HYDRO-QUEBEC

Their core work

Hydro-Québec is Canada's largest electricity utility, but its participation in H2020 reflects a much narrower and technically specific contribution: advanced battery materials research through its world-class research institute, IREQ (Institut de recherche d'Hydro-Québec). The company has been developing solid-state battery technology and lithium-metal anode chemistry for decades, and its H2020 involvement brings that expertise into European battery consortia. In the EU context, Hydro-Québec acts as a specialist materials partner — contributing knowledge on solid electrolytes, polymer-ceramic hybrid systems, and safe lithium metal interfaces rather than grid or hydro infrastructure. Their participation in vehicle electrification and battery manufacturing projects positions them as a bridge between North American battery IP and the European supply chain.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their first H2020 project (IMAGE, 2017) was positioned at the manufacturing process level — how to produce next-generation batteries in Europe — with no chemistry-specific keywords recorded. By the time SAFELiMOVE started in 2020, their contribution had sharpened dramatically toward fundamental materials science: solid-state electrolytes, lithium metal interfaces, and NMC cathode chemistry. This shift reflects a global trend in battery research, where the community moved from lithium-ion cell optimisation toward the harder problem of replacing liquid electrolytes entirely. Hydro-Québec's trajectory in H2020 mirrors that industry pivot, and their recent focus suggests they are engaged at the materials frontier, not the manufacturing scale-up stage.

Hydro-Québec is moving deeper into solid-state electrolyte chemistry and lithium metal safety — making them a strong fit for any consortium targeting post-lithium-ion battery generations or EV energy density breakthroughs.

How they like to work

Hydro-Québec has never coordinated an H2020 project, joining exclusively as a participant in both cases — consistent with the role of an industry specialist contributing proprietary materials expertise without taking on project management responsibilities. Their two projects connect them to 22 partners across 7 countries, which is a broad network for just two participations and suggests they sit in large, multi-partner RIA consortia rather than tight bilateral arrangements. This pattern indicates they are sought out for a specific, hard-to-replicate technical contribution rather than for administration or coordination capacity.

Across two projects, Hydro-Québec has built connections with 22 unique partners spanning 7 countries, a notably wide reach given their limited project count. The combination of a Canadian utility working in European RIA consortia gives them an unusual transatlantic position in the battery research network.

What sets them apart

Hydro-Québec is one of the very few non-European, non-academic actors in H2020 battery research — a major electricity utility bringing industrial-scale battery R&D capacity developed over 30 years at IREQ, including foundational work on polymer electrolytes that predates most European solid-state battery programmes. Unlike university partners, they combine deep materials science with real-world deployment context: they operate large battery storage systems on the Quebec grid, giving them a credibility in safety and durability that purely academic partners cannot match. For a consortium that needs a partner with both IP in solid-state electrolytes and a stake in seeing the technology actually work at scale, Hydro-Québec is a rare option.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SAFELiMOVE
  The largest of their two projects (EUR 500,550) and the most technically specific, targeting all-solid-state lithium metal cells for EVs — one of the most competitive and commercially significant battery research areas in the world.
• IMAGE
  Their entry point into H2020, focused on manufacturing routes for next-generation batteries in Europe — signalling an early strategic interest in the European battery supply chain before pivoting toward materials science.