NextStar Energy, the massive electric vehicle battery plant in southwestern Ontario, has now started production on battery modules, the plant announced Tuesday.
NextStar is the first facility of its kind to begin production in Canada, and will eventually employ 2,500 people and spur a supply chain that could produce thousands of additional jobs.
The plant is a joint venture between Stellantis and LG Energy Solution and broke ground in 2022.
Danies Lee, the CEO of NextStar Energy says the start of production is a “pivotal landmark.”
“This successful launch is a reflection of our team’s expertise and dedication to innovating world-class energy solutions right here in Windsor,” he said.
The EV battery manufacturer called the start of module production its “most significant operations milestone yet.”
NextStar Energy has been progressing at what the company referred to as a steady pace. More than 7,500 Canadian tradespeople have worked nearly 5.7 million hours on the plant so far, with an average of more than 2,000 tradespeople on site each day.
The company says more than 450 of the plant’s estimated 2,500 jobs have been filled.
This project will be bring in annual production capacity of 49.5 gigawatt-hours, which NextStar says is enough to power 450,000 vehicles annually.
