Warwick District Council and Coventry City Council have approved an early stage planning application for a £2.5billion EV battery factory at Coventry Airport.
Approval of the town planning application file – agreement in principle on the development of a site – brings the 530,000 m² a little closer to reality. Planning permission is expected to be officially granted in March, when the government has been consulted on the plans.
The final building permit will be submitted once the necessary investment has been made and an end user of the facility has been identified.
The West Midlands Gigafactory, as it is known, is a public-private joint venture between Coventry City Council and Coventry Airport, who are seeking £2.5billion in investment over the next four years. They are looking for investment opportunities with “battery manufacturers around the world”, and Autocar understands discussions are underway with the government-backed Advanced Propulsion Centre, which has $1 billion in funding. pounds sterling for UK-based mobility projects.
It has not been confirmed how close the project is to reaching its fundraising goal.
Ultimately, the site will cover 530,000 square meters, will have an annual capacity of 60 GWh, adding a contribution of £434 million in gross value to the regional economy.
The proposal also claims that 6,000 new jobs will be created, with tens of thousands added to the supply chain, and that the plant will be powered by 100% green energy, including solar and wind power.
The applicants also say Coventry Airport is an ideal location for an electric vehicle battery factory, as it is adjacent to the UK Battery Industrialization Centre, which is the UK’s largest battery research centre.
“It is essential that the West Midlands secures a gigafactory, both for the future of our region’s car industry and the huge economic and employment benefits it would bring, as well as for the future of our planet,” said the Mayor of West Midlands. Andy Street.
“The West Midlands is already home to the country’s largest car manufacturer, the largest such research center in Europe, the UK’s only center of battery industrialization and a world-leading supply chain. A gigafactory is therefore the natural next step for the automotive heartland in the UK, and I won’t rest until we get one.”
The proposed plant has also been backed by local MPs, Warwick District Council, Warwickshire County Council, the West Midlands Combined Authority and the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership.
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