Nissan to create thousands of jobs in UK in battery production expansion plan
Nissan is set to announce an expansion of its battery production in Sunderland which will create thousands of jobs for UK workers.
Nissan Motor Co Ltd.
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07:46 20/03/24
According to reports, it is likely that the company will also announce the launch of a brand new electric model.
The plan will create thousands of jobs both directly and in the supply chain around the country.
There is hope that the new plant will be producing batteries by 2024, when the numbers of UK-made components in UK-made cars is required to increase in order to keep to the terms of the government’s trade deal with the European Union (Nissan’s main market for the Sunderland-made cars).
The UK government is contributing to the cost of the plans which could amount to hundreds of millions, although it is unclear how much the government has invested in the project.
The government is also in talks with Vauxhall to secure production of electric vehicles at its Ellesmere Port plant.
Despite the fact that the UK produces roughly half of all electric cars built in Europe (according to data from the Transport and Environment group), the country risks being left behind due to lack of investment by UK manufacturers.
The Brussels-based group said that Nissan's expansion plans for Sunderland amounted to "a tiny fraction of the 474GWh of production at 17 sites across Europe for which funding has already been secured".