Asahi Kasei confirms Port Colborne, Ontario for its proposed battery separator plant

Japanese firm Asahi Kasei has announced it will construct its previously announced integrated lithium-ion battery (LIB) separator plant in Port Colborne, located in the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada. The facility is expected to commence commercial production in 2027. 

Proposed at an initial investment of approximately 180 billion JPY, the Canadian facility will roll out about 700 million square meters of 'Hipore' separators annually. The site is also is expected to create highly skilled, good paying jobs in manufacturing and construction. 

Koshiro Kudo, President & Representative Director of Asahi Kasei Corporation, commented on the development, "As demand for EVs and the lithium-ion batteries that power them continues to rise, we are eager to bring the first Hipore wet-process lithium-ion separator manufacturing facility to Canada". 

"Backed by the abundant renewable resources, skilled talent and strong local community support here in Port Colborne, we will be able to better serve our partners in the region as well as the broader North American automotive market from this facility", he added. 

The 'Hipore' wet-process separators to be produced at the Port Colborne facility are among the most highly engineered and critical components of lithium batteries used in EVs and other energy storage applications, according to the manufacturer. 

The start of construction of the plant is expected to begin later this year. It is to be noted that Asahi Kasei has also concluded a deal with Honda Motor North America to establish a stable battery supply chain in the region.