Port Talbot: Tata Metal electrical furnace authorised by planners

Tata Metal’s bid to construct a £1.25bn electrical arc furnace at its Port Talbot steelworks has been given the go-ahead by planners.

Neath Port Talbot planning committee authorised the corporate’s plans to start building in the summertime, with the furnace anticipated to be operational by early 2028.

The EAF will soften principally scrap metal and can exchange each blast furnaces which closed in Port Talbot final 12 months.

In its planning software Tata Metal stated it had misplaced £4bn in Port Talbot since 2007 and the brand new furnace would create a “financially and environmentally sustainable” enterprise.

Tata Metal has already appointed contractor Sir Robert McAlpine to ship the mission, which is able to contain the demolition of current constructions and partially filling an on-site lagoon.

New buildings to be constructed will embody the furnace advanced, a fume and mud remedy plant and a water remedy facilitiy.

A scrap processing plant can even be required.

The furnace will work by melting principally scrap metal, with different purer types additionally being added in an effort to obtain specialist grades of the metallic.

Requested concerning the potential impression of US tariffs on metal imports, Tata Metal UK boss Rajesh Nair stated it was a “important” query and that the corporate was “nonetheless watching the area”.

“Ideally we wish to have a degree taking part in area, the place everybody performs the sport in the fitting approach,” he stated.

The brand new electrical furnace could have ultra-low emissions if the vitality provide comes from renewable sources.

Tata Metal stated the equipment producer JCB had committed to buying “green” steel from the brand new furnace.

The event will cut back carbon emissions by as much as 90% in contrast with the earlier blast furnace operation in Port Talbot.

Tata Metal had constantly stated it was shedding £1m a day whereas retaining its blast furnaces working.

The closure of the blast furnaces and the remainder of the heavy finish of metal manufacturing in Port Talbot led to round 2,500 job losses in south Wales, with an extra 300 to come back in future.

Lots of those that had been made redundant have left the corporate for the reason that final of the blast furnaces closed in September 2024.

Metal mills in Port Talbot are nonetheless in operation, and are treating imported slabs of metal. They may finally be provided with metal produced by the brand new electrical furnace.