NextStar Energy is marking a milestone with the hiring of its 1000th employee for its electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant in Windsor.
NextStar began hiring in 2023 and has increased its recruitment and hiring efforts over the past year as construction of the facility progressed.
The 1000th employee, a recent graduate of St. Clair College, is relocating from Ottawa and was hired as a quality inspector.
The company is committed to creating 2,500 local jobs.
Construction of the 4.23 million-square-foot facility began in 2022 and is officially complete, after NextStar received its occupancy permit from the City of Windsor in late September.
While battery module assembly began in Fall 2024, electrode and cell production are in their sample phase, preparing to ramp up mass production in the coming months.
The site just off the E.C. Row Expressway and Banwell Road is home to two main manufacturing facilities-the Cell and Module-and nine support buildings, including a recycling centre and safety testing laboratory.
The facility is capable of an annual production capacity of up to 49.5 gigawatt hours.
Core operations include electrode production, cell formation and assembly, and module assembly.
NextStar Energy is a joint venture between LG Energy Solution and Stellantis and is Canada's first large-scale battery manufacturing facility.