THE CITY OF WINDSOR’S UPSTREAM WORK TO LAND A $5 BILLION BATTERY PLANT

Hosting the LG Solution and Stellantis joint venture’s battery assembly plant didn’t happen overnight. The Windsor-Essex region’s economic development agency had been laying the groundwork since the fall of 2020. At the time, it hired a consulting firm whose expertise is helping foreign and U.S. jurisdictions secure electric vehicle battery manufacturing facilities. The report, which detailed the region’s strengths and areas for improvement, allowed the agency to successfully bid on the LG Solution and Stellantis project. This first large-scale battery assembly facility in Canada, at a cost of $5 billion, is the biggest investment in the history of the Canadian automotive industry. It will create 3,200 jobs by the first quarter of 2025. In addition to its proximity to manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers, the region has a skilled workforce, clean electricity and natural gas. But the City of Windsor has the essentials—enough land, ready to accommodate a company of this magnitude on a tight timeline.