NMG Is Gearing up for Its Phase 2 Commercial Operations in Bécancour – Innovative Workforce Training Program Established and Relationships Forged With Contractors and Suppliers - Seite 2

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!”