- The next Government needs to take urgent action to attract
global battery manufacturers to the UK
- Securing battery cell supply is vital for the future of the
UK's competitiveness and economic success
- Demand for batteries extends beyond the automotive industry
alone with additional capacity required across electricity storage,
domestic residential and broader emobility sectors
- UK has specialist skills needed but requires investment to
harness them
- Media assets available here
COVENTRY, England, June 28,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Greenpower Park,
the UK's Centre of Electrification and Clean Energy, has called on
the next UK Government to accelerate domestic battery production to
attract further global battery manufacturers, as well as the
associated supply chain, to invest in the UK.
Securing battery cell supply in the UK today is as vital as
securing steel was in the 1940s and 50s. The UK urgently needs to
acquire a security of supply for battery cells to ensure the
country meets the massive power demands as the world transitions to
electric energy use and storage. It's a huge challenge and so
far, the UK is lagging behind many other global countries, such as
the US, France and Spain, when attracting multiple investors.
"This is not the first time the UK has faced a resource
crisis. We ramped up steel supply in the 1940s and 50s to build and
replace military and civil equipment and can draw a parallel from
this with battery cell demands today. And if we act now, we
can still resolve the crisis", comments Richard Moore, Greenpower Park's Battery
Strategy Expert.
"The UK has got to get its head out of the sand if it thinks
it's going to hit its battery cell targets. The government
and stakeholders have been slow to react to battery cell supply
demands. If the next government doesn't take action, there will be
a major risk to the security of energy supply, which will leave the
nation in a perilous state."
Currently, the UK has one operational gigafactory - Envision
AESC - which is producing up to 6 GWh of battery capacity per year.
According to The Faraday Institution's 2022 gigafactory
report, to support the automotive industry alone, the UK will need
100 GWh per annum by 2030 and this is expected to double to 200 GWh
by 2040.
However, demand for batteries extends beyond the automotive
industry alone and battery capacity will be required across
electricity storage, domestic residential as well as broader
emobility sectors such as marine and aviation. This demand is
expected to grow exponentially in a similar time frame.
Cllr Jim O'Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and
Climate Change at Coventry City Council said, "The current
Government has made some progress, but we need the next Government
to go even further to accelerate the UK's growing battery sector.
From automotive to energy storage, there is an urgent need to
secure global battery manufacturers along with the associated
supply chain to meet the growing demand for electrification in the
UK.
Electrification, across all sectors, is of strategic
importance for the UK and it needs to be part of the next
Government's broader industrial strategy which will ensure that
potential investors consider the UK in the future."
Greenpower Park is based in the electrification skills capital
of the UK, adjacent to the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre, and
within an established network of more than 315 higher, further and
vocational educational institutions.
The West Midlands is rapidly
becoming the centre of cell and battery research and development in
the UK. With access to 800,000 highly-skilled people, the UK
battery industry's workforce is on its doorstep. In addition, the
UK Greenpower Park has the strongest pipeline of future talent in
the country with more than 210,000 students studying relevant
degrees in universities across the West
Midlands.
Based on the border of Coventry
and Warwickshire, Greenpower Park
is the only site in the UK that sits within an investment zone
which offers significant tax incentives for investors; it has
planning permission for a large-scale battery manufacturing
facility and has confirmed customer interest from a handful of
global battery manufacturers.
Located within the West Midlands Investment Zone, Greenpower
Park, including the West Midlands Gigafactory, can offer
significant tax incentives and breaks for investors for up to 10
years, including stamp duty, land tax relief, business rate relief
on newly occupied premises and national insurance contributions for
new jobs created. In addition, there will be support available to
develop the supply chain and skills as well as innovation and
R&D for electrification and clean energy.
Perfectly placed as a pioneering centre of excellence for
battery technology and manufacturing, the Coventry site is the only available site in
the UK with planning permission already in place for a large-scale
battery production facility with capacity for up to 60GWh per
annum, enough to power 600,000 electric vehicles, like this
one.
The site is located at the heart of the UK's manufacturing
industry in the West Midlands with
access to world-class skills, talent and supply chain capabilities
in the region. It benefits from a strong transport infrastructure
for the future Gigafactory's logistics requirements, supply chain
and access for up to 6,000 employees.
As the electrification revolution represents the largest shift
in industrial skills for the UK in a generation, the UK Centre of
Electrification and Clean Energy, including the West Midlands
Gigafactory, is ideally situated to be a catalyst to strengthen the
region's high-value skills and research credentials as part of the
UK Government's West Midlands Investment Zone.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Media contact: media@greenpowerpark.co.uk
About Greenpower Park
Located at the heart of the UK's manufacturing industry, the
Greenpower Park is a trailblazing centre of excellence for
electrification, battery technology and manufacturing. With the
West Midlands Gigafactory as its anchor tenant, it has unrivalled
access to the most highly skilled workforce in the
country.
This ground-breaking location is the first of its kind, offering
an all-in-one solution for battery research, industrialisation,
manufacturing, testing, recycling and electrified logistics
designed to foster the UK's growing battery ecosystem.
The Greenpower Park in Coventry
sits within the West Midlands Investment Zone which is focused on
Advanced Manufacturing, providing significant tax incentives and
breaks for investors and it has outline planning permission for a
Gigafactory.
Greenpower Park is part of a public private joint venture
agreement between Coventry City Council and Coventry Airport Ltd.
It has support from a unique alliance of West Midlands industrial groups, local
government, and academic institutions. This alliance includes the
West Midlands Combined Authority, Warwick District Council,
Warwickshire County Council, Rugby Council, Warwick Manufacturing
Group at University of Warwick,
Coventry University, and the
Manufacturing Technology Centre.
Logo -
https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2372587/4616105/GPP_Master_Logo.jpg
View original
content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/greenpower-park-calls-on-next-government-to-boost-uk-battery-industry-with-support-to-attract-vital-overseas-investment-302184822.html
SOURCE Greenpower Park