Tata Group recently confirmed that it will be building an electric vehicle battery factory in the United Kingdom. This upcoming battery factory in the UK will be the Tata Group’s first gigafactory outside of India.
This new battery factory by Tata Group is said to have a capacity of 40GW. In comparison, the Envision Group’s battery factory that will come up near Nissan’s manufacturing plant in Sunderland has a capacity of just 38GW.
According to forecasts, the UK is said to need 100GW capacity to meet the local demand itself. This demand is also expected to double by the end of the next decade.
“Today, I am delighted to announce that Tata Group will be setting up one of Europe’s largest battery cell manufacturing facilities in the UK.” said, N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons.
That being said, the Tata Group’s new battery factory is expected to be built in Somerset. It is even reported that the group has already identified a suitable site near the market town of Bridgewater.
In order to build such a massive battery manufacturing plant in the UK, Tata Group is said to invest more than £4 billion (over Rs 42,000 crore). According to Financial Times, the UK government is providing a subsidy that is close to £500 million.
Thanks to such a massive investment, this new battery plant by Tata Group is said to create as many as 9,000 jobs in the UK. This increased job opportunity is also expected significantly boost the local economy.
Speaking about Tata’s decision to build a gigafactory in Britain, British Prime Mister Rishi Sunak said, “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,”.
Also, the Tata Group’s new giga factory will not only supply battery packs for JLR and Tata Motors but it will also sell batteries to a wider market. Speaking about battery packs, the factory will produce cells with different chemistries – LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate), and NMC (Nickel Magnese Cobalt).
Tata Group’s upcoming Gigafactory in the UK is said to create more than 9,000 jobs in the country and it will greatly help the UK government boost the economy. Also, the plant is expected to help the country meet its local EV demand.
