Construction of the newly announced large-scale electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant in Windsor will have positive ripple effects for Chatham-Kent, according to the head of Economic Development for the municipality.
CK Economic Development Director Stuart McFadden said Wednesday’s announcement in Windsor that LG Energy Solution and automaker Stellantis would be investing more than $5 billion to bring the facility to Windsor is “positive for the entire region.”
“There will be all kinds of companies that will want to be close to that facility because of the fact that they’ll be supplying them parts,” said McFadden. “Is there opportunity for other industry to come into the area? I quite confident there will be.”
The new battery plant will be the first of its kind in Canada and will supply Stellantis plants in the North American market. The Windsor plant is expected to employ an estimated 2,500 people.
McFadden said those jobs will likely attract more people to the municipality with Chatham-Kent having a lower cost of housing compared to Windsor and Essex County.
“We know there’s many people in Chatham-Kent that drive to the Windsor and Essex area for employment daily, so I would suggest that would be one benefit,” he said. “One of the biggest reasons why a person will come to a community is a job, so obviously if anybody was looking at us before, this might make us look more attractive.”
Construction on the Stellantis plant is expected to begin later this year, with production beginning in early 2024. The facility will be fully operational by 2025.
