Envision AESC has submitted plans for a new £450m electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant in Sunderland.

Lat month, Envision AESC and Nissan unveiled plans to create thousands of new jobs in the region, through production of a new model electric vehicle and the creation of a new battery gigafactory.

The 9GWh-capacity plant forms part of a £1bn partnership with Nissan UK and Sunderland City Council to create an electric vehicle hub supporting next generation EV production, while also accelerating the transition to net zero carbon mobility.

Subject to planning permission, Envision AESC will invest £450m as part of the transformational project, creating 750 jobs while safeguarding 300 jobs from its existing Sunderland plant. Construction is due to begin in 2022 to support battery production in 2024, which will pave the way for potential future investment of £1.8bn on the site to generate 35GWh capacity and 4,500 new jobs through the supply chain.

The company’s existing Sunderland plant has been supplying batteries to Nissan for the Leaf electric vehicle for the last nine years. The new gigafactory will produce batteries to power more than 100,000 EVs annually, using new Gen5 battery cells with a third more energy density to improve range, efficiency and performance.

Envision AESC’s new factory will be its greenest to date, powered by 100% renewable energy and supported by a £80m microgrid being developed by Sunderland City Council.

Envision AESC UK managing director Chris Caygill said:

“Envision AESC runs the world’s best battery plants in terms of automation, productivity and quality. If planning permission is granted for this transformational project we will accelerate the transition to net zero carbon neutrality by providing state of the art batteries for 100,000 more electric vehicles a year and helping make EVs more affordable.

“It is down to the innovation and ingenuity of the highly skilled employees at our existing plant that we are able to take this next important step. Their remarkable achievements have supported our global ambition to make high performance, longer range, zero critical incident batteries for hundreds of thousands of motorists in the last decade.

“As we embark on the next stages of this journey, we’re proud to be partners with Nissan and Sunderland City Council leading a green industrial revolution to drive truly sustainable growth opportunities in the region for next generations.

“We look forward to what we can do together to push the boundaries of battery technology, investing in cutting edge technology and localising a growing supply base as part of a net zero electrification hub. The planning application follows a public consultation exercise with stakeholders and residents which received 80% positive support.”