2023-07-19 10:38:46
By Le Figaro with AFP
Posted 13 minutes ago, Updated 13 minutes ago
Tata had chosen between a site in the southwest of England and a site in Spain to supply a new range of electric vehicles. Danish Siddiqui / REUTERS
The project should create nearly 4,000 jobs for the sector, according to the British authorities.
The Indian group Tata, owner of the manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover, will investmore than 4 billion poundsin an electric battery factory in the United Kingdom which should allow London to initiate its efforts to decarbonize the automotive industry. This project should generateup to 4,000 new direct jobs and thousands more in the extended supply chain“, Specifies the press release from the Ministry of Enterprise.
The new “giga-factorywith a production capacity of 40 Giga watt hours, will beone of the largest in Europe“, continues the press release. “It is expected to supply almost half of the battery production the country needs by 2030, which will give a big boost to the United Kingdom’s transition to vehicles with zero CO2 emissions.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak welcomed a “mark of recognition of the vigor of our automotive industry and the qualifications of its workers». «We can be incredibly proud that Britain has been chosen for Tata Group’s first gigafactory outside India.».
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Long-term negotiations
The UK had been negotiating with the Indian giant for months to land this investment. In March, the FT wrote that Tata Motors had asked for half a billion pounds (575 million euros) in aid from the United Kingdom to build a battery factory there, failing which it could have chosen Spain. The factory is to be built in Bridgewater, Somerset, South West England.
«It’s an important moment for the UK car industry and shows that the government has finally started in the international race for clean technologies, while others are already at full speed“commented the environmental NGO Greenpeace. “The government must stick to its laudable goal of phasing out petrol and diesel vehicles from 2030, and sign the regulations for it“, adds Greenpeace.
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