Agratas battery manufacturing facility near Bridgwater

Agratas has confirmed our phased appointment as the official delivery partner for Building One of its state-of-the-art battery manufacturing facility in Somerset.

The multi-billion-pound facility near Bridgwater is set to be the biggest of its kind in the UK and by the early 2030s will contribute almost half of the projected battery manufacturing capacity required for the UK automotive sector.  

Construction delivery is in three phases.  Building One comprises the design and construction of a new lithium-ion battery facility, ancillary buildings and site wide external works.  

Work began recently on the steel erection, marking the start of superstructure works for the project. Steel installation will now progress over the footprint of the main building before the focus moves to the ancillary buildings and the following cladding and roofing works.

 

Construction update

January – April 2026  

Construction at Agratas is evolving rapidly with significant progress made on the superstructure of the main building and works progressing on the ancillary buildings. Improvements to the site access, services and temporary services have now largely been completed to cater for increasing numbers of operatives, vehicles and deliveries. Personnel number in this next reporting period till April 2026 will increase to circa 800 at peak. Works in this period will consist of:

  • Stormwater rhymes and settlement infrastructure for stormwater management
  • Groundworks including slab preparation, pile caps, 
  • Installation of Foul and Effluent tanks
  • Steel Frame erection continues to Building 1 to enable low-level lean-to structures around perimeter and secondary steel within and cladding rails to the perimeter
  • Steel Frame erection continues and commencement of remaining ancillary buildings 
  • Concrete mezzanine floor continuing with ground preparation for the ground floor slab
  • Ground Floor Slab commencement to Building 1
  • Main cladding and roofing works recommencement in Q1 through reporting period to Q3
  • Offsite Mechanical and Electrical modules and long lead equipment continue to be procured for later delivery into Q2 2026
  • Procurement remains a focus for internal fitout alongside completion of design detailing
  • Construction offices / welfare continues to be developed ahead of Q1 2026 use, interim solution has been enlarged to cater for current workforce allowing progression to new facilities

Supply Chain Portal launch

November saw the launch of Sir Robert McAlpine's Supply Chain web portal, where businesses can complete an Expression of Interest form and email Supply Chain directly, to apply for future work packages available on the Agratas site. 

As an Agratas follow up event, the Portal was showcased at both Somerset & Sedgemoor Chamber of Commerce Events, where we walked their members through the portal informing them of how to register their EOI.

Thank you to Roger Smith, David Crew & Nick Cooper for all their support in the launch of the Portal.

Site Location

  • Contact our team

    Community information or enquiries:  

    Community line - 0333 566 1122 or email  agratas.community@srm.com   

    Supply chain enquiries: agratassupplier@srm.com  

     

    Site working hours

    Monday – Friday: (07:00 – 19:00) 
    Saturdays – (07:00 -18:00)
    Sunday – (10:00 - 17:00)

  • Supply Chain portal

    If you are interested in playing a key part in a technically challenging and nationally significant project that will help accelerate the UK transition to net zero, then Agratas is the project for you. Please register your interest.

    Find out more

Social Value

The project’s Social Return on Investment (SROI) is a result of local employment, charity work, education talks and work experience programmes. Since the start of work on site we have been working towards delivering the following to contribute to the SROI: 

  • Work placements 
  • Local jobs 
  • Careers information, advice & guidance 
  • Qualifications whilst working on site 
  • Educational programmes 
  • Volunteering time in the community 
  • Green skills training  

We look to maximise social value on all of our projects to leave a positive lasting legacy within the communities we work with. At Agratas, this includes supporting both educational initiatives and businesses through partnerships locally within Sedgemoor, the wider county and the South West.  

Christmas Jumper Day and Food Bank Fundraising

The Agratas site team delivered an incredible amount of food to the Bridgwater Food Bank, to support the local community this Christmas. A huge effort has been made with Agratas, Sir Robert McAlpine, TClarke, Toureen Group, NG Bailey, Leather & Lace Caterers, Severfield & Churngold Construction Ltd all taking part in raising funds for both the Food Bank & 'Christmas Jumper Day' raising over £1,800.00 in cash donations + more food!

Bridgwater Food Bank  were amazed by the size of the donations and sent a huge thank you to all involved and stated what a huge impact this will make on the Bridgwater community.

Well done everyone involved, an incredible effort, Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year.

 

November 2025 STEM Activity

Our school engagement continues with Agratas and Graphic Science engaging in STEM activities locally.

A follow up session from watching the Agratas drone being flown, to the students now mapping out a flight path and flying smaller drones in their groups, in Puriton's Sport Hall.  An excellent session with 'GeoConnected' who supplied and delivered the fun drone activity, through their local STEM delivery business.

 

May 2025 STEM Activity

Sir Robert McAlpine and Agratas partnered with Somerset Sustainable Futures on a project which provided a group of Year Eight pupils with an insight into sustainability and green skills within the construction and manufacturing sectors.  

The students were given an overview of construction on the development, in part through drone footage showing the scale of the site, which they found very interesting.  

We are looking to build on the success of this initial event over the next 18 months with a further five sessions planned to help embed the STEM learning programme, informing and inspiring pupils at local schools, with a focus on green skills and career opportunities.

Successful supplier engagement day for Agratas

To maximise supply chain opportunities for local business, we have already held two ‘Meet the Supplier’ events. This was followed by an open meeting with Constructionline, an online platform that connects buyers and suppliers in the sector, to help local businesses understand the process of tendering in the construction industry.  This was met with positive feedback and resulted in the establishment of a dedicated email for supplier enquiries, monitored by our Procurement Manager. The next step in our commitment to local businesses will see the launch of a supply chain portal which will allow firms to engage directly with our supply chain throughout the build.

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