Plans for Britain's first electric vehicle battery 'gigaplant' revealed

7:34 am, December 11, 2020

Plans for Britain’s largest electric vehicle battery plant have been announced.

Britishvolt will invest £2.6bn in creating the UK’s first ‘gigaplant’ on the site of a former coal-burning power station.

The 95-hectare site in Blyth, Northumberland, aims to be producing lithium-ion batteries by the end of 2023.

The project will create 3,000 jobs and reportedly representing the biggest investment in the north east of England since Nissan arrived in 1984.

Another 5,000 jobs could be created in the supply chain, the firm said.

Its aim is to build a sustainable site using renewable energy, with the potential to use Norwegian hydro-electric power transmitted 447 miles under the North Sea via the world’s longest inter-connector.

The announcement means an end to Britishvolt’s original plans of building the new ‘gigaplant’ in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales.

Britishvolt chief executive Orral Nadjari said: ‘Now we can really start the hard work and begin producing lithium-ion batteries for future electrified vehicles in just three years.

‘It is crucial for the UK automotive industry and for the entire economy that we are able to power the future. The sooner we start, the better.’

Blyth Power Station was the site of two coal-burning power stations which were eventually demolished in the early 2000s.

The Britishvolt plan has been supported Advance Northumberland, the county council’s development arm.

Blyth Valley Conservative MP Ian Levy said: ‘I can’t think of anything comparable in the north east since Nissan invested in Sunderland more than 35 years ago.

‘Since Britishvolt first made contact it has been my absolute priority to work in partnership with its leadership team to do everything possible to bring this scheme to Northumberland.

‘Advance Northumberland has also a played a critical role in reaching this point so quickly.

‘There is still much to do but the prospect of the UK’s first gigaplant on the old Blyth Power Station site directly creating up to 8,000 jobs is amazing.

‘These jobs will not only return the area to the status of an industrial powerhouse but will help us retain our graduates and provide a huge boost to struggling high streets.’