Sahaviriya Steel Industries relights Redcar blast furnace

In February 2011 Tata Steel UK sold certain assets of Teesside Cast Products to SSI in a deal worth $469m (£290m).

Since then, SSI is said to have invested an additional $1.1bn for start-up and investment costs.

It is expected that the first iron suitable for conversion into steel will be produced within the next two to three days.

From next month, the steel produced at Redcar will almost exclusively be exported to Thailand. The plant is expected to have an annual capacity of 3.6 million tonnes and by the end of 2012 the facility will export to Asia. The workforce is expected to rise from 1,700 to 1,800 when production peaks.

George Dunning, Redcar council leader and campaigner for the return of steelmaking to the area, said: ‘It’s extremely important because at Redcar and Cleveland Council we’ve lost 500 public-sector jobs over the last two years due to the coalition government’s cuts.

‘To have another 100 well-paid steelworker jobs coming to the area is great. For the local economy of Redcar and Cleveland it’s a major boost.’