Fuel for blast furnaces and iron ore supplies arrive at British Steel
Steelworkers at Scunthorpe have been given a more certain future with the arrival of new raw materials to operate British Steel’s blast furnaces, ministers have announced.
55,000 tonnes of blast furnace coke have arrived in the UK to fuel the Scunthorpe plant in North Lincolnshire, and a shipment of more than 66,000 tonnes of iron ore pellets and 27,000 tonnes of iron ore fines are soon to arrive.
The supplies will sustain steelmaking at Scunthorpe for the coming months into the summer.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, who led the Government in its take over of the plant, said: “This Government is on the side of British workers and British industry.
“The action we’ve taken to secure primary steelmaking at Scunthorpe will not only support our national security but help our steel sector supply the construction of the homes and infrastructure of the future, as part of our Plan for Change.
“By securing the raw materials we need to keep Scunthorpe going for the foreseeable future we’ve helped protect thousands of crucial steel jobs. Now, British Steel workers and their families can breathe a sigh of relief and know that we are on their side.”
The shipment of more than 55,000 tonnes of blast furnace coke arrived in the port of Immingham from Australia on Saturday aboard the merchant vessel Navios Alegria.
It will now be transferred by rail to Scunthorpe.
The shipment of iron ore, in the form of more than 66,000 tonnes of iron ore pellets and 27,000 tonnes of iron ore fines, is due to arrive from Sweden next week.
It has been paid for by the Government using the existing Department for Business and Trade budget.
British Steel has meanwhile appointed more new executives, including an interim chief operating officer and HR director, after ministers passed an emergency law to take control of the company from Chinese owner Jingye.
Allan Bell, interim chief executive of British Steel said: “We’ve successfully secured the raw materials we need to keep the blast furnaces running, meaning our production of steel can continue.
“We would not be here today without the hard work and dedication of our specialist procurement, technical and operational teams who have worked tirelessly on short timescales to secure the required raw materials.
“Over the coming months our focus will be on stabilising our operations for the long-term, cementing British Steel as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of steel.”
Alasdair McDiarmid, the assistant general secretary of the Community Union which represents steelworkers, welcomed the shipments.
He said: “The imminent shipments of coke and other raw materials needed to keep the blast furnaces running over the months ahead provide much-needed assurance for our members on site in Scunthorpe.
“We are grateful to British Steel and the Government for the decisive work they have undertaken to secure a future for the business – we have seen their commitment and dedication first-hand.
“After years of neglect, we now have a UK Government which understands the vital strategic importance of steel, and is backing this up with action.”
The latest shipment comes after British Steel announced a consultation on redundancies launched in March would be scrapped.
This has saved thousands of jobs at the steel plant.
By David Lynch, PA Political Correspondent