McAlpine leaving Agratas’s £4bn car battery job after ‘agreeing to part ways’ with client

Sir Robert McAlpine is leaving the giant car battery plant it has been building for Agratas in Somerset and being replaced by Buckinghamshire-based contractor TSL, Building can reveal.

McAlpine pulled off a coup two summers ago after winning the race to build the first phase of the huge car battery plant for Tata.

The Indian firm said it and its subsidiary JLR would be the anchor customers for the new £4bn factory, which is being built at Bridgwater with the scheme being masterminded by Tata’s global battery business called Agratas.

But in a statement, McAlpine said: “Having successfully completed the first phase of Agratas’s 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.”

In a statement, Agratas said it had decided “a different construction delivery model is needed to support the next phase of our development” which it said would give it the “focus required to meet our objectives safely, efficiently and on schedule”.

McAlpine added: “We are immensely proud of the progress and achievements made to date, done so in true partnership with our supply chain partners and remain committed to supporting Agratas with the effective handover to the next phase.”

The job had been hailed by McAlpine as an example of the reset it underwent a few years ago with, under this plan, the firm concentrating on three core areas of industrial, commercial and healthcare.

McAlpine’s replacement has been confirmed as Buckinghamshire firm TSL which describes itself as “a leading technical engineering and construction company operating across EMEA, the Americas and APAC”.

In its last set of accounts, TSL, which is based in Gerrards Cross, had a turnover of £527m in 2024 and made a pre-tax profit of £27m.

In its statement, Agratas said: “As the project has progressed, we have determined that a different construction delivery model is needed to support the next phase of our development. 

“Following a review of the project’s 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.” 

The job is due to be operational from next year.