Nissan reportedly in talks for creation of new gigafactory in Sunderland

A Japanese car manufacturer is reportedly in talks to create a new electric car battery gigafactory in Sunderland.

A report from the Financial Times said that three people involved in the project shared that the new factory, which would be on Nissan’s existing Sunderland site, would support thousands of jobs and produce 200,000 batteries each year.

If the plans go ahead, the new factory would be run by Nissan’s battery manufacturer Envision AESC.

Nissan has not yet confirmed the plans, but said that it is aiming to “electrify” its line-up.

In a statement responding to the story, Nissan said: “Having established EV [electric vehicle] 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.”

A spokesman for the government’s business department also declined to comment on the details, but added: “We are dedicated to securing gigafactories, and continue to work closely with investors and vehicle manufacturers to progress plans to mass produce batteries in the UK.”