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Wates to design and project manage £450m Nissan ‘gigafactory’ build

Artist’s impression of Envision AESC’s gigafactory (Image: Envision AESC)

Wates and Turner & Townsend have won a role to design and project manage the construction of a £450m car battery ‘gigafactory’ for Nissan and Sunderland City Council.

Envision AESC’s gigafactory at the International Advanced Manufacturing Park in Sunderland and South Tyneside is part of a £1bn partnership with Nissan UK and Sunderland City Council.

Wates will develop an adaptable design that provides the infrastructure to support battery production by 2024, alongside Turner & Townsend, which will act as the project manager and cost manager.

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Planning permission was granted in October for the gigafactory, which represents an initial 9GWh plant with potential future-phase investment by Envision AESC of £1.8bn. This will generate up to 25GWh, with potential on site for up to 35GWh. The project is expected to create up to 4,500 jobs.

Paul Chandler, executive managing director of Wates Construction Group, said: “We are constantly looking for a better way, using innovation, adaptability and collaboration to help us take on the challenge of making our sector more sustainable. This project, to design the Envision battery gigafactory, will be a vanguard for that, representing a huge opportunity to accelerate Envision and the UK government’s net zero ambitions.

“The project is also an essential piece of the puzzle in the government’s levelling up agenda, and we’re incredibly proud to be laying the foundations for sustainable growth in the region. There is enormous potential to bring about real change, creating a legacy for Sunderland and the North East, through the creation of new green jobs and inward investment.”

Daniel Granger, head of industrial and logistics EMEA for Turner & Townsend, added: “Battery technology and advanced manufacturing are driving the modernisation of the automotive industry and our acceleration to a net zero society. The race to supply the net zero economy is well and truly underway and companies will need to scale up quickly to keep pace with the growing demand for clean mobility.

“All eyes will be on Envision and its Sunderland plant to deliver a world-class facility that can compete in the international battery race.”