Go ahead for new £1.25bn electric arc furnace at Port Talbot

Plans for a new electric arc furnace at Tata Steel's Port Talbot site have been approved by Neath Port Talbot Council. Once operational the electric arc furnace will make steel from scrap.

The £1.25bn investment by the Indian-owned steel business includes a £500m contribution from the UK Government.

The approval gives the green light for Tata Steel to begin demolition of a number of existing buildings and structures at the steelworks site, along with the work the electric arc which will be one of the biggest of its kind in the world

The decision comes just months after the closure of the site's two blast furnaces in September, 2024, with nearly 2,000 job losses at Port Talbot.

It follows the announcement that UK construction and civil engineering company Sir Robert McAlpine would be responsible for managing the main civil, structural and building works for the development, with Italian firm Tenova building the new furnace.

Once operational the electric arc furnace will be able to produce around 3.2 million tonnes