfer of ownership has now happened': Cement will soon be poured at the EV battery plant site in St. Thomas

As the federal government moves to put checks on Chinese electric vehicle imports, the St. Thomas EV battery plant is moving into its next phase.

They will soon begin the pouring of cement pads for the factory floor.

Project update videos produced by St. Thomas Economic Development Corporation have focused on the preparation of the grounds, including water lines, a new water pumping station sewers, and storm water management ponds.

St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston said much of that work is being done by the municipality, with an assist from the province, "Most of the work the city said it would take on and Infrastructure Ontario said it would take on is well underway or completed ahead of schedule."

PowerCo, the Volkswagen subsidiary building the EV battery mega-factory, now has control of the site. That means work on the cement foundations could begin within days.

"The transfer of ownership has now happened,” Preston told CTV News. “So now building permits can be created, and they're being created for the project."

Heavy machinery prepares the PowerCo factory site on Aug. 26, 2024. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London)

Preston said the city has already seen tremendous benefits from the project, "Because of what we're building there now. We've done some road construction around town and started some things like the railyard and the Highway 3 bypass that that would not have been done."

Preston said even just having the PowerCo temporary offices, with about 200 staff members, on Talbot Street has been an economic benefit.

Those offices and the construction crews on the project site are providing a boost for local retailers and restaurants. "This is a growth that happens incrementally,” he said, adding, “There's a lot more to do. As we start to hire on full time employees to actually work in the factory in about two years, I guess, we'll see even more of that economic benefit."

Preston continues to stress this plant is just part of the picture, with numerous other spin-off businesses and spin-off jobs expected throughout the region.