- Saturday, January 04, 2025
Agratas, Tata’s battery division, disclosed the purchase of land at the Gravity Smart campus situated off the M5, on the outskirts of the town.
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIAN conglomerate Tata has announced Bridgwater in Somerset as the chosen location for its new £4 billion battery plant, set to generate approximately 4,000 employment opportunities in the region.
Agratas, Tata’s battery division, disclosed the purchase of land at the Gravity Smart campus situated off the M5, on the outskirts of the town.
Last July, Tata confirmed its decision to establish its next gigafactory in the UK, securing around £500 million in government subsidies for the project.
While it didn’t formally announce the construction site, Bridgwater was widely speculated to be the site. The location was once a factory producing military-grade explosives for military purposes until its closure in 2008.
Tom Flack, the CEO of Agratas, said the billion-pound investment will introduce cutting-edge technology to Somerset, accelerating Britain’s shift towards electric mobility while simultaneously generating jobs in the thousands.
The company intends to engage with local residents this week to provide details about the project. Initial groundwork has already commenced at the site, with plans to initiate foundation construction to be executed in spring. Battery-manufacturing operations are slated to commence in 2026.
With the UK and global automotive sector transitioning towards electric vehicles, the demand for batteries to power them has surged in significance, replacing traditional petrol and diesel alternatives.
In November, MPs on the business and trade committee cautioned that the UK could jeopardize 160,000 jobs if it failed to meet the demand for batteries required by car manufacturers.
The plans unveiled at that time, such as Tata’s proposed 40 gigawatt-hour (GWh) plant, were deemed inadequate, covering only about half of the projected 100 GWh production required by the UK by 2030.
Agratas also said that Tata Motors and Tata-owned Jaguar Land Rover would be its first customers and that the company has plans to create batteries for two-wheelers and commercial vehicles, besides commercial energy storage.
