The Indian owner of Jaguar Land Rover has revealed plans to build a £4 billion battery factory in the UK – a move the British government says will create around 4,000 jobs. The plant – widely reported to be set for Somerset – will become one of Europe’s largest battery cell manufacturing sites when it starts producing in 2026, Tata Sons said. It will produce about 40 gigawatt hours of battery cells every year. The UK government said that is enough to provide about half the battery production the UK will need by 2030 according to the Faraday Institution.
The British government said it stepped in with subsidies to entice Tata Sons, which owns Tata Group, to build the plant in the UK. It did not say how much money it promised. “The exact numbers on this will come out in the normal way. Because of the commercial sensitivities, they have to be released in the usual way,” said UK energy security Secretary Grant Shapps.
Tata Sons chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said: “Our multibillion-pound investment will bring state-of-the-art technology to the country, helping to power the automotive sector’s transition to electric mobility, anchored by our own business, JLR.” The car battery factory is expected to be built near Bridgwater in Somerset, where it will have close access to the new Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, which is expected to open later this decade.
But Tata could not confirm the location.
UK prime minister Rishi Sunak said: “Tata Group’s decision to build their new gigafactory here in the UK – their first outside of India – is a huge vote of confidence in Britain. This will be one of the largest ever investments in the UK automotive sector. “It will not only create thousands of skilled jobs for Britons around the country, but it will also strengthen our lead in the global transition to electric vehicles, helping to grow our economy in clean industries of the future.” Mr Shapps said the investment will bring 4,000 jobs directly and thousands more indirectly, such as in supply chains. Tata did not mention how many jobs it expects to create.
