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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--The largest planned electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in the U.K. has run into construction issues that will see limited progress until February 2023.
Developer Britishvolt (Blyth) denied reports in The Guardian newspaper that the project was on funding "life support" to cut spending until the next round of funding is released. However, it did confirm that work will continue in a reduced capacity until early next year but that it expects the project to be delivered on schedule. The plant, located on a 95-hectare site at the former Blyth power station, will require around £3.8 billion (US$4.6 billion) to construct and represents one of the largest-ever industrial investments in the U.K.. At full production in 2027, it will churn out enough battery cells for more than 300,000 lithium-ion batteries a year. The project is set to create 3,000 direct jobs and another 5,000 indirect jobs in the wider supply chain.
A company spokesperson told The Northern Echo: "We are progressing ahead of schedule in our enabling works at the Britishvolt gigasite in Cambois, near Blyth, Northumberland. This has allowed us to take the time to focus on design work for the site and to reschedule some strands of construction work, optimizing the build process for each of the project's four phases. Flexing the plan in this way enables us to better source materials given current supply constraints due to the global economic situation and to enhance our cost efficiencies. We continue to work with our financing partners and investors on funding scenarios for the build of the shell and core of the Gigaplant project, and to develop the associated supplier park at Blyth."
The company said that February will see the start of "significant works such as piling which will prepare the site for structural steel work."
The high-profile project is the flagship for the current U.K. government's EV plans. In recent weeks the government made good on a pledge made at the start of the year to give £100 million (US$120 million) in financial support for the project. U.K. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: "I'm delighted to confirm we have now provided Britishvolt with a final grant offer through the Automotive Transformation Fund. The Blyth gigafactory will turbocharge our plans to embed a globally competitive electric vehicle supply chain in the U.K.."
Last month, Industrial Info reported that Britishvolt had announced a £200 million (US$250 million) investment to create a research and testing facility in the West Midlands. The company will lease the Hams Hall facility to develop and test the manufacturing process it aims to use at the larger plant under construction. The facility will employ up to 150 people, and equipment fit-out is expected to be completed by next summer. Britishvolt hopes to leverage the input of nearby companies including Jaguar, Warwick Manufacturing Group, Faraday Institution and the government-funded U.K. Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC). Hams Hall is also home to Jaguar's Battery Assembly Center (BAC) which is expected to have 4 million battery cells in production every day when at full capacity.
A Britishvolt spokesperson confirmed that there are no delays with the R&D facility. "We are also accelerating plans for our state-of-the-art scale-up facility at Hams Hall in the Midlands. This will act as a mini replica of the Blyth site, giving us the opportunity to embed best practice, fine-tune chemistries, optimize machine layout, and ensure that the Britishvolt Cambois Gigaplant is one of the most efficient, highest quality and lowest carbon emitting globally."
Industrial Info is also tracking the only other U.K. EV battery gigafactory project, being developed by Envision AESC in Sunderland, England. It will have an annual capacity of 11 gigawatt-hours (GWh) when it is commissioned in 2024, rising to an annual capacity of up to 38 GWh when fully expanded in later years. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Industrial Manufacturing Project Database can click here for the reports.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
Developer Britishvolt (Blyth) denied reports in The Guardian newspaper that the project was on funding "life support" to cut spending until the next round of funding is released. However, it did confirm that work will continue in a reduced capacity until early next year but that it expects the project to be delivered on schedule. The plant, located on a 95-hectare site at the former Blyth power station, will require around £3.8 billion (US$4.6 billion) to construct and represents one of the largest-ever industrial investments in the U.K.. At full production in 2027, it will churn out enough battery cells for more than 300,000 lithium-ion batteries a year. The project is set to create 3,000 direct jobs and another 5,000 indirect jobs in the wider supply chain.
A company spokesperson told The Northern Echo: "We are progressing ahead of schedule in our enabling works at the Britishvolt gigasite in Cambois, near Blyth, Northumberland. This has allowed us to take the time to focus on design work for the site and to reschedule some strands of construction work, optimizing the build process for each of the project's four phases. Flexing the plan in this way enables us to better source materials given current supply constraints due to the global economic situation and to enhance our cost efficiencies. We continue to work with our financing partners and investors on funding scenarios for the build of the shell and core of the Gigaplant project, and to develop the associated supplier park at Blyth."
The company said that February will see the start of "significant works such as piling which will prepare the site for structural steel work."
The high-profile project is the flagship for the current U.K. government's EV plans. In recent weeks the government made good on a pledge made at the start of the year to give £100 million (US$120 million) in financial support for the project. U.K. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: "I'm delighted to confirm we have now provided Britishvolt with a final grant offer through the Automotive Transformation Fund. The Blyth gigafactory will turbocharge our plans to embed a globally competitive electric vehicle supply chain in the U.K.."
Last month, Industrial Info reported that Britishvolt had announced a £200 million (US$250 million) investment to create a research and testing facility in the West Midlands. The company will lease the Hams Hall facility to develop and test the manufacturing process it aims to use at the larger plant under construction. The facility will employ up to 150 people, and equipment fit-out is expected to be completed by next summer. Britishvolt hopes to leverage the input of nearby companies including Jaguar, Warwick Manufacturing Group, Faraday Institution and the government-funded U.K. Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC). Hams Hall is also home to Jaguar's Battery Assembly Center (BAC) which is expected to have 4 million battery cells in production every day when at full capacity.
A Britishvolt spokesperson confirmed that there are no delays with the R&D facility. "We are also accelerating plans for our state-of-the-art scale-up facility at Hams Hall in the Midlands. This will act as a mini replica of the Blyth site, giving us the opportunity to embed best practice, fine-tune chemistries, optimize machine layout, and ensure that the Britishvolt Cambois Gigaplant is one of the most efficient, highest quality and lowest carbon emitting globally."
Industrial Info is also tracking the only other U.K. EV battery gigafactory project, being developed by Envision AESC in Sunderland, England. It will have an annual capacity of 11 gigawatt-hours (GWh) when it is commissioned in 2024, rising to an annual capacity of up to 38 GWh when fully expanded in later years. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Industrial Manufacturing Project Database can click here for the reports.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
