Agratas confirms Bridgwater, UK as site for 40 GWh battery plant

Model of new Agratas battery plant (Photo: Tata Group)

Following on from the announcement in mid-2023 that Tata was planning to build a new battery production plant in the UK, the India-headquartered conglomerate has revealed that it will locate the new factory in Bridgwater, Somerset.

A site has been purchased by Agratas, Tata’s battery business, in the Gravity smart campus. This is located near the M5 motorway which links the south-west of the UK with Birmingham.

Bridgwater had been widely tipped as the location for the new gigafactory, which is supported by about £500 million ($631 million) in UK government subsidies. The side was previously home to a factory which produced high explosives for military use, which closed in 2008.

Gravity park smart site near Bridgwater (Photo: Reuters and Carlos Jasso)

Preliminary work is said to have already started to establish building foundations. Battery production is anticipated to start in 2026.

The new Bridgwater site is set to produce up to 40 GWh of batteries by 2030. This is estimated to be less than 50% of the batteries required by UK vehicle OEMs by 2030.

Agratas has reported that Tata Motors and Tata-owned Jaguar Land Rover will be the plant’s first customers. There are also plans to produce batteries for commercial energy storage, two-wheelers and commercial vehicles.