New Delhi, Jul 19 (IANS): Tata Sons on Wednesday announced plans to establish a global battery cell gigafactory in the UK with a capacity to produce 40GW of cells annually.

This investment of over 4 billion pounds is an integral part of Tata Group's commitment to electric mobility and renewable energy storage solutions and establishes a competitive green tech ecosystem in the UK at scale.

N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons, said, "The Tata Group is deeply committed to a sustainable future across all of our business. Today, I am delighted to announce the Tata Group will be setting up one of Europe's largest battery cell manufacturing facilities in the UK.

"Our multi-billion pound investment will bring state-of-the-art technology to the country, helping to power the automotive sector's transition to electric mobility, anchored by our own business, Jaguar Land Rover. With this strategic investment, the Tata Group further strengthens its commitment to the UK, alongside our many companies operating here across technology, consumer, hospitality, steel, chemicals, and automotive."

Commenting about the announcement of the UK gigafactory, UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said, "Tata Group's decision to build their new gigafactory here in the UK -- their first outside of India -- is a huge vote of confidence in Britain. This will be one of the largest ever investments in the UK automotive sector. It will not only create thousands of skilled jobs for Britons around the country, but it will also strengthen our lead in the global transition to electric vehicles, helping to grow our economy in clean industries of the future."

The battery gigafactory will produce high-quality, high-performance, sustainable battery cells and packs for a variety of applications within the mobility and energy sectors.

The company's strategic growth plans for its flexible manufacturing capacity will begin with a rapid ramp-up phase and the start of production in 2026.

The gigafactory intends to maximise its renewable energy mix, with an ambition for 100 per cent clean power. The plant will employ innovative technologies and resource efficient processes like battery recycling to recover and reuse all the original raw materials to deliver a truly circular economy ecosystem.