Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) owners Tata have confirmed that they will establish an electric vehicle battery plant in Somerset. The new factory will be near Bridgwater, and has been hailed as the biggest investment in the UK automotive industry since the arrival of Nissan in the 1980s.
The new £4bn gigafactory will produce electric batteries for JLR 4×4 vehicles such as the Range Rover and Defender. Eventually, the site may also be used to supply batteries for other vehicle manufacturers. It is believed that the UK government offered substantial financial incentives to Indian-based Tata to invest in the UK.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told the BBC: “Tata is an international business and will consider a number of factors when deciding where to invest. Last autumn the chancellor cut taxes specifically so that we could encourage investments like this.”
He added: “We’re making lots of changes and it’s this whole package that’s attractive, like investment in skills and apprenticeships, infrastructure in road, rail and broadband. It’s also the approach we’re taking to regulation after leaving the EU.”
The UK is set to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK by 2030, and is keen to boost the domestic production of car batteries. It is understood that the government has offered sizable energy discounts to Tata, who were reportedly wavering about their decision to invest in the UK owing to high energy prices.
Darren Jones, chair of the cross-party Business and Trade Committee, commented: “We will want to reflect, however, on the subsidy package that was required to secure this decision and if this approach is scalable to meet the need for further battery manufacturing sites for other car companies across the UK.”
The gigafactory will potentially create thousands of new jobs for the area.
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