NextStar Completes $5B Canadian EV Battery Plant Boosting North American Supply

NextStar Energy, a joint venture between Stellantis and LG Energy Solution, has completed construction of its $5 billion electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant in Windsor, Ontario, and received its occupancy permit, enabling the start of cell production operations within the year. This facility, Canada's first large-scale EV battery plant, is expected to have an annual production capacity of up to 49.5 gigawatt hours and aims to supply around 40% of Stellantis's North American electric vehicle battery needs. The project has created over 950 full-time jobs with a commitment to generate 2,500 local jobs, and it has been supported by substantial federal, provincial, and municipal incentives totaling more than $15 billion. Construction began in 2022, proceeded on schedule and safely, and involved a large workforce with a significant portion from the local community, helping strengthen the region's industrial capacity. The plant includes multiple buildings for cell and module manufacturing, as well as support facilities such as a recycling center, reinforcing North American supply chain resilience amid the auto industry's shift toward electrification. Local officials praised the milestone as a major economic and industrial development for Windsor, a city with high unemployment, emphasizing the collaborative efforts that contributed to the project’s successful completion.