Nissan expands Sunderland investment
The original EV36Zero plan that launched in 2021 featured funding from Nissan, battery production partner Envision AESC and Sunderland City Council. As well as the upgrades to the Nissan plant, the deal included a new Envision AESC battery gigafactory that will have an eventual annual capacity of 30GWh – enough to power around 100,000 EVs each year. That will sit alongside the existing 1.9GWh AESC gigafactory, which will also be upgraded under the plan.
There are no details yet on the new third gigafactory, but Nissan does note that both vehicle and battery manufacturing will be powered by the EV36Zero Microgrid, which incorporates wind and solar farms at the site to provide 100 per cent renewable electricity. That includes a new 20MW solar farm.
In total, the overall investment in the two new models, the third gigafactory and other infrastructure projects will be worth around £2 billion, according to Nissan – indicating significant investment from other partners in the project.
Nissan has also confirmed £15 million of UK Government funding for a £30 million collaborative project that it will lead. That is designed to strengthen the zero-emission expertise at the Nissan Technical Centre in Cranfield.
It is not clear if the UK government has invested directly in Nissan’s Sunderland plant, or whether it has offered other financial incentives. The government has used the announcement to launch a new Investment Zone for North East England that will focus on advanced manufacturing and ‘green’ industries.