• Swindon & Wiltshire Manufacturing
• Wednesday February 28 2024
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Tata confirms plans for £4 billion gigafactory in Somerset

Britain’s biggest electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility is to be built in Somerset – putting the South West at the heart of electric vehicle manufacturing in the UK.

Agratas, the global battery business of Mumbai-based engineering giant Tata, has confirmed its gigafactory will be built at Gravity Smart Campus near Bridgwater – formerly the Royal Ordnance Factory.

Construction at the 615-acre site will be completed in phases, with battery production expected to begin in 2026.

The 40 GWh factory will be the biggest battery factory in the country once complete – and one of the largest in Europe – and will supply motor giants such as Jaguar Land Rover and Tata Motors.

An estimated 4,000 direct jobs could be created, with thousands more in the wider supply chain.

Agratas says the plant will contribute almost half of the UK automotive industry’s projected battery requirements by the early 2023s.

Tom Flack, chief executive of Agratas, said: “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.”

Councillor Bill Revans, leader of Somerset Council, added: “This is momentous for the county, its economy and for future generations.

“It is 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.”

Image: Agratas

Read more: which company wants to make use of this new gigafactory?

Latest: South West economic development champion Claire Pearce wins IED Leader of the Year award