Britain’s biggest car battery factory looks set to get off the ground in a much-needed boost for the motor industry.
Agratas, a new business within the Tata Group, will today outline plans to build a gigafactory to produce batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) at the Gravity Smart Campus site in Puriton, near Bridgwater, Somerset.
The plant will be the biggest of its kind in the country and, by the early 2030s, will contribute almost half of the battery manufacturing capacity required for the UK car industry.
It will also create up to 4,000 jobs and even more across the supply chain.
Charging ahead: Agratas, a business within the Tata Group, is planning to build a gigafactory to produce batteries for electric vehicles at a site in Puriton, Somerset
Construction will be completed in phases, with battery production set to begin in 2026.
The factory looks set to bolster Britain’s EV sector, which has had a rocky ride in the past year from the collapse of Britishvolt to the crisis surrounding the lack of electric chargers.
Indian car giant Tata last year said the site in south-west England had been selected ahead of a rival location in Spain.
It came after long-running talks between Whitehall officials and the firm as well as a private discussion last May between Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Tata.
Bill Revans, the leader of Somerset Council, said: ‘This is momentous for the county, its economy and for future generations.’
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