Tata Opts Britain for £4 Billion EV Battery Plant

As countries move further away from fossil fuel cars, Indian conglomerate Tata Group has announced that it will construct a gigafactory to make electric vehicle batteries in Britain.

Tata will build its first gigafactory outside of India at the £4 billion facility in the southwest English county of Somerset. According to reports, the UK outbid Spain for the project, which is expected to generate thousands of employment.

With a 40 gigawatt-hour capacity, the UK facility will grow to be one of Europe’s largest battery-cell production facilities, according to a statement issued by Tata. N. Chandrasekaran, the company chairman commented:

“Tata Group will be setting up one of Europe’s largest battery cell manufacturing facilities in the UK. Our multi-billion-pound investment will bring state-of-the-art technology to the country.”

Up to 4,000 direct employments would be created when production starts in 2026, in addition to thousands more throughout the entire supply chain. The British government asserted that the Tata factory will significantly strengthen the UK’s automotive industry by producing nearly half of the nation’s needed batteries by 2030.

The announcement is seen as a major boost for Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, coming on the eve of three crucial by-elections in England, including one in Somerset. Commenting on this development, Rishi Sunak said:

“Tata group’s decision to build their new gigafactory here in the UK… is a huge vote of confidence in Britain. This will be one of the largest-ever investments in the UK automotive sector. 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.”