A milestone moment at Windsor's new electric vehicle battery plant.
On Tuesday, NextStar Energy announced the construction at the plant is almost 30 per cent complete and they held a "Topping Out" ceremony with local trades employees.
This ceremony is held to commemorate the last structural steel beam being installed for the new EV battery plant, and it also included steel beam signings, team photos and words of appreciation from NextStar Energy leadership.
Construction of the nearly 4.23-million-square-foot plant with parent companies Stellantis and LG Energy Solution is progressing at a rapid pace, with the work-to-date having been performed by a 100 per cent Canadian crew of 950 craft workers.
Construction began in August 2022. The first of two main buildings, known as the Module Building, is fully enclosed, with equipment installation that started last week.
The second building, known as the Cell Building, is approximately 40 per cent enclosed at this time.
"Topping Out" ceremony held to commemorate the last structural steel beam raised in construction of NextStar EV battery plant. Dec. 19, 2023. (Photo Credit: Courtesy of Stellantis)
Danies Lee, CEO NextStar Energy, says there are thousands of skilled experts at the site helping to build the world-class facility, and he's very grateful to the nearby businesses and residents for their patience during the construction process.
Once complete, the facility will represent the first large-scale, domestic, electric-vehicle battery manufacturing facility in Canada, and will create an estimated 2,500 new jobs in Windsor and the surrounding areas.
The project remains on track with the first phase of operations, the battery modular production, set to begin in the first half of 2024.