Britishvolt spells out ambitious plans to Chamber's global members

(Left to right) John McCabe, chief executive of the North East England Chamber of Commerce; Peter Snaith, partner, Womble Bond Dickinson; Lesley Moody, president of the North East England Chamber of Commerce; and Liam Wilson, project assembly manager at Britishvolt.

More than 100 export and import businesspeople attended the North East England Chamber of Commerce annual Global members lunch.

The event was an opportunity for the Chamber members in the international trade community to meet with like-minded businesses based in the North East.

The £2.6bn Britishvolt plant in Cambois will be the largest single industrial investment in the North East since the arrival of Nissan, producing enough batteries for 300,000 electric vehicles (EVs) every year.

Lesley Moody, chamber president (AES Digital Solutions), said: “Britishvolt’s vision for not just Blyth but our whole region is fantastic and looks set to create such a substantial number of high quality jobs.

"We are also so pleased to hear about all the company’s work in the local community and how they can access employment opportunities which will be so transformative.

"Sustainability is at the heart of this business and it is going to blaze a trail for the next generation of electrical battery technology.”

Liam Wilson, project assembly manager at Britishvolt, said: “Britishvolt is a business with environmental, social and governance built in from the ground up.

“We have started from a blank piece of paper and are re-imagining how battery cells are produced, with lowest environmental impact and highest positive societal impact.

"As a local lad, I joined Britishvolt to truly make a difference with a company that shares my own values.

"I have been in the EV industry for around 10 years and understand that, for the business to really work, you need low carbon, sustainable, domestically and responsibly produced battery cells. Just like the ones Britishvolt will make.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Northumberland, the country and the planet.

"As one of the biggest battery Gigaplants in Europe, the size of 50 full-sized football pitches, batteries made in Northumberland will help hasten the UK’s energy transition from fossil fuels to low carbon, renewable electricity.

"This factory will be a real game-changer in British energy.

“Our site in Cambois is a natural treasure and we want to address the skills gap.

"We recently created the BV FutureGen Foundation which will help future proof employment prospects through education for long term opportunities in the local area and wider region.”