Plans revealed for gigafactory site at Coventry Airport
Plans have been revealed that Coventry Airport could be the site of a new gigafactory in the West Midlands, which will produce batteries for electric cars.
Reported in the Coventry Telegraph this morning, a joint venture partnership between Coventry City Council and the Rigby Group, which owns the airport and patrons of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce SCC, has revealed plans for the factory to be built at the site, which could create around 4,000 jobs.
Proposals for the site are due to be submitted this year, and a search for an investor to fund the project is underway.
If the plans receive funding and a green light for planning permissions, it is hoped that the gigafactory would open in 2025.
The government previously announced £500 million funding to support the electrification of vehicles, including developing gigafactories across the UK, which this project will be bidding for.
The plans follows yesterday 's announcement that Jaguar Land Rover will become an “all-electric luxury brand ” by 2025.
Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands, has long been lobbying for a gigafactory to be established in the West Midlands.
He said: “I have been utterly obsessed with securing a gigafactory for the West Midlands due to the huge economic and job benefits it would bring, and so I am delighted we have announced our preferred site and taken a huge leap forward today.
“The point I have been ferociously lobbying to government is that the West Midlands is the natural place for a UK gigafactory as we are already home to the country 's biggest car manufacturer, Europe 's largest research centre, the UK 's only battery industrialisation centre, and a world-leading supply chain.
“By announcing the site now and driving forward with a planning application and a joint venture, we are showing how united and serious the region is about making this happen.
“The next step is to submit the case to government to win the funding required, and discussions are already well underway with the UK 's leading car makers and battery suppliers across the globe to put together the strongest bid possible. I will not rest until the West Midlands has the gigafactory it needs. ”
Henrietta Brealey, chief strategy officer at the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce said: “Car manufacturing is part of the region 's DNA. These ambitious plans, coupled with recent announcements in further investment in electric vehicle production, are a welcome show of how it can stay at the forefront of this industry as it undergoes this seismic shift to electric. “
Pictured: The gigafactory site