Supplier Agratas sacks its main building contractor on the government-backed project amid a budget mismatch
Jaguar Land Rover faces the risk of delays to the first deliveries of electric car batteries from a 055.2bn government-backed factory in Somerset after construction problems.
The British carmaker is planning to rely on the Agratas factory in Bridgwater, Somerset , to supply the batteries for its new electric models. Agratas and JLR are owned by the Indian industrial conglomerate Tata.
The battery factory C only the second in the UK C is widely seen as a key step in the domestic car industrys transition away from fossil fuel-powered vehicles. The UK government in April promised 05380m in subsidies for the plant.
However, Agratas has terminated its main construction contractor, Sir Robert McAlpine (SRM), and replaced it with another, Tonroe Group Ltd (TSL). Agratas informed SRM that its services will not be required beyond the end of the month, giving only three weeks notice by letter.
When Tata initially announced the gigafactory in 2023 it had targeted a 2026 start date, before pushing it back to 2027. However, it is understood that the latest internal start date, of January 2028, is also likely to be missed.
Agratas has set a budget of about 05800m for the construction, but the actual cost is likely to exceed that by at least 05500m, according to a person with knowledge of the project. Agratas is also building a gigafactory in Sanand, western India. It is thought that Agratass Indian management pushed for costs in the UK to match its other project.
The budget mismatch has caused tensions as contractors, including SRM, tried to hit targets they saw as impossible to deliver, the person said. SRM was never under contract, but was working under a temporary arrangement, known as a letter of limited authority, for more than two years. SRM billed about 05400m during that time, without ever reaching a contractual agreement.
It is the second departure of a leading contractor after TClarke left in March amid reports of a strained relationship. The departures are likely to be noted by other companies in the supply chain, and may cause concern in government over the progress of a project it has backed heavily.
The new construction contractor, TSL, a privately owned business based in Buckinghamshire, will have to get up to speed quickly with the demanding requirements for the gigafactory. These include building facilities to handle dangerous electrolyte C the liquid through which lithium ions move inside car batteries to generate electricity C as well as constructing one of the largest clean rooms in Europe, with stringent humidity controls. TSLs main focus is in building datacentres, although it was also involved in constructing a battery factory for Swedens now bankrupt Northvolt .
However, several parts of the project are understood to be behind schedule. Agratas has not bought crucial parts to build a substation that will handle the electricity connection C equipment that can take two years or more to arrive. Work has not started on an important ring road, and the building itself is well behind schedule, with many milestones delayed owing to slowed purchasing decisions.
There has also been relatively high turnover of senior staff within Agratas in the UK, and some senior personnel have departed including its head of process engineering and its vice-president of global manufacturing engineering, while its vice-president of manufacturing operations will take early retirement in August.
Delays to the Agratas start of production could prove challenging for JLR, which will depend on its sister company for cells to power its new electric Jaguar and electric Land Rover models, including the already delayed electric Range Rover .
The JLR chief executive, PB Balaji, said in November: We are running against the clock on this one. It is stressed, but well do our best to reach there.
Delays could cause significant problems for JLR in its efforts to comply with the UKs electric car sales targets, known as the ZEV mandate. JLR executives have doubts about whether they can hit much higher targets in the next few years, potentially leaving them exposed to fines. Their warnings are thought to be a leading motivation for the UK governments decision to water down the mandate.
A lower ZEV mandate target could remove some of the time pressure for Agratas. However, JLR has also decided to sell more hybrids rather than battery models , which might also raise questions over future demand for batteries from Somerset.
A spokesperson for Agratas said it had determined that a different construction delivery model is needed to support the next phase of our development.
They added: Following a review of the projects requirements, we have decided to transition to a new construction partner. We thank our existing construction partner for their support to date.
This change reflects the evolving needs of the project, positioning us to deliver the next phase with the capability and focus required to meet our objectives safely, efficiently and on schedule.
A spokesperson for SRM said: Having successfully completed the first phase of Agratass battery manufacturing facility in Somerset, following extensive discussions, we have mutually agreed to part ways. We are now working closely with Agratas to support a smooth and orderly transition to a new construction partner.
JLR declined to comment.
因预算不符，供应商阿格拉塔斯在政府支持的项目中解雇了其主要建筑承包商
由于施工问题，捷豹路虎从萨默塞特郡一家政府支持的52亿英镑电池工厂首批交付的电动汽车电池面临延迟风险。
这家英国汽车制造商计划依靠位于萨默塞特郡布里奇沃特的阿格拉塔斯工厂为其新型电动车型供应电池。阿格拉塔斯与捷豹路虎（JLR）均隶属于印度工业巨头塔塔集团。
这座电池工厂（英国仅有的第二家）被普遍视为国内汽车行业摆脱化石燃料汽车转型的关键一步。英国政府于4月承诺为该工厂提供3.8亿英镑的补贴。
然而，阿格拉塔斯公司已终止与主要建筑承包商罗伯特·麦卡尔平爵士公司（SRM）的合作，并改由另一家公司托诺集团（TSL）接手。阿格拉塔斯通过信函通知SRM，其服务将于本月底终止，仅提前三周发出解约通知。
塔塔集团最初于2023年宣布建设超级工厂时，计划于2026年投产，随后又将目标推迟至2027年。但据了解，其最新内部启动日期——2028年1月——很可能再度延期。
据知情人士透露，阿格拉塔斯（Agratas）为该项目设定的建设预算约为8亿英镑，但实际成本可能至少超出5亿英镑。该公司目前还在印度西部萨南德（Sanand）建设一座超级工厂。据悉，阿格拉塔斯的印度管理层曾要求英国项目的成本需与其他项目保持一致。
知情人士称，预算不匹配引发了紧张局势，包括SRM在内的承包商试图完成他们认为不可能实现的目标。SRM从未签订正式合同，而是在一份称为有限授权书的临时安排下工作了两年多。在此期间，SRM开出了约4亿英镑的账单，但始终未能达成合同协议。
这是继三月份TClarke公司因被曝‘关系紧张’而退出后，又一家主要承包商选择离开。供应链上的其他企业很可能会注意到这些离职事件，并可能引发政府对一项其大力支持的项目的进展感到担忧。
新晋建筑承包商TSL是一家总部位于白金汉郡的私营企业，必须迅速适应超级工厂的严苛要求。这些要求包括建造处理危险电解液的设施（电解液是汽车电池中锂离子移动发电的液体介质），以及建设欧洲最大洁净室之一并配备严格的湿度控制系统。TSL的主营业务本是数据中心建设，但也曾参与为瑞典已破产企业Northvolt建造电池工厂。
据悉，该项目多个环节已出现进度滞后。阿格拉塔斯公司尚未采购建设变电站所需的关键部件，这些设备用于电力连接，而交付周期可能长达两年以上。一条重要环路的施工尚未启动，主体建筑进度也严重落后，由于采购决策迟缓，多个关键节点均被推迟。
英国Agratas公司高层人员流动率较高，包括工艺工程负责人和全球制造工程副总裁在内的多位高管已离职，而制造运营副总裁将于8月提前退休。
阿格拉塔斯电池工厂投产的延迟可能给捷豹路虎（JLR）带来挑战，该公司将依赖其兄弟公司为全新电动捷豹和电动路虎车型（包括已推迟上市的电动揽胜）提供动力电池。
捷豹路虎首席执行官PB·巴拉吉（PB Balaji）在11月表示：“我们正在与时间赛跑。虽然压力很大，但我们会尽全力达成目标。”
延迟可能会给捷豹路虎（JLR）在遵守英国电动汽车销售目标（即零排放汽车指令）方面带来重大问题。捷豹路虎高管们对能否在未来几年实现更高目标表示怀疑，这可能使他们面临罚款风险。据信，他们的警告是英国政府决定放宽该指令的主要动机。
降低零排放汽车（ZEV）的强制目标可能会减轻阿格拉塔斯（Agratas）的部分时间压力。然而，捷豹路虎（JLR）还决定销售更多混合动力车型而非纯电车型，这或许也会引发对萨默塞特（Somerset）未来电池需求的质疑。
阿格拉塔斯（Agratas）的一位发言人表示，公司已“确定需要采用一种不同的建设交付模式，以支持下一阶段的发展”。
他们补充道：“经过对项目需求的审查，我们决定更换新的建筑合作伙伴。感谢现有合作伙伴迄今为止给予的支持。”
这一调整反映了项目需求的动态变化，使我们能够以所需的能力和专注力推进下一阶段工作，从而安全、高效且按时地实现目标。
SRM发言人表示："在顺利完成阿格拉塔斯（Agratas）位于萨默塞特的电池制造设施第一期工程后，经过深入讨论，双方已协商一致终止合作。目前我们正与阿格拉塔斯密切配合，确保其平稳有序地过渡至新的建设合作伙伴。"
捷豹路虎（JLR）拒绝置评。
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