Port Talbot blast furnace closure will see loss of 2,800 jobs

Tata Steel said the proposed investment is supported by the government, which has committed up to £500m to enable the transformation.

Today’s announcement (January 19, 2024) follows discussions with the UK Steel Committee – made up of the company and unions – in which it was agreed to continue operating the hot strip mill during the transition and beyond.

Another proposal sought to keep blast furnaces operating during the building of the electric arc furnace.

Tata Steel has rejected this proposal on the grounds of operating cost, adding that building an electric arc furnace in an already operating steel melt shop would be fraught with risk, significantly increasing costs, creating a sub-optimal plant layout, delay implementation of the plan and jeopardise the proposed business transformation programme.

Tata Steel now proposes to shut down its two blast furnaces, with the first blast furnace and coke ovens closing around mid-2024 and then progressively winding down the remaining heavy end assets during the second half of the calendar year.