Minister Kim Junggwan Supports Submarine Bid in Canada... Attends LG Energy Solution Battery Plant Completion Ceremony

Meeting with Canadian Industry Minister
Discussing Bids for the Submarine Project

On March 5 (local time), Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jeongkwan visited Canada to review the achievements of Korean companies' investments in North America and to engage in industrial cooperation diplomacy in support of securing contracts for Canada's submarine program.

On this day, Minister Kim attended the completion ceremony for LG Energy Solution’s NextStar Energy battery plant, held in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The event was attended by key figures from both countries, including Minister Kim; Kim Dongmyung, CEO of LG Energy Solution; Mélanie Joly, Canada’s Minister of Industry; Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario; and Drew Dilkens, Mayor of Windsor, who all celebrated the opening of the plant.

NextStar Energy is a battery plant established as a joint venture between LG Energy Solution and global automaker Stellantis. Following the start of construction in October 2022, mass production of battery modules began in December 2024. Subsequently, production of battery cells for ESS commenced in November 2025. In February of this year, LG Energy Solution acquired the entire stake held by Stellantis.

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With this equity acquisition and the completion of the plant, LG Energy Solution plans to increase its workforce from 1,300 to 2,500 employees. By establishing the largest ESS production network in North America, connecting its Michigan plant in the United States with the Ontario plant in Canada, the company is expected to secure a strong foothold in dominating the North American energy storage system market.

In his congratulatory speech, Minister Kim stated, "Canada has been a long-standing friend to Korea, standing by us in our most difficult times. I find it deeply meaningful that the NextStar Energy plant, a symbol and milestone of industrial cooperation between our two countries, has been established in Ontario, one of the regions where troops were dispatched to defend Korea’s freedom."

After the completion ceremony, Minister Kim held a meeting with Mélanie Joly, Canada’s Minister of Industry, to discuss ways to cooperate on Canada’s submarine program. Previously, Hanwha Ocean had submitted a business proposal for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP) on February 28.

Senior executives and experts from related companies, including Hyundai Motor Company, also attended the meeting, proceeding as a public-private joint collaboration. Representatives from Hyundai Motor explained Canada’s abundant potential for hydrogen resources and introduced plans to cooperate on building a hydrogen ecosystem linking production, charging, and mobility.

The two ministers noted that this was their third meeting in the past four months, agreeing that the cooperative relationship between the two countries is rapidly strengthening. In particular, they shared the view that the Canadian submarine program will serve as an opportunity to further broaden and deepen industrial cooperation between the two nations.

Minister Kim stated, "Just as LG Energy Solution has faithfully fulfilled its commitments regarding investment and employment, I hope that, through the submarine program, the two countries will build a long-term partnership for the future based on mutual trust. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will also mobilize the full capabilities of both the public and private sectors to actively support our companies until they are finally selected as the preferred negotiation partner for the submarine project."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.