Tesla’s CEO is reported to have paid a visit to the UK last week, with the possible aim of considering a site for a new factory or research and development centre – which could be near Burnham-On-Sea.
In recent days, several national newspapers have hinted that Tesla is looking for a place for its new ‘Gigafactory’ in the UK.
According to the press, the 635-acre Gravity industrial park on the site of the former Royal Ordnance Factory site outside Woolavington is one of the possible location for a Tesla factory under consideration.
Property Week, a magazine that reports on the commercial and residential property market, says the British government is looking for an industrial site for a car maker to build an R&D and manufacturing plant.
Burnham’s MP James Heappey has welcomed the reports in a post on social media.
“Sedgemoor District Council and Somerset County Council have done amazing things in using Hinkley construction to catalyse the development of Sedgemoor as a centre for clean tech manufacturing,” he said.
“The Gravity site already has some really exciting companies interested. But safe to say that if Tesla were to come it would be game-changing for Somerset,” added Mr Heappey.
A Department for International Trade (DIT) spokesperson says: “The government is working with industry to help make the UK the location of choice to develop world-class electric technologies. DIT is working closely with partners to scope out sites for new investment into electric vehicle research, development, and manufacturing across the UK.”
Tesla is currently experiencing a massive expansion in Europe with its first full-fledged Giga Berlin plant and a new R&D centre in Berlin. According to Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk, before Tesla chose Germany as a location for the factory, the company considered UK.
In early May, Tesla also submitted a document to relevant authorities in order to become an energy supplier in the UK. Musk previously stated that Tesla Energy could be as large or even larger than the car sector of the company, so perhaps the company is looking for a location in the UK to develop in this direction.
