Tata Group announces foray into global battery business with Agratas

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Tata Group announces foray into global battery business with Agratas

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Published on

19 July 2023

Tata group will invest over £4 billion in a UK gigafactory through its new global battery business, Agratas
The investment will create up to 4,000 new green tech jobs and thousands more in the wider supply chain
Flexible manufacturing capacity will deliver electric mobility and renewable energy storage solutions for customers in UK and Europe
JLR will be an anchor customer with production starting in 2026

Gaydon, UK, 19 July 2023,Tata Sons, the principal investment holding company and promoter of Tata companies, announced plans to establish a battery cell manufacturing facility in the UK through its new global battery business, Agratas, with capacity to produce 40GWh of cells annually.

The investment of over £4 billion is an integral part of Tata group’s commitment to electric mobility and renewable energy storage solutions and establishes a competitive green tech ecosystem in the UK at scale.

N Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons, said

The Tata group is deeply committed to a sustainable future across all of our business. Today, I am delighted to announce the Tata group will be setting up one of Europe’s largest battery cell manufacturing facilities in the UK. Our multi-billion-pound investment will bring state-of-the-art technology to the country, helping to power the automotive sector’s transition to electric mobility, anchored by our own business, JLR. With this strategic investment, the Tata group further strengthens its commitment to the UK, alongside our many companies operating here across technology, consumer, hospitality, steel, chemicals and automotive. I also want to thank His Majesty’s Government, which has worked so closely with us to enable this investment.

Commenting about the announcement of the UK gigafactory, UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said:

Tata group’s decision to build their new gigafactory here in the UK – their first outside of India – is a huge vote of confidence in Britain. This will be one of the largest ever investments in the UK automotive sector. It will not only create thousands of skilled jobs for Britons around the country, but it will also strengthen our lead in the global transition to electric vehicles, helping to grow our economy in clean industries of the future.

Agratas will design, develop and manufacture high-quality, high-performance, sustainable battery solutions for multiple applications to match its customers’ requirements. The company’s strategic growth plan for its flexible manufacturing capacity will begin with a rapid industrialisation phase and the start of production in 2026.

The UK gigafactory intends to maximise a renewable energy mix, with an ambition for 100% clean power. The facility will employ innovative technologies and resource efficient processes to reuse, recycle and recover critical raw materials to deliver a truly circular economy ecosystem.