Today, it has been confirmed that Jaguar Land Rover owner Tata will invest £4bn into building the UK’s biggest electric vehicle battery factory in Bridgwater, Somerset.

The firm is aiming to produce its first batteries in Somerset in 2026 and places the County at the heart of the UK’s green energy transformation with the potential to kick-start both regional and countrywide economic growth and jobs. The new gigafactory is set to provide almost half of the battery production needed nationally by 2030 – turbocharging the UK’s switch to zero emissions vehicles.

Tata’s decision is a major vote of confidence in UK automotive. The Government is committed to making the UK one of the best places in the world for automotive investment, as evidenced by the Automotive Transformation Fund, the British Industry Supercharger, and the strong programme of support for research and development.

Taunton Deane MP Rebecca Pow said:

“Securing high quality jobs for our area that will help drive our economy forward has been a priority of mine since being elected. The announcement today that Agratas, a new business within the Tata Group, intends to invest £4bn to build its flagship electric car battery gigafactory in Somerset just over the border of the constituency at the Gravity site is a game changer not just for our area but for the whole of the UK. This will create 4,000 jobs and thousands more in the wider supply chain which will help boost the economy, with significant benefits for Taunton and Wellington. I’ve already been engaging with educational establishments across our area who are successfully working with businesses to skill-up the future workforce; we must build on this new world that is opening up in Somerset and I shall be continuing the dialogue with establishments like the University Centre, Somerset. More broadly, the recent upgrades in infrastructure that I have worked hard to secure, particularly the upgrade of Taunton rail station, improvements to the road network and with the forthcoming Wellington rail station on the cards, the whole area is ready to take advantage of this incredible new boost providing the services that will be needed to link to the new site. This also marks a major step forward in the drive to meet our net zero ambitions as a County and indeed as a country.”