First steel placed for StarPlus Energy gigafactory

Mar. 22—It was a cold, overcast and windy day Wednesday in Kokomo, but moods were sunny at the site of the future StarPlus Energy gigafactory on the far northeast side of town.

That's because the very first steel column of the $2.5 billion factory was hoisted and put into place in front of StarPlus, Stellantis, and state and local officials, including Kokomo Mayor Tyler Moore and Greater Kokomo Economic Development Alliance President and CEO Lori Dukes. Those in attendance signed the steel column before it was put in place.

Construction work on the gigafactory has been ongoing since September and is expected to be completed in 2025, create 1,400 jobs and have an annual production capacity of 23 gigawatt-hours (GWh), with an aim to increase to 33 GWh in the following years.

Officials from StarPlus Energy, a joint venture between Stellantis and Samsung SDI, were not made available for interview, though Jodi Tinson, media relations for Stellantis, said the company would give an update on the plant in April.

Tyler Juranovich can be reached at 765-454-8577, by email at tyler.juranovich@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter at @tylerjuranovich.