A Roadmap for Canada’s Battery Value Chain

Building a national strategy for critical minerals and green battery metals

June 2022

By Bentley Allan, Moe Kabbara, Lyle Trytten, Stephen Campbell, Zarko Meseldzija, Jonathan Nielsen, Jamie Deith, Eric Pelletier, Liz Lappin, Alexandra Fischer, Matt Beck, Mitchell Smith, Pong Leung, Juli Rohl, Ian London, Matthew Fortier

What must be done today to build a Canadian battery metals industry that will be a significant contributor to Canada’s long-term prosperity? This report argues that to seize its enormous opportunities in the battery metals value chain, Canada needs a bold national strategy, roadmap, and action plan. The report lays out clear timetables and targets for electric vehicle, battery, and metals production and an action plan designed to achieve them. The action plan also aims to help create an integrated Canadian battery supply chain, leverage foreign investments into homegrown capacity, and build a vibrant innovation and industrial ecosystem. It argues that the midstream is the linchpin of the supply chain and that initial efforts should focus on the chemical production processes needed to produce battery active material from Canadian critical minerals.

The report was published by The Transition Accelerator with the Battery Metals Association of Canada, Accelerate, and the Energy Futures Lab.

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About the Authors

Bentley Allan, PhD

Transition Pathway Principal

Bentley Allan, PhD, is a Transition Pathway Principal at the Transition Accelerator, as well as an Associate Professor of Political Science at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Allan is an award-winning scholar who has written on the dynamics of international order, science and politics, climate policy, and the political economy of decarbonization. He provides regular advice to government and industry on geopolitics, industrial strategy, and policy.

He has co-lead the development of three sector strategies and roadmaps in collaboration with industry partners. He is the co-coordinator of the Centre for Net-Zero Industrial Policy which advances research and action to strengthen and mobilize Canada’s expertise in modern industrial policy, enabling strategic collaboration between government, industry, indigenous communities, labor, and financial institutions in pursuit of good jobs and a competitive economy.

Moe Kabbara

Vice President

Moe Kabbara is an experienced energy and climate professional with close to a decade of experience working at the intersection of technology, policy, and markets. Moe brings expertise in the areas of transportation electrification, renewable energy, energy storage, and energy efficiency. He is also a sought-after voice on zero-emission vehicle supply chain issues and has spearheaded the establishment of Accelerate, Canada’s zero-emission vehicle supply chain alliance, bringing together private and public sector players to leverage Canada’s opportunity in global ZEV manufacturing.

Prior to joining the Accelerator, Moe was a Managing Consultant at Dunsky Energy + Climate. He was also a Senior Investment Officer at the Department of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada. Moe also was the co-founder and CEO of a thermal energy storage start-up in Atlantic Canada.

Cite as: Allan, B., Trytten L., Campbell, S., Meseldzija, Z., Nielsen, J., Deith, J., Pelletier, E., Lappin, L., Fischer, A., Beck, M., Smith, M., Leung, P., Rohl, J., London, I., Fortier, M., and Kabbara, M. (2022). A Roadmap for Canada’s Battery Value Chain: Building a national strategy for critical minerals and green battery metals. Transition Accelerator, Battery Metals Association of Canada, Accelerate, and Energy Futures Lab.

Future Economy