Nissan reportedly in talks to build battery plant in the UK

Nissan is reportedly in the advanced phase of talks to build its battery factory in the U.K. the Japanese carmaker is aiming to set up a massive plant for the production of electric car batteries.

Nissan’s gigafactory to rise in the UK

The Financial Times reported that Nissan chose the United Kingdom to be its main hub for EVs outside Japan. While it was said that the company could not directly confirm this information, the British government previously said that it is committed and would like to attract battery factories but did not specifically mention any business with Nissan.

It was shared that Nissan’s factory is likely to be constructed in Sunderland, England, where the company already has facilities for Nissan Leaf, the best-selling electric model in Europe. It will be an extensive electric hub that is said to have the capacity to produce at least 200,000 EV batteries per year.

Apparently, if the alleged talks between the Japanese automaker and the UK government will be fruitful and plans will proceed as hoped, Nissan will be able to create thousands of jobs for the locals there. This will be the company’s biggest EV production hub to be built outside of its home country. Most probably, this will be Britain’s largest as well.

Details of Nissan’s UK business after Brexit

In any case, the talks reportedly started following the Brexit deal with the EU, so Nissan may possibly be making an official announcement in the summer. It was added that for the gigafactory project, the carmaker is looking for financial support from the UK government, as per BBC News.

A spokesperson for Britain’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) stated the government is determined to make the UK home for EV battery mass production. Thus, Nissan is likely to get the extra funding it needs to set up the facility.

"We are committed to ensuring the UK continues to be one of the best locations in the world for automotive manufacturing through a major investment program to electrify our supply chain, create jobs and secure a competitive future for the sector," the BEIS spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, it was clarified that at this point, the Nissan battery factory is not yet a done deal. It was reported that the government is also in talks with other firms and not just Nissan for the building of gigafactories.