The Nova Scotia government says it’s making regulatory changes for lead acid battery manufacturing in the province.
Effective Wednesday, the province says lead acid battery manufacturing facilities will only need an industrial approval rather than the previous requirement where industrial approval was needed and a class II environmental assessment.
The province says Nova Scotia was the only place in Canada that required both approvals, but this change will bring it in line with other jurisdictions.
Minister of Environment and Climate Change Tim Halman says he believes this change opens the door for new economic opportunities.
“These types of projects can be done safely and responsibly via an industrial approval, one of our most robust environmental regulatory tools, and they align with our circular economy goals,” says Halman in a release.
The province says lead acid batteries store and release energy to power things like vehicles, energy systems, the clean technology sector, industrial vehicles and machines, servers, telecommunications equipment, marine vehicles and buildings.