Tata Group, India’s largest conglomerate, will set up a new battery factory for electric vehicles in Britain, the company announced on Wednesday. Tata’s first gigafactory outside India will be a big boost to the auto industry which needs domestic battery manufacturing and will help in the long run in the future.
Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran said: “Today I am delighted to announce that the Tata Group will establish one of Europe’s largest battery manufacturing plants in the UK. Our multi-billion pound investment will bring state-of-the-art technology to the country to help support the automotive sector’s transition to electric mobility, embedded in our own JLR business. With this strategic investment, the Tata Group further strengthens its commitment to the UK with many of our companies operating here in technology, consumer, hospitality, steel, chemicals and automotive.
According to a UK government statement, the factory will offer almost half of the battery production required by 2030, “turning Britain’s supercharged vehicles into zero-emission vehicles”.
Announcing the news, Tata said the company would invest 4 billion pounds ($5.2 billion) in the plant, one of the largest investments ever made in the UK automotive sector.
The statement said: “The Gigafactory will provide UK-made batteries for another Tata Sons investment, Jaguar Land Rover, as well as other manufacturers in the UK and Europe.
With 40 GWh, it will be one of the largest factories in Europe. As well as the 4,000 skilled jobs to be created by the factory, it is expected to create thousands of jobs in the battery materials and minerals supply chain, helping the UK economy grow.
Rishi Sunak on Tata’s investment
In a statement on Wednesday, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “Tata Group’s multi-billion dollar investment in a new battery factory in the UK is a testament to the strength of our automotive industry and its skilled workforce.
Sunak said he was proud that Tata had chosen Britain as “home” to set up its first gigafactory outside India, and said the UK would now be one of the most attractive places to manufacture electric vehicles.
He added: “With the global transition to zero-emission vehicles well underway, this will help grow our economy by advancing our leadership in battery technology while creating up to 4,000 jobs and thousands more in the supply chain. As reported, the British government did not provide any details on how it would support the company as part of the deal.
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