The chief operating officer at NextStar Energy in Windsor is calling a milestone at the plant a major accomplishment. The battery manufacturing plant has now produced 10 million battery cells at the facility. COO Brett Hillock says being able to hit this milestone with the pace and quality of what they’re producing is putting the plant on the world stage as a competitor in battery manufacturing. “It was just back in February that we hit one million, and that’s a number that many wouldn’t have thought we’d achieve in such a short time,” he says. “This building was just finished in September of 2025. To be here now in October of 2026 with over 10 million perfect cells going to our customers, it’s unbelievable for all of us.” NextStar Energy employs 1,300 workers and operates 24 hours a day with four shifts, with a long-term target of scaling production to employ 2,500 people at full capacity. The company is targeting a growing global demand for energy storage systems (ESS), batteries that can be used to store electricity for AI data centres, and other high-demand applications within the renewable energy space. Hillock says this just confirms their spot in Canada in the energy storage space, EV space, battery space, and innovation. “We’re on the global stage; we’re a top competitor. Reinforcing our quality and our results, we’re with the best of the best of plants that have been producing batteries for 10 to 20 years. NextStar is here to stay,” he says. Commercial battery cell production began at NextStar Energy less than a year ago, with each battery cell manufactured through highly specialized processes and advanced automation. The 4.23 million-square-foot facility located just off the E.C. Row Expressway at Banwell Road began commercial cell production in November 2025.
