Construction Starts on Tata Steel Electric Arc Furnace

CONSTRUCTION HAS STARTED on Tata Steel’s electric arc furnace (EAF) at Port Talbot steelworks today.

The new EAF will secure the jobs of 5,000 workers at the South Wales plant.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds will join Tata Group Chairman N. Chandrasekaran, Wales Secretary Jo Stevens and other government and company representatives to break ground on the project and start construction later today.

The construction milestone, aided by a £500 million government grant begins a strategy that will see steel scrap produced in the UK being recycled for new UK steel products. These will include the new solar seam roof panels for Catnic.

With the introduction of the EAF Tata Steel will begin transition to greener steel production, and is expected to reduce the Port Talbot site’s carbon emissions by around 90%.

Steel Strategy

This morning, Industry Minister Sarah Jones will chair a meeting of the Steel Council at 7Steel in Cardiff to work towards finalising the upcoming Steel Strategy.

The strategy includes slashing energy costs for steel producers, safeguarding measures to protect the industry from spikes of foreign steel imports and bolstering procurement rules to ensure UK-made steel is considered wherever possible for use on public construction projects.

The Government says it is working to secure the removal of 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports to the USA.

Tata Group Chairman, N Chandrasekaran said: “This is a proud day for Tata Group, Tata Steel and for the UK. Today’s groundbreaking marks not just the beginning of a new Electric Arc Furnace, but a new era for sustainable manufacturing in Britain. At Port Talbot, we are building the foundations of a cleaner, greener future, supporting jobs, driving innovation, and demonstrating our commitment to responsible industry leadership.”

The new Tata Steel electric arc furnace at Port Talbot is expected to start production in 2027.

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