Plans for the Port Talbot Electric Arc Furnace have been submitted

Tata Steel has submitted its planning application for a proposed electric arc furnace at the Port Talbot steelworks.

The steelworks closed its furnaces on September 29, after 11 years, eliminating 2,000 jobs.

The company said the plan for the electric furnace was a “significant step in the company’s commitment to decarbonise its steel production”.

Neath Port Talbot Council will decide on the plan in early 2025 after a review and consultation on the project.

Metals and Mining Solutions Company, Tenova, previously confirmed will supply the £1.25 billion electric arc furnace, which is expected to be operational by the end of 2027.

When it comes online, it is expected to be the largest of its kind in the world, melting mostly scrap to produce three million tonnes of new steel a year.

The Tata workforce required to run the new furnace will be small compared to the 2,000 in Port Talbot who have been doing the heavy lifting of iron production and who will leave the site as part of the redundancy process in the coming months.

No steel will be made from scratch for at least the next five years.

The boards will be shipped from the Netherlands or India to be rolled and treated in Port Talbot before being sent to customers.