Britishvolt gigaplant set for Siemens’ manufacturing tech

Britishvolt has entered into a collaboration agreement with Siemens to accelerate the development and production of lithium-ion batteries at the company’s gigaplant.
Siemens will give Britishvolt access to its automation, electrification solutions and Digital Twin manufacturing technology, which will simulate gigaplant production processes and flows.Siemens is providing Britishvolt also with design and simulation development tools that will help accelerate the time it takes for lithium-ion battery cells to go from laboratory to production at scale.

“Working with Siemens and utilising its global expertise in Digital Twin and simulation technologies will play a pivotal role in Britishvolt achieving its tight deadlines to begin producing world-class batteries, at scale, by the end of 2023,” said Britishvolt CEO, Orral Nadjari. “Being able to simulate production of lithium-ion batteries and cell development speeds up a complicated process and allows us to bring crucial batteries to market quicker. Working with…Siemens helps us stay firmly on course in our mission to build the UK’s first battery gigaplant.”

Carl Ennis, CEO Siemens GB and Ireland added: “This is an exciting and vital project to quickly ramp up availability at commercial scale of the batteries required by the electric vehicle market to help the UK reach its carbon net zero goals by 2050. In order to give manufacturers and end customers the confidence to switch to electric vehicles, we need to have this crucial part of the supply chain here in the UK.

“We are keen to start working with Britishvolt to get the Blyth site operational by 2023, supplying batteries and delivering crucial investment in the North East, helping to level up the UK economy.”

In December 2020 Britishvolt announced the selection of a site in Blyth, Northumberland to build Britain’s first battery gigaplant. The £2.6bn gigaplant will be built on a 95-hectare site that was formerly occupied by Blyth Power Station.

Britishvolt’s gigaplant is one of the largest industrial investments ever undertaken in the UK and the largest in North-East England since the 1980s. With construction due to begin this summer, Britishvolt remains on track to begin production of world-leading lithium-ion batteries in 2023.