Northumberland-based Britishvolt (BV), an electric vehicle (EV) battery pioneer and the UK’s foremost investor in battery cell technologies and associated R&D, is powering ahead with the construction of its first full-scale EV Gigaplant capable of producing over 300,000 electric vehicle battery packs each year.

BV announced last week that the project is receiving Government backing through its Automotive Transformation Fund, (ATF) delivered by the Advanced Propulsion Centre and in a separate development that Tritax and abrdn are partnering to fund the build of the project, shell and core, as well as the development of an associated supplier park. Tritax is the leading investor in UK and European logistics real estate and is joining BV in partnership with abrdn’s global real assets and investment capabilities.

The ATF is a funding programme which aims to create a sustainable, zero-emission automotive supply chain in the UK. The fund is a key mechanism to deliver the UK Government’s 10-point plan for a green industrial revolution and its recent Transport Decarbonisation Plan.

Over the next few weeks BV will make a series of follow-up announcements including customer agreements and R&D collaborations, relationships with blue-chip UK automotive sports car brands and technology releases.

Sustainable battery production
Peter Rolton, Britishvolt executive chairman, said: “This announcement is a major step in putting the UK at the forefront of the global energy transition, unlocking huge private sector investment that will develop the technology and skills required for Britain to play its part in the next industrial revolution.

“This is the first step in creating a commercialised battery ecosystem, that perfectly aligns with the existing R&D ecosystem. Britishvolt will be the anchor for attracting further sections of the supply chain, be it refining or recycling, to co-locate on the Britishvolt site. This not only shortens supply chains but also allows for partners to access the abundance of renewable energy on site to truly power low carbon, sustainable battery production.“

He added: “It will also allow us to catapult our unique tailormade business proposition on a global scale, with sites already selected for development in other countries. I am especially proud that this is such a major boost for Northumberland — the county of my birth — bringing around 3,000 direct highly-skilled jobs and another 5,000-plus indirect wider supply chain roles into the region.

“This is a truly historic day and marks the start of a truly exciting move towards a low carbon future. One with Britishvolt batteries at the very centre of that strategy.”

According to APC research, based on its unique relationships with vehicle manufacturers, by 2030 the UK will need over 90GWh per annum of batteries for cars and light commercials alone and represents over 11% of the total demand across Europe.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “Britishvolt’s plan to build a new Gigafactory in Northumberland is a strong testament to the skilled workers of the North East and the UK’s place at the helm of the global green industrial revolution.

“Backed by Government and private sector investment, this new battery factory will boost the production of electric vehicles in the UK, while levelling up opportunity and bringing thousands of new highly-skilled jobs to communities in our industrial heartlands.”

The transformation and development of the 93-hectare site is already underway by Britishvolt’s construction partner ISG. Advanced works are progressing to support the design process and the significant on-site infrastructure required to deliver a project of this scale and complexity.