Following the closure of its Morfa Coke Ovens in March 2024, Tata Steel has ceased operations of Blast Furnace 5 in Port Talbot as the company progresses with its restructuring programme to stem unsustainable losses of over £1 million a day.
Operations cease at end-of-life Blast Furnace 5, which will now be safely decommissioned
Remaining heavy-end* assets to wind down in the second half of 2024, including the closure of Blast Furnace 4 by the end of September
Supplies to customers will be safeguarded, with downstream mills and processing sites utilising substrate sourced from Tata Steel’s global operations and other key suppliers
UK transformation will protect more than 5,000 jobs in Tata Steel UK
The safe decommissioning of Blast Furnace 5 and associated plant started immediately after the last liquid iron was produced on Thursday 4 July 2024.
Tata Steel UK’s CEO, Rajesh Nair said: “All those who have been involved in operating and maintaining Blast Furnace 5 since it started operations in 1959 should take a great deal of pride in the part they have played in underpinning the UK manufacturing industry for so many years.
“Our challenge is now to focus on a more sustainable and competitive future for our business that will ensure the continuation of steelmaking in the UK for generations to come.”
Tata Steel will make every effort to mitigate the impact of this transformation on affected employees and the local community. This includes the most favourable financial package of support it has ever offered, and facilities for training and upskilling activities alongside finance for small and medium-sized businesses through the UK Steel Enterprise regeneration and job creation scheme.
-ends-
About Tata Steel UK
- The Tata Steel Group has been named one of the most ethical companies in the world, and is among the top producing global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of 34 million tonnes.
- Tata Steel in the UK has the ambition to produce net-zero steel by 2045 at the latest, and to have reduced 30% of its CO2 emissions by 2030.
- Tata Steel is the largest steelmaker in the UK with primary steelmaking at Port Talbot in South Wales supporting manufacturing and distribution operations at sites across Wales, England and Northern Ireland as well as Norway, Sweden, France and Germany. It also benefits from a network of international sales offices around the world.
- Tata Steel employs more than 8,000 people and has an annual crude steel capacity of 5 million tonnes, supplying high-quality steel products to demanding markets, including construction and infrastructure, automotive, packaging and engineering.
- Tata Steel Group is one of the world's most geographically-diversified steel producers, with operations and a commercial presence across the world.
Follow us on social media
Categories
For further information