'Pivotal landmark': Windsor's NextStar Energy starts production on battery modules

NextStar Energy, the massive electric vehicle battery plant in Windsor, Ont., has started production on battery modules, the plant announced Tuesday.

NextStar is the first facility of its kind to begin production in Canada. It will eventually employ 2,500 people and spur a supply chain that could produce thousands of additional jobs. 

The plant, a joint venture between Stellantis and LG Energy Solution, broke ground in 2022.

Danies Lee, CEO of NextStar Energy said 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. 

Modules are groups of battery cells. Cells are not currently in production at the plant, though that is expected next year. Until then, cells for the modules are being shipped in from LG Energy soluntion's plant in Poland for use in Windsor.

The finished batteries are expected to be used by Stellantis, however the automaker did not comment Tuesday. 

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 and the plant is about a year away from full production. 

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 said 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. 

The next phase, the company says, is battery cell production, expected to begin next year. 

'Important signal' for Windsor: APMA

Flavio Volpe is the president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturing Association, and has been vocal in his support for the plant. 

"This is the when it was announced was the biggest single investment in Canadian history," he said. "You don't pack cells into a module unless very close by you're going to make electric vehicles that are going to take these modules.

"So it also says to me how committed they are to Windsor Assembly and also to Brampton Assembly ... It's an important signal not just in a region, but to the province in the country that we're in this business and it's going to do well by us, and we've got the world's best at doing it down in Windsor."