St. Thomas, Ontario -- Construction is beginning on Volkswagen Group’s EV battery manufacturing plant in St. Thomas, Ontario.
Crews have started work on three major buildings at the 350-hectare site, and concrete is being poured for the facility’s foundation, marking the start of the $7-billion project.
Ontario-based Magil Construction Canada Inc. and Steelcon are handling the foundational and structural work. The St. Thomas gigafactory will be the first North American cell factory for Volkswagen’s battery division, PowerCo SE. Production is expected to start in 2027.
The facility will have the capacity to produce up to 90 gigawatt-hours annually — enough to power roughly one million EVs — and support the rollout of more than 25 new EV models by 2030, the company said.
The plant is expected to generate up to 3,000 jobs, with thousands more in construction, supply chain, and retail. The industrial park will cover roughly 350 hectares, equivalent to about 775 CFL football fields.
The company described the St. Thomas gigafactory as “a critical step in the company’s EV expansion and commitment to sustainable mobility.” Officials noted the plant will strengthen North America’s domestic EV battery supply and help reduce reliance on overseas production, highlighting Canada’s role in the global EV supply chain.
