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By Ruth BradleyPolitical reporter, BBC Somerset28 February 2024, 06:14 GMT
Updated 2 hours ago
Image caption,
The brownfield site was home to an ordnance factory for most of the 20th century
The future site of the UK’s biggest electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility has been confirmed.
Jaguar Land Rover-owner Tata says it will invest £4bn in a brownfield site near Bridgwater in Somerset.
The new plant is expected to create 4,000 jobs and thousands more in the supply chain.
Tata says battery production is set to begin there in 2026.
Image caption,
Artists impression of the new battery factory near Bridgwater
Agratas – Tata Group’s global battery business – has confirmed it will build the factory, its first outside India, at the Gravity Smart Campus in Puriton.
The site was a Royal Ordnance Factory from World War Two until it was decommissioned in 2008.
Agratas will be the first occupier on the site, taking around 50% of the land.
It said by the early 2030s it will contribute almost half of the projected battery manufacturing capacity required for the UK automotive sector.
The factory will produce 40GWh of battery cells annually, enough to supply approximately 500,000 passenger vehicles.
Image caption,
Emma Rawlings chief executive of Somerset Chamber of Commerce
Emma Rawlings, chief executive of the Somerset Chamber of Commerce, said the development would bring opportunities for the area.
“This puts Somerset, its businesses and workforce at the heart of the green revolution to switch to electric vehicles,” she said.
“Somerset businesses are already familiar with the Hinkley Point C supply chain so are well placed to provide expertise for the gigafactory.”
The new gigafactory will be located 15.3 miles (24km) from the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.
Image caption,
The factory will initially produce batteries for Jaguar Land Rover cars
The gigafactory will be one of the largest in Europe and will initially make batteries for Jaguar Land Rover vehicles like Range…
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