Massive new Coventry campus targets 60GWh battery output

Known as Greenpower Park - The UK Centre of Electrification and Clean Energy - the development is a joint venture between Coventry City Council and Coventry Airport. The campus will be sited next to the airport in south Coventry, adjacent to the existing UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC).

Greenpower Park will be centred around a lithium-ion Gigafactory anchor tenant, the identity of which is yet to be confirmed. The partners are said to be in talks with several potential companies, including leading Chinese battery manufacturers.

Alongside the Gigafactory, the campus will also seek to attract and host advanced battery research, industrialisation, manufacturing, testing, recycling and electrified logistics. The development has been endorsed by nine local universities and will benefit from pre-approved planning permission and a package of financial incentives. According to Coventry City Council, the project is targeting inward investment of £2.5bn and the creation of 6,000 ‘highly skilled’ jobs. 

"This ambitious initiative is not merely about setting the groundwork for the next generation of electric technologies and sustainable manufacturing practices,” said Coventry City Council’s Jim O'Boyle.

“It is a clarion call to the world that the UK is open for business, ready to lead the charge in the green industrial revolution. With its strategic location, unprecedented financial support, academic partnerships, a ready-made skilled workforce, and oven-ready plans to build Britain's biggest gigafactory, Greenpower Park is poised to become the cornerstone of the UK's electrified future, driving forward our commitment to innovation, sustainability, and economic growth."

Despite its advanced technological base, the UK has been slow to capitalise on the rapidly growing battery market. Gigawatt-scale manufacturing facilities - vital to the health of the UK’s automotive sector as the EV market expands – are virtually non-existent, and several planned projects have encountered financial difficulties.

Seeking to buck that trend, the 60GWh West Midlands Gigafactory will produce batteries for around 600,000 EVs per year. A Gigafactory in Sunderland is also underway, targeting 15.8GWh per annum.