UK-based batterytech pioneer Britishvolt has just now received a confirmation from the UK Government that it is to receive £100m funding from the Advanced Propulsion Centre’s Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF). As per the company press release, ATF funding will support Britishvolt’s plans to build a £3.8 billion advanced technology battery cell Gigaplant in Northumberland. This marks one of the UK’s biggest-ever industrial investments and the largest in the North East of England since Nissan’s arrival in 1984.
Recently luxury carmaker Aston Martin also signed an agreement with the lithium-ion battery cell technologies company.
UK’s first gigafactory
At full production, enough battery cells will be produced for over 300,000 lithium-ion batteries a year. The facility is expected to employ over 3,000 people directly in skilled jobs with another 5,000 in the wider supply chains.
Britishvolt’s Gigaplant is the first one in the UK and is regarded as being strategically important for the UK automotive industry as it accelerates towards an increasingly electric future. It also supports the UK Government’s Ten Point Green Recovery Plan and is an important step to the UK becoming a net zero economy by 2050.
Isobel Sheldon OBE, Chief Strategy Officer, Britishvolt said “This is great news for our plans to construct the UK’s premier battery cell Gigaplant in Northumberland. While the overwhelming majority of investment for the project will come from private sources, the ATF’s grant funding is very important in proving that the UK Government is confident that we will deliver on our plans, and this will help to generate further private investment. It’s a clear indicator of the Government’s policy towards electrification of society in the Race to Zero”
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said, “I’m delighted to confirm we have now provided Britishvolt with a final grant offer through the Automotive Transformation Fund. The Blyth gigafactory will turbocharge our plans to embed a globally competitive electric vehicle supply chain in the UK and it is fantastic to see how the project is progressing. The vast site will ensure Britain can fully capture the benefits of the booming global electric vehicle market. The well-paid jobs and growth it will generate for the North East of England will be transformational and are exactly the reason we are investing to make the UK the best place in the world for automotive manufacturing.”
Battery tech pioneer
Founded by Orral Nadjari in 2018 in UK, Britishvolt is focused on development of next-generation battery cell technologies and associated research and development. It is dedicated to developing the future of electrified transportation and sustainable energy storage, producing best-in-class, low-carbon, sustainable, responsibly manufactured lithium-ion battery solutions.
Britishvolt believes that low carbon, sustainable, responsibly manufactured battery cells can help positively change the planet. The time has come to transition from fossil fuels to clean, renewable, low carbon electricity. The world deserves a clean air future for all.
