Tata Group to Invest Over £4 Billion in UK Electric Battery Factory, Creating Thousands of Jobs – News18

Tata Group is set to invest more than £4 billion ($5.2 billion) in a giant battery plant in southwest England that will create thousands of jobs, the UK government said on Wednesday. The factory — company’s first gigafactory outside India — will be built in Somerset after the site reportedly beat off competition from Spain.

The new gigafactory will supply Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) future battery electric models including the Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar brands, with the potential to also supply other car manufacturers. The production at the new factory, which will start in 2026, will boost the UK’s battery manufacturing capacity.

“Tata Group’s multi-billion-pound investment in a new battery factory in the UK is testament to the strength of our car manufacturing industry and its skilled workers,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement published by 10 Downing Street.

“With the global transition to zero emission vehicles well underway, this will help grow our economy by driving forward our lead in battery technology whilst creating as many as 4,000 jobs, and thousands more in the supply chain,” he added.

In a separate statement, Chairman N. Chandrasekaran said Tata Group will be setting up one of Europe’s largest battery cell manufacturing facilities in the UK. “Our multi-billion-pound investment will bring state-of-the-art technology to the country,” he said.

Britain plans to ban the sale of new high-polluting diesel and petrol cars from 2030, forcing its car manufacturing sector to switch production to electric vehicles, according to the Downing Street. That target is part of its long-standing goal to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 in order to help tackle climate change.

In a statement, British Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said the multibillion-pound investment demonstrated that the “government has got the right plan when it comes to the automotive sector”.

Environmental body Greenpeace welcomed the announcement as a “significant moment for the UK car industry and a signal that the government has finally started the engine in the international clean technology race, while other are speeding ahead.”.

(With agency inputs)