By Rhodri Morgan
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is rolling out initiatives to generate over 25 per cent of electricity needed for its UK operations from renewable assets close to its headquarters.
JLR today announced it will generate more than a quarter of its UK electricity from new onsite and near site renewable energy projects capable of producing up to 120 MW at their peak, enough to charge 2.7 million Jaguar I-Pace batteries.
Work starts this year on the first three UK solar projects in Gaydon, Halewood, Merseyside and EPMC, Wolverhampton, with the first three scheduled for completion by the end of 2026.
Planning is already granted for an additional 18.2MW ground-mounted solar array at the company’s headquarters in Gaydon which, combined with a roof-mounted solar array already onsite, will provide the facility with around 40% of its energy needs.
The plans form part of its global renewable strategy, which aims to increase self-generated energy to 36.4 per cent of its global consumption by 2030, as well as “reduce exposure to volatility” of the energy market.
Last month, the automotive giant reported pre-tax profits of £627m, up from the £265m it reported during the same period in 2022 and its highest figure for the period since 2017.
For the first nine months of its last financial year, Jaguar Land Rover’s revenue stood at £21.1bn – its highest-ever total for that period and up 35 per cent compared to the same three months in 2022.
“JLR is committed to managing its net zero energy transition against the challenging backdrop of volatile energy prices.
“We are working hard as a business to improve our energy efficiency across our entire global operations and these new projects will diversify our energy portfolio to reduce our reliance on Grid electricity and help us to reduce our energy bills.”
Last week, Jaguar Land Rover-owner Tata confirmed it will invest £4bn in a brownfield site near Bridgwater in Somerset to develop the UK’s largest electric vehicle battery manufacturing site.
