ISG appointed construction partner for Britishvolt battery gigaplant in the UK
Britishvolt, the UKโs foremost investor in battery technologies, has appointed global specialist ISG to lead construction on the UKโs first battery gigaplant.
The new gigaplant will be sited in Blyth, Northumberland, with construction planned to commence in Summer 2021. The result of ยฃ2.6bn investment, it will begin producing world-class lithium-ion batteries for the automotive and renewable energy industries at the end of 2023. Construction of further phases will continue until the end of 2027.
ISG has a 30-year legacy of large-scale global production projects. It has recently delivered over ยฃ2.5bn worth of data centre projects and ยฃ750M of logistics and distribution centres across the globe. It is also currently working two flagship schemes in London: University Collegeโs ยฃ280M neuroscience hub and the Oak Cancer Centre at the Royal Marsden Hospital.
Britishvolt CEO, Orral Nadjariย โWeโre delighted to have engaged ISG as the construction partner for our Blyth gigaplant. Its long expertise of delivering global projects will be crucial to meeting our exacting standards and tight timeframe.
โEspecially key is that ISGโs frontline team delivered Jaguar Land Roverโs production facility in Nitra, Slovakia, giving Britishvolt hugely relevant and recent experience in delivering large-scale projects such as ours.
โOur gigaplant project is now on track in every key area: construction, product development, funding and a high-level of customer engagement for our world-class lithium-ion batteries. We will be production ready at the end of 2023. Itโs essential that we are ready to power the future as quickly as possible.โ
ISG CEO, Paul Cossellย โThis landmark project to build the UKโs first gigaplant is one of the most visible signs that we are confidently stepping up to meet the challenge of new zero emissions by 2050 and closely aligned with the governmentโs key commitment to cease petrol and diesel car manufacturing by 2030. The construction phase alone will directly support thousands of jobs in the North East and create a wealth of training and upskilling opportunities for local communities. The legacy of this major investment will benefit the region for generations to come.โ
The gigaplant is being designed by leading Italian design experts Pininfarina. It will be built on a 95-hectare site, formerly the site of the Blyth Power Station. It will exclusively use renewable energy, including the potential to use hydro-electric power generated in Norway and transmitted 447 miles under the North Sea via the worldโs longest inter-connector from the North Sea Link project.
