Britishvolt has received planning permission to build a battery gigafactory in Northumberland, on the former Blyth Power Station coal stocking yard located in Cambois.

The approval, granted by the Northumberland county council on 6 July, was described as a “game changer” for the region and the industry. It enables Britishvolt to commence site works with plans to begin construction later in the year.

The £2.6 billion ($3.59 billion) investment will be built in three phases each of 10 gigawatt-hours starting in Q4 2023. Full capacity of 30 GWh is slated by end of 2027, when the gigafactory would produce up to 300,000 battery packs/year.

“It will be the first gigaplant in the UK – with a production capacity more than three times that of other recently announced schemes, all of which are only at early stages of design and planning,” Britishvolt says in a statement sent to Kallanish.

Northumberland’s council leader Glen Sanderson notes Britishvolt’s decision to invest in the area demonstrates what the county has to offer in terms of location, facilities, workforce and “an ambitious council.” He believes the gigafactory is another massive boost for Northumberland, complementing its offshore renewable energy strength.

Commenting on the “monumental moment for the UK,” Britishvolt’s president of operations, Graham Hoare, adds that “we are clearly at a tipping point on the roadmap to electrification, and the UK government has signalled that it wants UK plc at the vanguard of the next industrial revolution.”