UK battery company Britishvolt has entered into an exclusive technology collaboration agreement with Siemens.

Britishvolt says its battery factory to be built in Blyth is the largest industrial investment North-East England since the 1980s. Construction is due to begin this summer.

Siemens will provide Britishvolt with access to its automation, electrification solutions and Digital Twin manufacturing execution technology. It will also provide design and simulation development tools, accelerating the time it takes for lithium-ion battery cells to go from laboratory to production at scale. Britishvolt will be able to simulate plant production processes and flows ahead of construction completion, optimising design and efficiencies. It also promises to speed up delivery times, and Britishvolt says it is on track to deliver the first lithium-ion batteries in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Britishvolt chief executive Orral Nadjari said “Working with Siemens and utilising its global expertise in Digital Twin and simulation technologies will play a pivotal role in Britishvolt achieving its tight deadlines to begin producing world-class batteries, at scale, by the end of 2023.”