Community said its proposal would ensure the continued operation of two existing blast furnaces at the British Steel site in Scunthorpe while two new electric arc furnaces are constructed
A union has come forward with a blueprint they believe will guarantee the future of a key steelworks.
Community has put forth a strategy that would maintain the operation of two current blast furnaces at the British Steel plant in Scunthorpe while paving the way for the construction of two new electric arc furnaces (EAFs).
The union argues that their plan is a step towards more environmentally friendly steel production, but it hinges on an extra £200m from the Government to cover carbon costs during the transition. Roy Rickhuss, general secretary of Community, explained: “The new plan from our experts at Syndex lays out the roadmap towards a just transition for British Steel in Scunthorpe, which is a site of huge strategic importance to the UK as our last remaining primary steelmaking site.
“Were Scunthorpe steelworks to close, the UK would become the only G7 country without domestic steelmaking capacity – that would represent a huge risk to national security and sovereignty, with the country becoming reliant on dirty imports from overseas. That is not something we should ever be willing to accept.”
Mr Rickhuss also highlighted the broad support for the initiative: “The new expert-led proposal for British Steel has the support of all the steel unions and offers an achievable and potentially profitable solution for decarbonising Scunthorpe, provided that there is an injection of support on carbon costs over the transition period.
“By maintaining blast furnace production whilst new technologies are introduced on-site, the new plan for Scunthorpe would avoid the need for a destructive cliff-edge for the workforce, and it provides long-term certainty for the steelworks and the wider community it supports.”
A spokesperson for British Steel said: “British Steel is in active discussions with the UK government about the future of our steelmaking operations. Our trade union partners will be an important part of that future, and we welcome their contribution to the debate in the Syndex report.”
Meanwhile, steel giant Tata has ceased blast furnace operations at its Port Talbot site in south Wales, pivoting instead to steel production via an electric arc furnace.
