Japanese carmaking giant Nissan is set to unveil plans to build a huge battery factory, giving a boost to the automotive industry and creating up to 2,000 new jobs.

The site in Sunderland will ramp up production of batteries for electric vehicles, in partnership with Envision AESC, an announcement on Thursday is expected to say.

It has an existing battery factory in Sunderland making batteries that power the Nissan Leaf.

Envision AESC is based in Japan, with factories in the United States and China as well as in the UK and Japan.

The Sunderland site is expected to open in the next few years, with contributions from the Government.

Jobs will be created at the factory as well as in the supply chain.

A Nissan spokesman said: “Having established EV and battery production in the UK in 2013 for the Nissan Leaf, our Sunderland plant has played a pioneering role in developing the electric vehicle market.

“As previously announced, we will continue to electrify our line-up as part of our global journey towards carbon neutrality, however we have no further plans to announce at this time.”