Canada’s largest operating lithium mine has a new anchor customer.
On October 8, 2026, Elevra Lithium announced a binding agreement to supply LG Energy Solution with spodumene concentrate from its North American Lithium operation in Québec. The deal covers 240,000 dry metric tonnes of concentrate, with the first shipment expected in calendar year 2026.
The contract links a Québec mine directly to one of the world’s largest battery manufacturers, a company that already makes cells in Ontario. For a Canadian value chain that has spent years trying to connect resources to manufacturing, that is exactly the kind of commercial link that turns policy goals into tonnes.
What the Agreement Covers
According to Elevra’s announcement, the agreement runs for three years from the date of first shipment. The base schedule rises steadily: 30,000 dmt in 2026, 60,000 dmt in both 2027 and 2028, and 90,000 dmt in 2029. Elevra may supply up to 90,000 dmt more over the term, subject to agreement between the two companies.
Pricing is market-linked and adjusted for lithium content. Elevra did not disclose price figures.
That structure is deliberate. Lucas Dow, Elevra’s managing director and chief executive, said the agreement “provides Elevra with a committed customer for a meaningful portion of NAL’s production while retaining exposure to spodumene concentrate market pricing.”
In other words, the mine gains volume certainty without locking in current prices for years ahead.
On the buyer’s side, Korean trade outlet DigitalToday reports that LG Energy Solution sees the volume as equivalent to about 30,000 tonnes of lithium hydroxide, enough for batteries in roughly 700,000 high-performance electric vehicles.
A Mine That Has Been Rebuilt for Growth
North American Lithium sits in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, about 570 kilometres north of Montreal. CIM Magazine describes it as Canada’s largest operating lithium mine.
Its history explains why a long-term customer matters. Commercial production began in 2018, but the operation shut in 2019 and went through insolvency, according to CIM Magazine. Sayona Mining and Piedmont Lithium acquired it in 2021 and restarted production in 2023. The two companies merged to form Elevra in August 2025.
The mine is now set for expansion. CIM Magazine reports that output of about 200,000 tonnes a year of spodumene concentrate is expected to rise to about 338,000 tonnes a year by 2028. In May 2026, the Canada Growth Fund committed $145 million as part of a financing package of roughly $417 million to support that work.
Dow framed the LG Energy Solution deal as part of that growth path. Securing “a leading global battery manufacturer as a customer further strengthens the commercial position of NAL,” he said, supporting a diversified customer base “as we increase production and progress the NAL expansion.”
Building a Diversified Offtake Book
The LG Energy Solution agreement is the second major supply deal for the mine in two months. In August 2026, Elevra completed a binding supply agreement with Mangrove Lithium for a proposed 20,000 tonne per year lithium carbonate equivalent conversion facility in Eastern Canada.
That contract has a seven-year initial term with a possible seven-year renewal, and take-or-pay volumes of 144,000 dmt a year from year two. It includes a floor price and no ceiling, and it depends on Mangrove reaching a final investment decision by December 31, 2028.
Put the two together and the picture is clear. One customer is a Canadian refiner still building its plant. The other is a global cell maker with production already running in North America.
That balance reduces concentration risk for the mine and gives both domestic processing and established manufacturing a reliable feedstock source.
Why the Ontario Connection Matters
LG Energy Solution is not a distant buyer. According to DigitalToday, its NextStar Energy plant in Windsor, Ontario, described as Canada’s first large-scale battery plant, began mass production of energy storage batteries in November 2025. The company plans to lift its North American LFP storage battery capacity to more than 50 GWh by the end of 2026.
Kang-yeol Lee, head of LG Energy Solution’s purchasing centre, called the contract “an important achievement to strengthen the North American raw materials supply chain,” as reported by DigitalToday.
That is the strategic heart of the deal.
Canadian policy has long aimed to keep more of the battery value chain inside the country. A Québec mine supplying a cell maker with an Ontario plant moves that ambition from a planning document into a purchase contract.
What to Watch as Shipments Begin
The next 12 to 24 months will show how well the model works. Key markers for investors and supply chain planners include:
- Delivery of the first shipment in 2026
- Progress on the staged NAL expansion toward 2028 targets
- Whether the optional 90,000 dmt is called
- Mangrove’s path to a final investment decision
- Growth in Canadian conversion capacity for hydroxide and carbonate
- Further offtake deals with North American cell makers
The gap in Canada’s battery chain has rarely been geology. It has been the step between the mine gate and the refinery or cell plant, where long-term commercial commitments decide whether projects get financed.
Which other Canadian mines can secure similar customers?
And how quickly will midstream conversion follow?
Québec has the rock. Contracts like this one decide where it goes next.
