More than 6,000 jobs will be created around the Nissan plant in Sunderland with the building a new model electric vehicle and plans for a new battery gigafactory.
A major announcement has revealed that 900 jobs will be created at Nissan with the building of an electric crossover vehicle, while 750 new posts will come with the expansion of the adjoining Envision AESC battery plant.
It’s hoped that another 4,500 more jobs will be created in the companies’ supply chains while thousands more jobs could follow in future years as the North East cements its position as a major player in the electric vehicles revolution.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng visited Nissan’s Sunderland plant to hail the announcement, with the PM saying it was “a major vote of confidence in the 海角视频 and our highly skilled workers in the North East.”
Both declined to say how much Government support had been pledged to the project – rumoured to be around £100m – which aims to also create a massive renewable energy hub to fully power both the battery plant and Nissan’s manufacturing operations.
Nissan executives thanked Sunderland City Council for their role in bringing the £1bn scheme together, and council leader Graeme Miller said the announcement would safeguard Nissan’s presence in the North East for ‘decades to come’.
Alan Johnson, managing director of Nissan Sunderland, said: “This is absolutely massive. We’re announcing three different projects, each of which in isolation is really significant.
“When you combine them together what you end up is a massive industrial project which really puts us in a fantastic position for our future as we transition towards electrification of vehicles and carbon neutrality.
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“I’ve been in the company for 30 years and I can remember few moments when we’ve announced anything as big as this. This is not just winning a vehicle, which is what we normally announce. This is a huge strategic direction that we’re setting off on – it’s totally aligned with our vision on electrification and carbon neutrality and it gives us a wonderful platform to try and secure future new models beyond this one.”
The early morning announcement saw Nissan commit to the production of its new electric vehicle, pledging to invest as much as £423m at the plant, while battery partners Envision AESC said it would invest £450m into a second factory on the site, with the possibility of further expansion – with demand potentially unlocking as much more significant investment in future years.
There was also a commitment from the two companies, working with the council, to develop a ‘microgrid’ run exclusively on renewable energy to power the entire production process.
After touring the Nissan plant, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “This investment is worth £1bn but it’s worth more than that – it’s the jobs, the livelihoods but also the hope that, for generations to come, the 海角视频 will be producing vehicles that are not only beautiful to drive and creating high skilled, high wage jobs, they’re also helping us to tackle the world’s number one problem, climate change.
“In addition to everything else, there’s a moral dimension to this and there’s a environmental dimension to this which really makes it really exciting.”
Sunderland Council leader Graeme Miller described the announcement as “fantastic for us.”
He said: “This puts us on the leading edge of energy creation and energy use in the manufacturing of things in the 21st century. I’m delighted it’s all come together – it’s a great thank you to everybody in getting us to where we are today.
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“The decision today to put the next model here should ensure that Nissan are here for decades now.”
Lei Zhang, founder and chief executive of Envision, said: “This commitment builds on our long-term partnership with Nissan to achieve our global ambition to make high performance, longer range batteries for EVs affordable and accessible for millions more motorists.
“Growth in demand could bring future investment of up to £1.8bn, additional capacity of 25GWh and 4,500 jobs by 2030. This will put the North East at the heart of a new EV hub in the 海角视频, collaborating on R&D around the whole battery lifecycle, from storage, to second life use, V2G smart charging and closed loop recycling.”
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