Council welcomes huge investment planned for county
11 Dec 2020 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news
Northumberland County Council has welcomed news of a huge investment planned for the county.
Britishvolt, which specialises in battery technologies, has selected Cambois as the site of the UK’s first gigaplant. It aims to begin construction on the former Power Station site in Summer 2021 and begin production of lithium-ion batteries by the end of 2023.
The company says it will be employing up to 3,000 highly skilled people, producing over 300,000 lithium-ion batteries for the UK automotive industry by the final phase of production in 2027.
Up to 5,000 more jobs are expected from the wider supply chain. Total investment for Britishvolt’s gigaplant is £2.6bn, making it the largest industrial investment in the North East since Nissan’s arrival in 1984 and one of the largest-ever industrial investments in the UK.
Council leader Glen Sanderson said: “This is absolutely fantastic news for the local area, the wider county and the whole region.
“As a county we’re already at the forefront of the renewable energy industry and the decision by Britishvolt to choose Northumberland as the location for this gigaplant shows just what this county has to offer in terms of its location and more importantly its workforce.
“It’s a truly momentous day. This will not only be a huge economic boost, but should provide thousands of jobs for local people over the coming years.”
The Britishvolt gigaplant will be built on a 95-hectare site, formerly the site of the Blyth Power Station. It will use renewable energy, including the potential to use hydro-electric power generated in Norway and transmitted 447 miles under the North Sea via the world’s longest inter-connector from the North Sea Link project.
Council Chief Executive Daljit Lally said: “We really welcome this potential investment into Wansbeck and I look forward to seeing this exciting scheme progress.”
Local Member Councillor Jeff Gobin added: “I’m delighted such a huge investment is coming to our local area.
“We’ve a long and proud history of industry in this part of Northumberland and a factory and investment of this size will put us on the map once again for generations to come.”