When Tata confirmed that it would build a battery factory for electric cars with the aim of boosting supply chains in Europe, nothing was known about the location of this plant. Now we know that The Indian company has set its sights on our country for its facilities, but we are not the only ones in the bid: The United Kingdom is the other candidate.
Last month, PB Balaji (CFO of Tata Motors) revealed that they were considering locating factories in India and Europe where the batteries for their electric vehicles will be produced. The one from the ‘Old Continent’ will be in charge of provide this component to Land Rover and Jaguar, whose models are assembled in Slovakia and the UK.
The funds of Spain for the electric car
The information of Reuterscollected by Automotive News Europereveals that in the last months of 2022, Tata contacted the Government of Spain to inform him that he was considering building a factory in our country or in the United Kingdom. At the moment, none of those involved have ruled on the matter and the question is obvious: what options do we have to be chosen?
There are two main advantages: Spain is still a member of the European Union, while the United Kingdom ceased to be after Brexit. Our country also has the funds that the European Union has allocated to promote the manufacture of electric cars and batteries. A strong backing that we all know as PERTE: Strategic Project for Economic Recovery and Transformation.
Tata is aware that, since 2021, Spain (the second largest car-producing country in Europe behind Germany) has an ambitious program to attract investments related to electric vehicles thanks to these European funds. A program that, in 2022, due to technical and administrative problems, only assigned 877 million of a total budget that amounts to 2,975 million euros. The remaining funds will be disbursed in new phases, foreseeably in the month of March according to the forecasts of the Ministry of Industry, and the Indian group could benefit from it.
Zaragoza, the chosen one
According to information handled by Reuters, Tata has already met both with the Government of Spain and with that of Aragon: this would be the community chosen for its battery factory. So much so, that they would have already visited the potential location for the plant: it would be in Zuera, a town located about thirty kilometers from Zaragoza.
It is there where the Zuera Logistics and Industrial Platform is located, which will have 150 hectares Of surface. This is the same location that Volkswagen considered for its battery factory, which is finally being built in Sagunto (Valencia) so that, starting in 2026, it supplies this component to Martorell and Pamplona, where models for Volkswagen, Audi, Cupra will be manufactured. and Škoda.
There would be one last advantage for our country: Tata’s presence in Aragon would not be a novelty. The Indian group had, in this autonomous community, the Hispano Carrocera bus factory, the Seriplem concrete mixer truck factory and the Lebero vibratory compactor factory.