Economy and Skills

Gravity Enterprise Zone and Agratas battery cell facility

The 616-acre Enterprise Zone located between the villages of Puriton and Woolavington, just off Junction 23 of the M5 motorway, was previously home to the Royal Ordnance Factory. The site has been designated as a strategic location for economic growth and a transformational opportunity for the county’s economy, with the potential to long-term skilled jobs. The Local Development Order for the Gravity Smart Campus was formally adopted by the Council in 2022.

In 2024, it was announced that Agratas (a new company within the Tata Group) will build a facility producing battery cells for electric vehicles at the site. The Agratas facility will take up roughly half of the site and is expected to see around £4bn investment in the site, with the potential create up to 4,000 direct new jobs and thousands more in the supply chain The construction will be completed by Agratas in phases, with production expected to begin in 2026. The facility will eventually produce 40 Gigawatt hours of battery cells annually, enough to supply approximately 500,000 passenger vehicles. A key part of the Council’s role and investment in the project is skills development, to make sure that as many of those jobs as possible stay local.

Hinkley Point C

Hinkley Point C, the project to build a new nuclear power station in Somerset, is one of the UK’s biggest actions on climate change. Once completed, it will help the country avoid the emission of around 9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, which is the same as removing 4 million cars from the road. The project has been carefully planned to maximise opportunities for local people. This is helping increase prosperity in parts of Somerset which have historically lagged behind the rest of England. Millions of pounds are being invested in Somerset West and Taunton, with more than 350 businesses now involved in the supply chain, which is enabling many to grow in size. Hundreds of people have been supported into work, via the project’s five employment hubs and the Hinkley Job Service.

The project will also soon beat the initial target of training 1,000 apprentices. More than £8 million has also been invested into three “Centres of Excellence” in Bridgwater, where people will receive training in welding, electrics, and mechanics. Many development programmes, including T-levels, are open to local people with no prior training, unlocking routes to working at Hinkley Point C and beyond. As the project moves into the new phase of construction, which will see pipes and cables being installed across the site, around 4,000 extra jobs will be created. Many will be made accessible to local people, helping them start new careers and learn lifelong skills.

Read more about the socio-economic impacts of Hinkley Point C here: Realising the socio-economic benefits | Hinkley Point C | EDF (edfenergy.com)

Aerospace and aviation

Somerset is home to Leonardo UK Ltd, based in Yeovil. The helicopter manufacturer is also a key partner in the newly opened £10m iAero aerospace innovation centre. Leonardo is one of the UK’s leading aerospace companies and one of the UK’s biggest suppliers of Defence and Security equipment to the MoD. It employs around 3,100 people at its Yeovil premises.

Squibbers Way

An award-winning new £18.4m link road in Bridgwater was opened in spectacular style, drawing on the town’s Carnival traditions. The road name Squibbers Way was chosen by residents and opening night saw squibbers –skilled people holding giant fireworks - setting off a sparkling display to mark the occasion.