Infrastructure giant Costain has been awarded a contract worth £100m to carry out the works
Costain has been appointed to deliver the new M5 gigafactory junction(Image: costain)
A new junction is to be built on the M5 to provide “critical” access to the site of a gigafactory in Somerset, it has been announced. Infrastructure giant Costain has been awarded a £100m contract to carry out the works over a five-year period.
Junction 22A is being built between Burnham-On-Sea and Bridgwater, and will link to the Gravity Smart Campus – a enterprise site between Puriton and Woolavington that is larger than Monaco – where Tata-owned Agratas is constructing its £4bn plant.
The gigafactory is expected to enter operations next year and will initially provide electric vehicle batteries for Tata Motors and Jaguar Land Rover, which are both part of the Tata Group. The plant has the potential to cater for up to 40 per cent of the UK’s domestic electric vehicle battery needs.
Construction of the plant is expected to peak this year, with 2,000 workers on site at Gravity. Agratas has said around 1,500 jobs will be created when its gigafactory initially opens in 2027, with 4,000 more roles expected as the business expands across the site.
The new M5 motorway junction will provide a connection to the site, and will consist of north-facing slip roads that will alleviate congestion on the motorway south of the Huntspill river, according to the developers.
Costain’s role as the project’s delivery integration partner and main works contractor will see it design and construct the new junction before handing it over to National Highways on completion.
In its role, Costain will provide a range of infrastructure services, including design, engineering, programme delivery and supply chain management. Global engineering firm WSP will support Costain as design partner.
Alex Vaughan, chief executive of Costain, said: “This award is built on our long-established highways delivery expertise and trusted partner relationship with National Highways.
“We will work closely with our supply chain partners to design and deliver this new junction that will provide access to the new gigafactory and help to drive economic growth in this region of the UK.
“This investment, supporting the UK’s growth ambitions, is another example of Costain’s commitment to deliver critical national infrastructure programmes that improve people’s lives.”
Costain is a long-term partner to National Highways and last year completed the construction of 41 emergency areas on the M1.
