Western Gateway welcomes plans for new Gigafactory in Somerset

The Gravity smart campus site promises to deliver up to 7,500 new jobs and supply chain opportunities for the South West and South Wales whilst also placing the Western Gateway area at the centre of international efforts to develop the next generation of net zero technology.

John Wilkinson, Director of the Western Gateway, said: “It is great to see this huge investment in the UK which is a vital opportunity for our nation to make the most of the economic opportunities of the green transition. 

“Its position adjacent to our partners in North Somerset and the West of England, is crucial for the whole of the South West and South Wales. Not only does this promise to deliver jobs and skills opportunities for communities across our area, but it will also benefit from the ecosystem of innovative businesses, great universities and high-tech clusters which are already based here. 

“We know that international investors don’t make decisions based on boundaries but on economic opportunities and assets.  We are proud that our area has shown that it can attract major new employers that enable us to play an important role in transport decarbonisation in a global market place.

“This new Gigafactory will be a key part of ensuring our area can deliver on its potential to become the UK’s Green Energy Powerhouse. I look forward to working with our neighbours in the Great South West to promote our area as a driving force in the UK’s economic future.”

The new Agratas factory will develop and deliver advanced battery technology to the UK automotive sector, suppling Tata’s wholly owned subsidiary, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) as well as other customers.

Agratas is investing in two global facilities – one in the UK and one in India – to advance the development of battery technology and improve components of electric vehicles globally.

Together Tata and Agratas hope to create a new axis in the UK automotive sector, driving towards the UK’s transport decarbonisation targets as a progressive response to climate change at Gravity.

The Gravity site is included in the Western Gateway’s Rail Vision for 2050 as an aspirational station to unlock better freight and passenger connectivity to the site and Bridgwater for commuters from across the area.  They are also key partners for the Western Gateway Pavilion at UKREiiF 2024.