STAR PLUS Energy offers electricity plans for home and business customers in deregulated Texas markets. It is a subsidiary of Lone Star Power LLC and operates as part of the Energy to Go, New Power Texas, and PowerNext brands. Star Plus has received ENERGY STAR certification, the government-backed symbol of energy efficiency that consumers and businesses trust.
KOKOMO — The City of Firsts is adding another first to its list: The country’s first electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant. Stellantis NV and Korean battery partner Samsung SDI are planning to build the facility in Kokomo as part of their joint venture called StarPlus Energy, LLC. Construction is expected to start in 2025 and create 1,400 jobs.
The plants will produce lithium-ion batteries with a capacity of 34 gigawatt hours each. A dollar amount wasn’t disclosed with Monday’s announcement of a signed memorandum of understanding, whose execution is subject to definitive documentation. The second plant under the existing StarPlus Energy joint venture will join a production site in Kokomo that’s scheduled to open in 2027.
Kim says the community is already preparing for incoming employees. She expects IU Bloomington to offer Korean language courses to help employees and their families adjust to the area. She also said the IU Kokomo Institute for Korean Studies will work with Star Plus Energy to provide education about everyday Korean culture. It will be important, she says, for future employees to understand the differences between American and Korean workplace cultures. For example, Americans tend to head straight home after work, while Koreans spend time with coworkers going out for drinks or dinner.