Tata has confirmed the location of its new £4 billion Gigafactory in Bridgwater, Somerset, UK. The facility will produce batteries for Tata and Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) vehicles starting in 2026. The Gigafactory is Tata’s first battery manufacturing facility outside of India. It will be operated by its subsidiary Agratas on the 620-acre Gravity Smart Campus, a former Royal Ordnance factory.
It is expected that the Bridgwater plant will provide a significant boost to the local and regional economy, creating 4,000 jobs directly and many more in the supply chain. The UK government is supporting Tata’s Gigafactory with £500 million of funding. This is in line with the country’s green energy commitments and efforts to boost domestic EV manufacturing capabilities. The new facility will have a production capacity of 40 GWh of battery cells, enough to supply around half a million EVs per year, meeting the UK’s anticipated need for 100 GWh of battery manufacturing capacity by 2030.
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Council and community leaders have welcomed the investment, highlighting its potential to transform the local economy, create green job opportunities, and put Somerset at the heart of the UK’s green energy industry. With construction on the Gigafactory site set to begin shortly, Somerset County Council plans to invest in infrastructure, skills, site access, and connectivity over the next five years to maximize the local benefits of the project.
The Gigafactory is considered a positive outcome of Tata’s wider commitment to the UK. This includes its involvement in the decarbonization of the Port Talbot steelworks. Public reaction to the announcement was mixed, with some skeptical of Tata’s track record and the potential for further public investment, while others saw it as positive news for Brexit Britain and the local economy.
Source: The Guardian
