- Agratas, Tata Group’s global battery business, will build Britain’s biggest battery manufacturing facility at the Gravity Smart Campus near Bridgwater, Somerset.
- Agratas is taking a community-first approach, holding an introductory event in the coming weeks for locals to learn more about the company and meet the team.
- Partnering with local and regional organisations, Agratas intends to deliver bespoke training programmes to realise the full potential of its investment, creating local jobs for local people.
- The news follows an announcement last year that the UK had been chosen as the home of Tata Group’s first gigafactory outside India.
UK, 28 February 2024: Somerset will be home to a new multi-billion-pound electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility in the UK, it was confirmed today.
Agratas, Tata Group’s global battery business, has confirmed that it will build a gigafactory on the Gravity Smart Campus near Bridgwater, Somerset. A significant land holding has been acquired at Gravity, making Agratas the first and primary occupier on the site.
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.
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, creating local jobs for local people.
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.
Thousands of residents living near the site of the future gigafactory campus are set to receive a leaflet through the post this week, introducing Agratas to the community. In addition to providing insight into Agratas’ plans, the leaflet invites people to follow Agratas’ community WhatsApp channel for regular updates on the site’s progress.
As part of a community-first approach, Agratas will also hold an introductory event in the coming weeks for local residents to learn more about Agratas’ plans and 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.”
Preliminary works on the site are in progress, with piling to establish the factory’s foundations set to start in 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 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.
About Agratas
Agratas is a global battery business within the Tata Group. We design, develop and manufacture high-quality, high-performance, sustainable battery solutions for multiple applications to match our customers’ requirements.
Derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Agra’, the world’s oldest language, our name stands for leadership and moving forward. Combined with ‘Gravitas’, it reflects our ambition to be purpose driven, pioneering power for future generations.
We have entered our industrialisation phase, building world-class gigafactories in India and the UK, and unlocking green growth opportunities for global customers in the mobility and energy sectors.
Our sustainability-first approach is accelerating the global transition to net zero. Our facilities are designed to be powered by clean sources of electricity, including purpose-built renewable energy plants, to support our goal of 100% clean power across all our operations. Using a circular design mindset, we adopt resource efficient processes, to reuse, recycle and recover materials back into production, delivering a sophisticated circular economy ecosystem. We are committed to developing the next generation of battery technologies.
Our R&D Innovation Hubs in India and the UK are empowered to accelerate technological breakthroughs across our entire value chain, working in partnership with leading universities and research institutions to deliver cleaner, greener, more sustainable batteries for our customers. Together, we will pioneer the innovative battery solutions of the future.
Media enquiries
press@agratas.net