Greenpower Park calls for acceleration of battery production

West Midlands-based centre for electrification and green energy Greenpower Park has called on the next UK Government to accelerate domestic battery production.

Based on the border of Coventry and Warwickshire, the park sits within an investment zone which offers significant tax incentives for investors. It also has planning permission for a large-scale battery manufacturing facility and has confirmed customer interest from a handful of global battery manufacturers.

Securing battery cell supply in the UK today is “as vital as securing steel was in the 1940s and 50s”, the park said. 

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 said. 

Describing the “huge challenge”, it said the UK is lagging behind many other global countries, such as the US, France and Spain, when attracting multiple investors. 

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 200 GWh by 2040. 

Richard Moore, Greenpower Park’s Battery Strategy Expert, said:

“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”

“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.”

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.”

Image courtesy of Greenpower Park

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