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Steel frame creating Sunderland gigafactory
Celebrating the first phase of work at the new Sunderland gigafactory, a traditional Japanese ceremony has been held, with AESC CEO Shoichi Matsumoto tightening the bolt on one the building’s first columns.
The ceremony also marked a decade of EV battery production on Wearside with the first electric vehicle battery built back in 2012, to support production of the first-generation Nissan LEAF.
Wates Group is constructing the new steel-framed gigafactory in Sunderland, for Envision AESC – a world-leading Japanese electric vehicle battery technology company.
The project – the largest by single value in Wates’ 125-year history – is AESC’s second Sunderland battery plant. It will have a capacity of 12 GWh and will employ more than a 1,000 people when operational in 2025. It will be powered by 100% net zero carbon energy, aligning with the company’s global commitment to sustainability.
Severfield is fabricating, supplying and erecting the steelwork for the state-of-the-art facility, which will produce AESC’s latest generation batteries.
It forms part of a wider £1bn partnership with Nissan and Sunderland City Council to create EV36Zero, an electric vehicle hub supporting next generation EV production and accelerating the transition to net zero carbon mobility.