The news follows last year’s announcement that the UK had been chosen as the home of Tata Group’s first gigafactory outside India. Agratas, Tata Group’s global battery business, has confirmed that it will build the facility on the Gravity Smart Campus near Bridgwater, Somerset. A significant land holding has been acquired at Gravity, making Agratas the first and primary occupier on the site.
The 40 GWh factory is set to be the biggest battery factory in the country and by the early 2030s will contribute almost half of the projected battery manufacturing capacity required for the UK automotive sector. Agratas will work closely with local and regional partners, including Somerset Council, Bridgwater and Taunton College, and the wider Gravity Smart Campus, to deliver bespoke education and training programmes in the region, creating local jobs for local people. The factory itself will create up to 4,000 new high-skilled green tech jobs in the area, with many thousands more expected to be created in the UK supply chain.
As part of a community-first approach, Agratas will also hold an introductory event in the coming weeks for residents to learn more about Agratas’ plans and meet the team.
“Our multi-billion-pound investment will bring state-of-the-art technology to Somerset, helping to supercharge the UK’s transition to electric mobility whilst creating thousands of jobs in the process,” said Tom Flack, Agratas CEO. “We care deeply about the communities we operate in, so it’s imperative to us that we work with, and listen to, our new neighbours as we build our factory in Somerset. That’s why we’ll be holding an event for residents very soon, so we can share more about our plans and introduce our team to the community.”
Preliminary works on the site are in progress, with piling to establish the factory’s foundations set to start in Spring. Construction will be completed in phases, with battery production set to begin in 2026. JLR and Tata Motors will be Agratas’ first customers. Agratas also plans to create batteries for other applications, including two-wheelers and commercial vehicles, as well as commercial energy storage solutions.
