Within weeks, construction will begin on what is to become the largest EV battery manufacturing plant in Canada.

PowerCo, a Volkswagen subsidiary, announced Thursday the awarding of two major contracts for structural steel and foundation work for the $7 billion gigafactory at the Yarmouth Yards industrial park in St. Thomas.

Meredith Gibbons, Chief Procurement Officer for PowerCo Canada, called the announcement a major milestone.

“We’ve been very busy working hard to get this thing up and running. Today’s major milestone for the St. Thomas gigafactory is the announcement of our two major contracts: structural steelwork to SteelCon and the concrete foundation work to Magil Construction.”