Following the announcement last year the UK would be home to Tata Group’s first gigafactory outside India, the global battery unit, Agratas, said it would build a facility on the Gravity smart campus near Bridgwater, Somerset, in south west England.

"A significant land holding" had been acquired and the company would be first and primary occupier of the site.

The 40 GWh gigafactory was claimed to become the biggest battery facility in the country and, by the early 2030s, would contribute almost half of the projected battery manufacturing capacity required for the UK automotive sector.

The factory was expected to create up to 4,000 new jobs in the area with more in the UK supply chain.

Agratas CEO Tom Flack said: “Our multi billion pound investment will bring state of the art technology to Somerset, helping to supercharge Britian’s transition to electric mobility whilst creating thousands of jobs in the process."

Preliminary site works have started, with foundation piling set to start this spring.

Construction will be in phases with battery production scheduled in 2026.

JLR and Tata Motors will be the first battery customers but Agratas also plans to make batteries for other applications, including two-wheelers and commercial vehicles, plus commercial energy storage products.