Site of Britain’s biggest EV battery factory to be on ‘smart campus’

JLR-owner Tata will build a gigafactory on the Gravity Smart Campus near Bridgwater, Somerset.

Agratas, Tata Group’s global battery business, says a “significant land holding” has been acquired at Gravity, making it the first and primary occupier on the site.

The £4 billion, 40 GWh electric vehicle (EV) battery factory, which was announced in July, 2023, is set to be the biggest battery factory in the country and by the early 2030s will contribute almost half of the projected battery manufacturing capacity required for the UK automotive sector.

To realise the transformative potential of the gigafactory, Agratas will work closely with local and regional partners, including Somerset Council, Bridgwater and Taunton College, and the wider Gravity Smart Campus, to deliver bespoke education and training programmes in the region.

The factory itself will create up to 4,000 new high-skilled green tech jobs in the area, with many thousands more expected to be created in the UK supply chain.

Tom Flack, CEO of Agratas, said: “Our multi-billion-pound investment will bring state-of-the-art technology to Somerset, helping to supercharge Britian’s transition to electric mobility whilst creating thousands of jobs in the process.”

Preliminary works on the site are in progress, with piling to establish the factory’s foundations are set to start in the spring.

Construction will be completed in phases, with battery production set to begin in 2026.

JLR and Tata Motors will be Agratas’ first customers. Agratas also plans to create batteries for other applications, including two-wheelers and commercial vehicles, as well as commercial energy storage solutions.

The UK currently only has one EV battery plant in operation next to Nissan's Sunderland factory, while another proposed battery manufacturer, in the north-east of England, Britishvolt, went into administration last year. It was subsequently bought by Australian firm Recharge Industries.