TEESSIDE is believed to be on the shortlist for one of Britain's biggest industrial developments - bringing thousands of jobs and decades of work for local firms.
Jaguar Land Rover has been looking for a partner to make batteries for its Range Rover and Land Rover electric models and the FT confirmed today that JLR is talking to Envision, which is already building a £450m gigaplant for Nissan at Sunderland.
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But the sheer scale of the JLR project, with the company aiming to sell only zero-emission models in the next decade, would need a second factory - and the Teesworks site at the former Redcar steelworks is one of the few anywhere in the world with the right potential. The Freeport designation could clinch the deal, bringing with it all the advantages a project of this size would want.
The FT report confirms that Teesside is believed to be one of the leading contenders for the project.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “It would be fantastic if we were able to welcome JLR and this project as yet another cutting-edge investment on Teesside. We are speaking to a range of potential investors. Due to commercial sensitivities, we can’t comment publicly on any ongoing discussions but rest assured, we are working day and night to bring good-quality, well-paid jobs to our area as soon as possible.”
Alongside hydrogen plants for bp and the turbine blades site being built by GE, the arrival of Envision and JLR could secure the future of the entire site for generations and tranform the Teesside economy as wave after wave of supply chain firms take advantage of the work.
There is no confirmation from either side, with sites in Hungary and Spain also possible, but JLR will be keen to make a landmark decision for a British base.
JLR told the FT: “We are exploring all options at this time. No decisions have been made.”
Envision AESC said: “We are in regular contact with several OEMs [carmakers] and wouldn’t comment on private discussions.”
The plans will attract a serious amount of Government support financially and politically, as it is a perfect fit for the Government’s ambitions for the UK to be a world leader in the battery industry.
When BritishVolt announced its plans at Blyth, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: “In this global race between countries to secure vital battery production, this Government is proud to make the investment necessary to ensure UK’s retains its place as one of the best locations in the world for auto manufacturing.”
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The FT also reported that InoBat, another battery start-up, was considering Teesside or Humberside for a new battery plant to follow its debut facility in Slovakia.
The Teesside site would be the third battery plant in the North East, after Envision at Sunderland and Britishvolt at Blyth, but the growing industry will need a vast source of batteries and new tech breakthroughs on the road to Net Zero.
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