A vital cable link that will power Somerset’s flagship new battery manufacturing facility near Bridgwater is being installed this autumn.
The Agratas facility, which is set to create thousands of jobs and generate £700 million in economic value for the region each year, is re-industrialising a 308-acre brownfield site in the heart of Somerset.
The multi-billion pound battery manufacturing facility is the centrepiece of the Gravity Enterprise Zone and construction of the 525-metre-long Building One is well underway.
Now project leaders need to install a vital high-powered electricity connection linking the Gravity site with the national power grid.
The cables need to cross the M5 between junctions 23 (Dunball) and 24 (Huntworth), and motorists are being advised of a short period of roadworks taking place in October. Agratas has listened to advice from local partners and the work has been carefully timed to avoid the school half-term break and the Guy Fawkes carnival season.
The work, which is due to start on 5 October 2026 and take up to 15 days, involves cutting a trench into the M5 to lay ducting and install the cables. The trench will be dug from one side of the motorway to the other, starting with the northbound carriageway. For most of the works period, there will be overnight closures of the M5 in one direction, with traffic being diverted onto the A38 through Bridgwater. During the day, two lanes of carriageway will be open with a 50mph limit in one direction, with the other direction unaffected. There will be one day when the trenching work crosses the central reservation, when two lanes, northbound and southbound, will be closed during the day (with two lanes remaining open, including the hard shoulder) and there will be one night when a full closure of both directions will be needed.
Agratas is working with contractors and highways partners, Somerset Council and National Highways, to deliver the connection.
Brian Stonerock, Head of Capital Projects at Agratas, said:
We know there has been disruption on the M5 in the South West in recent months so we would like to thank motorists in advance for bearing with us through this short spell of roadworks. We’ve also taken care to time the work so that half-term holiday-makers and carnival traffic should not be affected.
The power connection is vital for the Agratas facility, which will put Somerset at the forefront of UK battery cell production, creating thousands of jobs for local people and generating hundreds of millions of pounds in economic benefit for the county and the wider South West in the process.
Councillor Richard Wilkins, Somerset Council’s Lead Member for Highways and Transport, said:
The work is being carefully planned to minimise disruption to drivers who use this busy route. It is crucial that the M5 remains open as much as possible as it is such a vital connection. We fully understand the impact that closures of the M5 have on the surrounding network and communities.
We’d like to thank motorway users in advance for their patience and understanding, as well as those living and working along the diversion route.
Tamara Parsons, Programme Lead, National Highways, said:
We are working closely with Agratas and Somerset Council to minimise disruption to road users while this important cabling work is carried out. By carefully planning the programme and coordinating activity across the network, we are seeking to keep people moving on our roads while supporting a major investment in the region’s economy which will create thousands of jobs for local communities.
