Agratas confirms Somerset will be home to £4bn gigafactory

Somerset will be home to a new £4bn electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility, it has been confirmed. 

Agratas, Tata Group’s global battery business, said it will build the gigafactory on the Gravity Smart Campus near Bridgwater, Somerset. 

The 40 GWh factory 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.

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.

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, creating local jobs for local people.

A significant land holding has been acquired at Gravity, making Agratas the first and primary occupier on the site.

Local residents are to receive a leaflet this week introducing Agratas with an event being held in the coming weeks for local people to meet the team. 

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

“We care deeply about the communities we operate in, so it’s imperative to us that we work with, and listen to, our new neighbours as we build our factory in Somerset.

“That’s why we’ll be holding an event for local residents very soon, so we can share more about our plans and introduce our team to the community.”

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 news follows an announcement made by Tata Group last year that it would establish Agratas, a new subsidiary, and that the UK would be home to the company’s first gigafactory outside India.

Stantec, a global leader in sustainable design and engineering, has been selected to provide integrated design services for Agratas for the facility.

The new advanced manufacturing site will comprise three separate buildings. 

With innovative technologies and resource efficient processes, the facility will produce high-quality, high-performance, sustainable battery cells. 

The next generation of batteries will support Britain’s energy transition and power hundreds of thousands of electric vehicles. 

“The Agratas facility will be pioneering in battery cell production, addressing demand in the advanced manufacturing space in the UK head-on, while benefiting productivity, the climate, and the economy,” said Gord Johnston, president and chief executive officer of Stantec. 

“Stantec has strong capabilities in the advanced manufacturing space, and we look forward to working closely with Agratas to provide our significant breadth and depth of experience and support the successful completion of its project.”

Joe Hibbert, vice president of capital projects, Agratas, added: “We look forward to working with Stantec to design the UK’s largest battery cell manufacturing facility. 

“Using state- of-the-art technology, our facility will power the transition to electric mobility and clean energy storage.

“Our partnership with Stantec is the next step in our mission to deliver best-in-class battery solutions for our global customers.”

Over the last 15 years, Stantec has been instrumental in paving the way for the Gravity site to be selected as the UK home for Agratas’ new manufacturing facility. 

The firm served as a strategic advisor for the Gravity site, leading the Local Development Order consenting process, making it an attractive inward investment opportunity. 

Stantec has provided a variety of services including engineering design, planning, environmental, technical services, and project management at the site.