Building of EV battery factory reaches 'milestone'

The company says the steel is all sourced from UK suppliers

Bosses behind the UK's biggest electric vehicle (EV) battery plant said they had reached a "major milestone" in its construction.

The first steel frames on the site at Puriton, near Bridgwater, Somerset, are now in place.

Agratas, Tata Group's global battery business, is investing £4bn in the former Royal Ordnance Factory site just off junction 23 of the M5.

Construction is expected to take two years, with about 500 people on site by the end of 2025, and going up to 2,000 in 2026.

Up to 2,000 people are expected to work on the construction phase of the factory

The company said the steel structure was being erected in phases, with the build beginning at the north of the site.

It is the start of more visible construction work on the site and comes after 17,000 piles were driven down into the ground to stabilise the building's foundations.

Agratas said all the steel used for the build was being sourced from British suppliers.

Earl Wiggins, vice president of manufacturing operations at Agratas, said it was "a proud moment".

"It is the start of a new chapter where our vision for a world-leading facility starts to visibly take shape," Mr Wiggins said.

An artist's impression of what the main factory building will look like

The company has promised to use sound-reduced equipment, electric plant if possible, and said no cutting or grinding works will take place on Sundays, to try and minimise the impact on local residents.

Bosses revealed in April that the main building will now be 84 metres (279 ft) shorter than originally proposed, and the first factory building will not open until 2027 - a year later than previously anticipated.

Agratas said 1,500 operational jobs would be created when it opens in 2027, with 4,000 jobs on offer once they expand across the whole site.