The chief executive officer of NextStar Energy says Canada now has something incredibly important: a world-class battery manufacturing plant based in Windsor.
CEO Danies Lee made the comment Thursday during an official grand opening event at the 4.23 million-square-foot facility located just off the E.C. Row Expressway and Banwell Road.
Lee says this is no longer about electric vehicles but about energy systems that will power homes, industry, and communities all across the country.
"Energy is changing, economies are changing, and the ability to store and deliver power will shape the future as much as the ability to generate it," he says.
He was joined during the ribbon-cutting ceremony by federal Industry Minister Melanie Joly; Ontario Premier Doug Ford; Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade Victor Fedelli; Minister of Trade, Industry, and Resources of the Republic of Korea Jung-Kwan Kim; and Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens.
NextStar Energy was established in 2022 as a joint venture by Stellantis and LG Energy Solution to build Canada's first large-scale electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility, but on February 6, 2026, Stellantis announced it was selling its 49 per cent equity stake in the plant to LG Energy Solution.
The decision came after NextStar Energy announced in November 2025 that it was moving to produce energy storage system batteries to support commercial and grid-scale energy storage solutions, a move described as "responding and adapting to changing markets."
Industry Minister Melanie Joly says for years Canada has been extracting resources and shipping them around the world.
"Now, we need to take these resources and transform them into value, which is basically a battery. We have the critical minerals; we now have one of the most productive and modern battery manufacturing plants here in North America," she says.
Minister of Trade, Industry, and Resources of the Republic of Korea, Jung-Kwan Kim, says the global EV market is adjusting, the demand has slowed, and investment plans have changed, which included Stellantis withdrawing from ownership of the plant.
"By taking full ownership, LG showed confidence in Canada, confidence in Ontario's skilled workers and the community, and confidence in the Canadian government that has been continuously supporting this business," he says.
Canada's first and only commercial-scale advanced battery manufacturing company began commercial cell production in November 2025.
The facility currently employs over 1,300 people, with a long-term target of 2,500 employees as it scales to full production at the $5 billion plant.
The province says the plant strengthen the Ontario's position as the leading global manufacturer of advanced technology for electric vehicles, AI data centres, and other high-energy projects.