Greenpower Park - the UK Centre of Electrification and Clean Energy – has been launched to create an end-to-end electrification and clean energy campus in Coventry.

The campus, which will have the West Midlands Gigafactory as its anchor tenant, aims to attract inward investment of £2.5 billion - creating 6,000 highly skilled jobs.

Reports in the past few days have suggested that a Chinese electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturer is close to signing a deal to invest more than £1bn building the gigafactory on the Coventry site. 

However, owners of the site have said that they are speaking to a number of EV battery makers about building the manufacturing facility.

The wider Greenpower Park project is designed to foster world-leading collaborations between industry, major academic institutions and stakeholders to drive the UK's ambitions in leading the transition to a cleaner, more sustainable energy future.

“In a decisive stride towards fortifying Britain’s position as a global leader in electrification innovation, the unveiling of Greenpower Park with the West Midlands Gigafactory marks a transformative moment for the nation's net zero landscape,” said Cllr Jim O’Boyle, cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change at Coventry City Council.

“This ambitious initiative is not merely about setting the groundwork for the next generation of electric technologies and sustainable manufacturing practices.

“It is a clarion call to the world that the UK is open for business, ready to lead the charge in the green industrial revolution.”

The Greenpower Park campus will support the development of new businesses and manufacturing facilities with a package of incentives, combining investment zone status, approved planning permission and regional incentives package to kick start development.

Located at the heart of the UK’s manufacturing powerbase, and with official approval already secured for the gigafactory, it says that the initiative will help establish the UK as a strategic centre for vital electrification and clean energy technologies.

Capitalising on a future workforce of over 210,000 local students enrolled in relevant degrees and vocational courses to meet the electrification sector's needs, the project’s backers believe that Greenpower Park’s launch will prove a pivotal moment in the UK's transition to an electrified economy, as well as a significant leap forward in battery technology development and sustainable manufacturing practices.

O’Boyle said: “With its strategic location, unprecedented financial support, academic partnerships, a ready-made skilled workforce, and oven-ready plans to build Britain’s biggest gigafactory, Greenpower Park is poised to become the cornerstone of the UK's electrified future, driving forward our commitment to innovation, sustainability, and economic growth.”

The Greenpower Park in Coventry sits within the West Midlands Investment Zone which is focused on advanced manufacturing, providing significant tax incentives and breaks for investors and it has outline planning permission for a gigafactory.

Greenpower Park is part of a public private joint venture agreement between Coventry City Council and Coventry Airport.

It has support from an alliance of West Midlands industrial groups, local government, and academic institutions, including the West Midlands Combined Authority, Warwick District Council, Warwickshire County Council, Rugby Council, Warwick Manufacturing Group at University of Warwick, Coventry University, and the Manufacturing Technology Centre.