EllisDon Named GC for PowerCo's $7B St. Thomas Gigafactory
PowerCo Canada has named EllisDon Corporation general contractor for its $7 billion gigafactory in St. Thomas, Ontario, Daily Commercial News reports, with the plant now targeted to begin operations in 2029, pushed back from a previously stated 2027 start for initial battery production.
Market Impact
The project is moving into core infrastructure and structural phases that will support future production, according to Daily Commercial News. Scope under EllisDon includes the production-building shell, mechanical, electrical and plumbing installations, energy and utility systems, and supporting site services. The factory itself will span 1.5 million square feet, roughly the size of 210 football fields, sitting within a 1,500-acre industrial park about 850 football fields in total area.
Approximately 60 EllisDon workers are currently onsite, with headcount expected to ramp to roughly 1,300 at peak, plus additional personnel supporting parallel project activities. Ground broke on the project in 2025, with Magil Construction Canada handling foundation work on three major buildings and Steelcon Group of Companies fabricating and erecting structural steel. Max Mantha, president of construction at EllisDon, called the project “a transformative investment in Canada’s industrial future” and said it would “create opportunities for skilled tradespeople, local businesses, and communities across southwestern Ontario.” PowerCo Canada’s chief procurement officer, Joel Karlsberg, said the company is “continuing to build now while determining how and when the facility scales over time,” framing the revised timeline as a pacing decision rather than a pullback.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- Mechanical, electrical and plumbing subs should track EllisDon’s trade package releases tied to the production-building shell now that GC assignment is confirmed; no specific bid dates have been disclosed yet.
- Structural steel and foundation work is already committed, with Steelcon Group handling fabrication/erection and Magil Construction Canada on foundations for three major buildings, so new entrants should look to energy, utility and site-services scopes instead.
- Southwestern Ontario trades should plan workforce availability against the stated ramp to roughly 1,300 EllisDon workers at peak, which signals sustained multi-year labor demand through the 2029 completion target.
- Subs bidding energy and utility systems work should confirm scope directly with EllisDon given the shifted 2029 operations date, since PowerCo has said it is still aligning timeline and scale with market demand and Volkswagen Group’s broader strategy.
- Local suppliers and service providers in St. Thomas and the surrounding region should monitor EllisDon and PowerCo announcements for site-services and supporting infrastructure packages as the project moves past groundwork into vertical construction.
