National Pile Croppers support Agratas gigafactory build
Some 17,000 piles are being cropped as part of the construction of Agratas’ £4 billion EV Giga Battery Factory in Bridgwater, Somerset. The work is centred on Building One – the first of three – where Balfour Beatty is leading the delivery in partnership with subcontractors Synergy Plant and Toureen Plant on behalf of principal contractor Sir Robert McAlpine.
National Pile Croppers has been engaged to supply and support a fleet of hydraulic pile cropping machines for the vast programme, described as strategically vital to the UK’s automotive and energy future.
Agratas, the global battery business of the Tata Group, is developing the gigafactory to produce up to 40GWh of battery cells annually, enough to power around 500,000 passenger vehicles. Batteries will initially be supplied to Jaguar Land Rover brands including Range Rover, Defender and Jaguar, with future production also serving other car manufacturers and the energy storage sector. By 2027, the plant is expected to supply 40% of the UK’s domestic demand.
Large-scale piling works
The piling mat for Building One measures approximately 1,000m by 750m, requiring thousands of pre-cast piles of varying sizes. Synergy Plant has deployed a National Pile Croppers Power Cropper, while Toureen Plant is operating six Power Croppers, two Multi Bar Croppers and a PC400. The equipment is being used around the clock to meet the programme’s demanding schedule.
To date, contractors have cropped large numbers of 275mm pre-cast piles, with further stages to follow as work progresses on Building One. Once completed, attention will turn to Building Two, which is currently at the groundworks stage.
National Pile Croppers is also trialling a new innovation on site: a pile ‘nibbling’ attachment designed to improve efficiency and safety in tight pile clusters before cropping takes place.
Power Cropper in focus
The company’s Power Cropper is proving to be a central tool on site. Constructed from lightweight, high-strength materials and fitted with two powerful hydraulic rams, it is capable of cutting piles up to 300mm in diameter. Its compact design allows for efficient manoeuvring across large sites, while the fully synchronised jaws reduce trimming work at finish level.
Sean Hunter, head of nuclear operations at Heidelberg Materials, said the collaborative approach at major infrastructure schemes like Hinkley Point C is informing supply strategies at Sizewell C. Similarly, National Pile Croppers’ round-the-clock support at Bridgwater is helping ensure the Agratas plant remains on schedule.
The project is expected to continue throughout 2025, with the cropped piles forming a critical part of the gigafactory’s foundations ahead of production commencing in 2027.
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