Up to 3,500 jobs could be created following Britishvolt’s agreement with the Welsh government to work towards the development of a 30GWh battery manufacturing plant and 200MW solar plant at the site in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Powering up a British battery boom
Battery startups unveil plans to build UK’s first gigafactory
According to Britishvolt, the site was chosen for its import/export accessibility, availability of labour and skilled staff, and geographical proximity to customers and local industrial companies.
In a statement, Orral Nadjari, CEO and Founder at Britishvolt said: “As the birthplace of lithium ion, the UK remains globally renowned for its academic excellence in research and development – with an abundance of home grown talent for Britishvolt to take advantage of.
“Wales has welcomed us with open arms and exceptional due diligence and we believe the country has a vast untapped potential.
"Hiring local people, including those currently out of work, and developing strong relationships with nearby educational facilities will be a priority for us to ensure a stream of skilled staff.”
Britishvolt and the Welsh administration will now work toward building Britain’s first full cycle battery cell gigaplant - subject to UK government funding through the Automotive Transformation Fund - to produce lithium ion cylindrical and pouch cells primarily for the automotive market.
“In the absence of any onshore battery production, 114,000 direct British automotive jobs are predicted to be lost by 2040, and we want to ensure that this doesn’t happen,” said Nadjari.
Britishvolt said that its initial £1.2bn of investment could eventually lead towards up to 3,500 jobs. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2021.
Nanogenerator consumes CO2 to generate electricity
Whoopee, they've solved how to keep a light on but not a lot else.