SUNDERLAND, (United Kingdom): Nissan launched plans Thursday for a vast battery gigafactory in northeastern England, where it will manufacture a new electric vehicle as companies and governments accelerate away from fossil-fuel cars.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed the post-Brexit investment totalling £1.0 billion ($1.4 billion, 1.2 billion euros) that is set to create an additional 6,200 jobs at Nissan's largest European factory as "a major vote of confidence in the UK".
Nissan's Chinese battery supplier Envision AESC will invest £450 million to build the battery plant that will be run on renewable energy and power up to 100,000 Nissan electric vehicles per year.
The plant, which will be built next to Nissan's car factory and an existing Envision-run battery facility in Sunderland, is seen as key to the UK's transition away from high-polluting fossil fuel vehicles.
The news comes after Nissan's French partner Renault this week unveiled plans for an Envision battery factory in France, as global carmakers race to meet booming demand for greener transport and governments target net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The Japanese auto giant is to spend up to £423 million on Britain's all-electric EV36Zero project, while Sunderland City Council will help to bring the total amount of investment up to £1.0 billion.
"This is a landmark day for Nissan, our partners, the UK and the automotive industry as a whole," said Nissan's Chief Operating Officer Ashwani Gupta, as he stood next to a line of newly-made Nissan vehicles awaiting their final inspections.
Nissan, which had previously warned that a no-deal Brexit would threaten its 35-year-old Sunderland factory, said the new investment represents 6,200 jobs at the Japanese group and its UK suppliers.
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