Plans to build an EV battery gigafactory at Coventry Airport have been unveiled.
Coventry City Council will enter a Joint Venture partnership with Coventry Airport to develop proposals for the facility which could attract up to £2bn of investment and create more than 4000 jobs.
The Joint Venture is set to be approved by Coventry City Council’s Cabinet at a meeting this month and the partners are due to submit an outline planning application for the gigafactory in 2021.
Subject to successful discussions with battery suppliers and automotive manufacturers to secure the necessary long-term investment, the site could be operational by 2025.
Coventry Airport can accommodate up to 4.5m sq ft of commercial space, making use of the large areas of hard standing and existing development.
The West Midlands Combined Authority, which is led by the West Midlands Mayor and comprises the region’s seven urban councils, has formally endorsed Coventry Airport as the preferred site for a gigafactory.
Also the UK Government has made up to £500m in funding available for a new gigafactory which the project will bid for “in due course”.
Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, sai: “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.
“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 (Jaguar Land Rover), 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.”
