Tata confirms £4bn UK gigafactory location
Batteries to be built at Bridgwater from 2026, with up to 4,000 direct jobs created
Think of locations for Europe’s largest battery factory and a host of places would likely come up before Somerset. But that’s where Tata is going to build its new gigafactory, all 40GWh and £4bn of it. With the location now confirmed, the first batteries - destined for Tata and JLR cars - will be made in Bridgwater from 2026.
It will be Tata’s first battery-making facility outside of India, run by subsidiary Agratas and based at the 620-acre Gravity Smart Campus, once a Royal Ordnance factory. The Bridgwater factory is expected to create 4,000 jobs directly, with many more in the supply chain. Following Nissan’s confirmation of an expansion to its Sunderland operation, Tata’s decision - with £500m of Government funding - feels like another bit of good news for the UK's green energy pledges. The 40GWh of battery cells the new plant will eventually be able to produce is enough to supply around half a million EVs. Forecasts suggest that the UK will need 100GWh of battery-making capacity by 2030 to keep up with the amount of cars expected to be made.
Agratas’ move has been predictably well-received by councillors in Somerset. Bill Revans said: “This is momentous for the County, its economy and for future generations. It’s about seizing an incredible opportunity to be at the heart of the UK’s green energy industry that will create thousands of highly-skilled, well-paid, green jobs. Agratas’ huge investment in the County has the potential to transform the local and regional economy.”
Construction on the site is set to begin imminently; Somerset council says alongside it will invest over the next five years in ‘infrastructure, skills, site access and connectivity needed to make sure Somerset benefits as much as possible from Agratas’ investment’. Those electric JLRs with British-built batteries will be here before we know it.
You know the difference between "in spite of" and "because of", right?
If you want to claim this shows Brexit is working, please set this one project against all the losses we have incurred - then tell me the number at the bottom of the spreadsheet, and we'll see if it's working.
But yes, brilliant news in isolation.
No way will they build this and have it running in 2 years
Could be handy if there's a fire and as long as it's nowhere near me for the same reason.
No way will they build this and have it running in 2 years
More employment for apprentices and grads is no bad thing in that part of the world though.
No way will they build this and have it running in 2 years
More employment for apprentices and grads is no bad thing in that part of the world though.
Do wonder if HPC up the road has anything to do with it - or what the implications are?
Good construction skills base in the area, and abundant 'green' electricity available up the road (not until 2030+ though now according to the lastest press), arguably plenty of people once HPC is finished. Will it conflict if HPC is further delayed, will it suck people from HPC and start a local inflationary wage bubble.? I hope so
Either way, great news overall for that part of the world through, I've driven past the site a few times and its a huge area of brownfield available to build on.
No way will they build this and have it running in 2 years
We must be one of the most expensive places to set up in the world.
I can see this making a good contribution to the local economy and in turn the UK economy over time.
But in other news…
Apple, a company that has absolutely no experience over the last 20 years in judging what the public actually want to buy rather than what governments would like them to buy, has finally decided to axe its electric car project.
VHS or Betamax anyone?
FFS...
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