Britishvolt setback as owner's other company sees Australian office raided by tax authorities

Future prospects of a gigafactory near Blyth look increasingly uncertain after Australian tax authorities raided a firm owned by the new owner of Britishvolt on Friday.
By Craig Buchan
Published 26th Jun 2023, 11:34 BST
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Investigators from Australian Federal Police raided the shared offices of SaniteX and Scale Facilitation in Victoria, both of which are owned by entrepreneur David Collard.

The Australian businessman acquired Britishvolt out of administration through Recharge Industries, an electric battery startup owned and run by Scale Facilitation, back in February.

The tax fraud investigation relates to SaniteX.

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David Collard, left, the owner of parent company Scale Facilitation, and, right, a CGI of the proposed Britishvolt plant.David Collard, left, the owner of parent company Scale Facilitation, and, right, a CGI of the proposed Britishvolt plant.
David Collard, left, the owner of parent company Scale Facilitation, and, right, a CGI of the proposed Britishvolt plant.

In a statement to the Financial Times, a spokesperson for Scale Facilitation said: “We have and will continue to fully cooperate with the Australian Taxation Office and now the AFP.

“We deny any wrongdoing and will continue working with our legal and other advisers to defend any matters arising from these discussions.”

Britishvolt is attempting to build a £3.8b factory to produce storage batteries in Cambois, near Blyth, which will create up to 8,000 jobs.

Related topics:BlythBritishvolt