Campaigners fear a switch to electric arc furnaces, which are far less polluting than traditional coal-fired furnaces, will trigger a fresh wave of cuts at the iconic site
Slashing pollution from steel production must not trigger “deindustrialisation”, Rishi Sunak was warned today.
Crunch negotiations between the Government and Tata Steel over vital investment in Britain’s biggest steelworks are continuing. Insiders say talks have been “positive” amid growing hopes of unlocking £500million of taxpayer funding to save the Port Talbot site in South Wales.
The cash would be used to help the firm switch from coal-fired blast furnaces to electric arc production. But experts admit that up to 3,000 of the plant’s 4,000 jobs could still be lost over the coming years because electric arc manufacturing needs fewer staff.
It sparked renewed fears of a fresh wave of redundancies hammering the UK’s historic industrial heartlands. Stephen Kinnock, Labour’s MP for Aberavon, which includes Port Talbot, told the Mirror: “Government investment in decarbonising the Port Talbot steelworks is long overdue. We desperately need a government-sector partnership that will safeguard well-paid local jobs and secure the future production of the steel that underpins our national security, our critical infrastructure and our entire manufacturing base.”