Britain’s biggest electric vehicle battery factory is to be built in Somerset, it has been announced. The vast gigafactory, near Bridgwater, is set to cost £4bn and will create 4,000 jobs.
Battery business Agratas, part of Mumbai-based Tata Group, is behind the plans. The company has acquired land for the project at the Gravity Smart Campus - the 616-acre enterprise zone in the county.
Preliminary works on the site are already under way, with piling to establish the factory’s foundations set to start in spring. Construction 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.
Agratas also plans to create batteries for other uses including two-wheelers and commercial vehicles, as well as commercial energy storage solutions.
Tom Flack, chief executive of Agratas, said: “Our multi-billion-pound investment will bring state-of-the-art technology to Somerset, helping to supercharge Britian’s transition to electric mobility whilst creating thousands of jobs in the process.
“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.”
Agratas has said it is planning to work with Somerset Council, Bridgwater and Taunton College, and the Gravity Smart Campus to deliver education and training programmes in the region, creating local jobs. It also said the building of the factory would create thousands of jobs in the supply chain.
The business is writing to residents in the region, it said, and will also hold an event on its plans “very soon”.
The leader of Somerset Council has described the proposal as “momentous” and of global significance.
Councillor Bill Revans said: “It’s about seizing an incredible opportunity to be at the heart of the Ƶ’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.”
Over the next five years, the local authority has pledged to invest in infrastructure, skills, site access and transport links to the factory. This will be paid for by the Business Rates generated by the plant once it is operational.
The council is currently working with the government to finalise an ‘in principle’ agreement for funding support in a bid to make sure there is no negative impact on the local authority and its finances, it said.
The council’s corporate and resources scrutiny committee will be asked to comment on the plans when it meets on March 7, 2024. The executive will then take decisions on March 12, including on the principle of the financial approach.
Early in the next financial year the council said it expected to take further decisions through Full Council, including further details about the investment and how it will be funded.
Councillor Ros Wyke, Somerset Council’s executive lead member for economic development, planning and assets, added: “This a very important day for the British car industry and our vision for Somerset. This puts Somerset on the map and sets out a bright future for our residents.”
