Agratas, Tata Group’s global battery business, will build Britain’s biggest battery manufacturing facility at the Gravity Smart Campus near Bridgwater, Somerset.
The £4 billion ($5.2 billion) battery cell facility, which will be Tata Group’s first gigafactory outside of India, will have a capacity of 40 GWh and will create batteries for JLR and Tata Motors. Agratas also plans to create batteries for two-wheeler and commercial vehicles, as well as commercial energy storage solutions.
The Gravity Smart Campus is strategically located in the South West of the UK and is connected by road, rail, deep sea port and international airports, with direct access to the M5 J23, proximity to Bristol and Exeter International Airports, and it is planned to have on-site freight and passenger rail terminals when complete.
Preliminary works on the site are in progress, with piling to establish its foundations set to start in the spring. By the early 2030s, the gigafactory is set to contribute almost half of the projected battery manufacturing capacity required for the UK automotive sector, according to Agratas.
The factory will create up to 4,000 new high-skilled green tech jobs in the area, with thousands more expected to be created in the UK battery supply chain. Agratas said its facilities are designed to be powered by clean sources of electricity, including purpose-built renewable energy plants, to support its goal of 100% clean power across all its operations. It added that it will work with leading universities and research institutions to deliver cleaner, greener, more sustainable batteries for its customers using a circular design mindset.
Read more: What Tata’s UK gigafactory means for the supply chain
“Our multi-billion-pound investment will bring state-of-the-art technology to Somerset, helping to supercharge Britain’s transition to electric mobility whilst creating thousands of jobs in the process,” said Tom Flack, CEO, Agratas.
Agratas said it will work closely with local and regional partners including Somerset Council, Bridgwater and Taunton College and the wider Gravity Smart Campus to deliver bespoke education and training programmes in the region.
“We care deeply about the communities we operate in, so it’s imperative to us that we work with, and listen to, our new neighbours as we build our factory in Somerset,” Flack added. “That’s why we’ll be holding an event for local residents very soon, so we can share more about our plans and introduce our team to the community.”
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