Automotive giant Nissan has played down reports that it is about to announce a massive increase in battery production at its Sunderland plant, with the creation of thousands of jobs.
Reports have emerged that the firm could be about to create around 2,000 new jobs, with thousands more in the supply chain, with the expansion of battery production on Wearside and possibly the launch of a new electric model.
But the company has distanced itself from the reports, saying it has “no further plans to announce at this time”.
Nissan has been at the forefront of the switch towards electric vehicles in recent years, with the Leaf model produced at its Sunderland plant one of the most popular electric cars on the market.
The Journal reported last year that a feasibility study into the creation of a gigafactory at Sunderland had been launched with funding from the Government’s Automotive Transformation Fund.
Similar reports that the company was close to an announcement surfaced last month.
A Nissan spokesman said: “Having established EV and battery production in the UK in 2013 for the Nissan Leaf, our Sunderland plant has played a pioneering role in developing the electric vehicle market.
“As previously announced, we will continue to electrify our line-up as part of our global journey towards carbon neutrality, however we have no further plans to announce at this time.”
Nissan currently gets batteries for the Leaf models produced at Sunderland from the nearby Envision AESC plant, which it set up as a joint venture before selling to a Chinese firm in 2019.
Car manufacturers like Nissan are under pressure to find increased supplies of batteries to meet Government deadlines on the phasing out of petrol and diesel engines, and the terms of the post-Brexit trade agreement.
Start-up firm Britishvolt is hoping to cash in on that demand with plans for a battery ‘gigafactory’ on land at Cambois, near Blyth.
