Coventry’s Greenpower Park calls on government to boost battery production

Greenpower Park in Coventry has called on the next UK government to accelerate domestic battery production, attracting further global battery manufacturers, as well as the associated supply chain, to invest in the UK.

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, says the park.

It’s a huge challenge – and so far, the UK is lagging behind many other global countries, such as the US, France and Spain, when attracting multiple investors.

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.”

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 this is expected to double to 200 GWh by 2040.

However, demand for batteries extends beyond the automotive industry alone, and battery capacity will be required across electricity storage, domestic residential as well as broader emobility sectors such as marine and aviation.

This demand is expected to grow exponentially in a similar time frame. 

Cllr Jim O’Boyle, cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change at Coventry City Council, added: “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.”

The West Midlands is rapidly becoming a centre of cell and battery research and development in the UK, with 800,000 highly skilled workers on its doorstep.

Greenpower Park says its Coventry site is the only available site in the UK with planning permission already in place for a large-scale battery production facility with capacity for up to 60GWh per annum – enough to power 600,000 electric vehicles.