Huge EV battery plant to have 'uplift' in builders

The number of construction workers at the site of Britain's biggest electric vehicle (EV) battery factory is expected to increase in the coming months.

Up to 2,900 workers are expected at the Agratas plant near Bridgwater, Somerset, this autumn as the company said the first building was nearly water-tight and internal fit-out could get under way.

Meanwhile, Tata Group and Agratas Chairman, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, has visited the site days after Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), also owned by Tata, announced it would cut 4,000 jobs - partly blamed on JLR's delayed transition to EVs.

The Somerset plant expects to start producing batteries in late-2027, initially for JLR vehicles.

A spokesperson for Agratas said: "The increase in the construction workforce reflects the changing nature of the work.

"As we move into this next phase, we will have a greater number of specialist trades working across the building to deliver the internal systems and infrastructure required for the facility.

"The site visit was an opportunity for our group chairman to see that progress first-hand as the project moves into this increasingly intensive phase of construction."

A recent update report to Somerset Council said there would be an "uplift" in workers from this autumn with 2,500 to 2,900 construction workers expected on site.

In June, a new construction company, TSL, was appointed to replace Sir Robert McAlpine.

Sir Robert McAlpine said it had "mutually agreed to part ways" with Agratas, having "successfully completed" the first phase of the battery manufacturing facility in Somerset.

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