Ontario Provides $670-Million Loan for Vianode’s First North American Synthetic Graphite Facility

In November 2025, the Province of Ontario announced a major international investment to strengthen Canada’s electric vehicle supply chain. Vianode Canada Inc. ("Vianode"), a subsidiary of Norwegian battery materials leader Vianode AS, will build its first North American synthetic graphite manufacturing facility at the Yarmouth Yards Industrial Park in St. Thomas, Ontario. Production is expected to begin in 2028.

In support of Vianode’s $3.2-billion investment, the Province agreed to provide a loan of up to $670 million. The investment is expected to create 300 skilled jobs when production begins and 1,000 jobs at full capacity, reinforcing Ontario’s position as a hub for clean transportation and advanced manufacturing. Vianode’s facility will produce high-performance, low-emission synthetic graphite, a critical material for lithium-ion batteries, and is expected to supply enough material for up to three million electric vehicles annually by 2030. The project complements the Volkswagen-backed PowerCo SE gigafactory and aligns with Canada’s critical minerals strategy under the G7 Critical Minerals Action Plan.

Aird & Berlis is advising the Province of Ontario on all aspects of the announced transaction, including commercial, lending and real estate matters, with a team led by Paige Backman (Corporate/Commercial) and including Aaron Collins, Jonathan Yantzi and Kanika Sharma (Financial Services) and Ethan Eisen and Kenneth Pimentel (Real Estate).