Britishvolt to build UK’s 1st battery gigaplant in Blyth, Northumberland

Despite signing an MoU regarding a similar project in Wales in July, Britishvolt has appointed a construction company (ISG) to build a new gigaplant in Blyth, Northumberland, with construction planned to commence in Summer 2021. The result of £2.6 billion investment, it will begin producing lithium-ion batteries for the automotive and renewable energy industries at the end of 2023. Construction of further phases will continue until the end of 2027.

The gigaplant will be built on a 95-hectare site, formerly the site of the Blyth Power Station. It will exclusively use renewable energy, including the potential to use hydro-electric power generated in Norway and transmitted 447 miles under the North Sea via the world’s longest inter-connector from the North Sea Link project. The factory is being designed by well-known Italian designers Pininfarina.

Britishvolt CEO, Orral Nadjari “We’re delighted to have engaged ISG as the construction partner for our Blyth gigaplant. Its long expertise of delivering global projects will be crucial to meeting our exacting standards and tight timeframe. Especially key is that ISG’s frontline team delivered Jaguar Land Rover’s production facility in Nitra, Slovakia, giving Britishvolt hugely relevant and recent experience in delivering large-scale projects such as ours.

“Our gigaplant project is now on track in every key area: construction, product development, funding and a high-level of customer engagement for our world-class lithium-ion batteries. We will be production ready at the end of 2023. It’s essential that we are ready to power the future as quickly as possible.”

ISG CEO, Paul Cossell “This landmark project to build the UK’s first gigaplant is one of the most visible signs that we are confidently stepping up to meet the challenge of new zero emissions by 2050 and closely aligned with the government’s key commitment to cease petrol and diesel car manufacturing by 2030. The construction phase alone will directly support thousands of jobs in the North East and create a wealth of training and upskilling opportunities for local communities. The legacy of this major investment will benefit the region for generations to come.”