Plans to put UK at centre of the green industrial revolution take major step forward

By Nicky Godding

28 March 2024

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Britain's green industrial revolution ambitions have taken a significant leap forward with the launch of Greenpower Park - the UK Centre of Electrification and Clean Energy.

With the West Midlands Gigafactory as its anchor tenant, the ambitious project, designed to foster world-leading collaborations between industry, major academic institutions and stakeholders to drive the UK's ambitions in leading the transition to a cleaner, more sustainable energy future, has unveiled plans to create an end-to-end electrification and clean energy ecosystem at its Greenpower Park campus in Coventry - the only site in the UK with approved plans for a large-scale battery production facility with capacity for up to 60GWh - enough to power 600,000 electric vehicles and benefiting significant incentives associated with investment zone status.

Combining endorsement from nine local universities and a local business sector rapidly establishing itself as a leader in electrification and clean energy, the Greenpower Park campus will support the development of new businesses and manufacturing facilities with a unique package of incentives, combining investment zone status, approved planning permission and an unprecedented regional incentives package to kick start development.

With a strategic focus on electrification technology development and manufacturing, the centre aims to attract an unprecedented inward investment of £2.5 billion - creating 6,000 highly skilled jobs and placing the UK at the forefront of critical clean energy technologies - and is already attracting keen interest, with a number of Asian battery manufacturers actively considering moving to the site.

Located at the heart of the UK’s manufacturing powerbase, and with official approval already secured for a gigafactory with enough capacity to power 600,000 electric vehicles - the initiative will help establish the UK as a strategic centre for vital electrification and clean energy technologies.

Capitalising on a future workforce of over 210,000 local students enrolled in relevant degrees and vocational courses to meet the electrification sector's needs, the project’s backers believe that Greenpower Park’s launch will prove a pivotal moment in the UK's transition to an electrified economy, as well as a significant leap forward in battery technology development and sustainable manufacturing practices.

Cllr Jim O’Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change at Coventry City Council, said: "In a decisive stride towards fortifying Britain’s position as a global leader in electrification innovation, the unveiling of Greenpower Park with the West Midlands Gigafactory marks a transformative moment for the nation's net zero landscape," said

"This ambitious initiative is not merely about setting the groundwork for the next generation of electric technologies and sustainable manufacturing practices. 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."

By Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe.

After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts.

She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.