LG Energy Solution said on the 12th that its Canadian manufacturing subsidiary, "NextStar Energy," succeeded in producing its one millionth cell. It came three months after full-scale cell production began in Nov. last year. LG Energy Solution said, "Early Production yield stabilization, based on extensive experience operating global production facilities, led to a rapid entry onto the production track."
The NextStar Energy plant is Canada's first and only large-scale battery manufacturing facility, backed by a total investment of 5 billion Canadian dollars (5.3 trillion won). It was originally a battery plant that LG Energy Solution built in partnership with Stellantis in Ontario, Canada, but on the 6th Stellantis sold its entire equity in the joint plant to LG Energy Solution, transitioning it to a wholly owned subsidiary structure of LG Energy Solution.
LG Energy Solution produces lithium iron phosphate (LFP) pouch long cells for energy storage systems (ESS), as well as for electric vehicles, at NextStar Energy. LG Energy Solution expects the site to serve as a strategic base for targeting the ESS market and as a production hub that can flexibly respond to volumes from a wide range of new customers, including Stellantis.
More than 1,300 people are directly employed at NextStar Energy. LG Energy Solution said, "Through advanced processes, cutting-edge automation systems, and systematic quality verification, we are stably mass-producing products with outstanding performance and quality," adding, "We plan to more than double production this year."