MONTREAL — The Quebec government wants a judge to declare insolvent the North American branch of Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt, as the province attempts to recoup some of its losses on a failed electric-vehicle battery project.
Documents filed in Quebec Superior Court on Tuesday say that Northvolt Batteries North America owes more than $260 million on a government loan that allowed the company to buy land near Montreal to build a $7-billion battery plant.
The government wants the court to launch creditor protection proceedings so that it can recover nearly $200 million from frozen bank accounts belonging to Northvolt and repossess the property where the factory was supposed to be built.
“It is clear that (Northvolt…