LONDON – Regional officials in central England today said plans are being submitted for a battery “gigafactory” near Coventry that is poised to create up to 6,000 jobs.
The city’s council is submitting blueprints for a 1.7 million sq m electric car battery plant in partnership with Coventry airport, where it will be built.
Promoters said the site may be operational by 2025, and could attract £2 billion (RM11.6 billion) in investment.
Japanese car manufacturer Nissan has already launched plans for a battery gigafactory in northeastern England.
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street called it “mission critical that the West Midlands secures a gigafactory” to safeguard its key industry, economy and the “future of our planet”.
Investment in electric cars and the associated supply chains is pitched as a way to reinvigorate the automotive industry in central England, along with a shift to more environmentally friendly technologies.
The United Kingdom’s Unite union welcomed the plans and potential jobs as a “huge shot in the arm” for the West Midlands economy.
“The promise of 6,000 jobs and thousands more in the supply chain is exactly what we need to bring stability to the sector during these rocky times,” said assistant general secretary Steve Turner.
Construction of Nissan’s £2.6 billion plant in Blyth was announced last December and construction is to start soon, with the potential creation of 6,200 jobs.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government last year announced plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in 2030. – AFP, July 15, 2021
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