Leader welcomes Government Steel Strategy but says ‘it must be achievable’
THE LEADER OF Neath Port Talbot Council, Cllr Steve Hunt, has welcomed the UK Government’s proposed new strategy to inject £2.5bn into the country’s steel industry.
The Department for Business and Trade announced on Sunday it is seeking urgent public feedback on a new Steel Strategy aimed at maintaining the British steel sector’s global competitiveness while addressing challenges posed by US tariffs on steel imports.
According to the strategy, the UK Government will commit £2.5bn through the National Wealth Fund and other routes to the domestic steel industry while encouraging large infrastructure projects to prioritise steel made in Britain.
The planned expansion of Heathrow Airport, for instance, is expected to use 400,000 tonnes of steel.
Government ministers say the £2.5bn Steel Strategy investment would be in addition to the existing £500m Government investment in the proposed building of an electric arc furnace (EAF) at Tata Steel, Port Talbot.
Neath Port Talbot Council’s Planning Committee will consider Tata’s planning application for the proposed £1.25bn Port Talbot EAF tomorrow (18/02/25).
The Government says it will publish the Steel Strategy this Spring after taking the views of interested parties into account.
Cllr Hunt said: “I very much welcome this initiative to prioritise the UK steel industry and I would like those behind the strategy to make sure its admirable aims are achievable.
“Also, I would like to see the Neath Port Talbot area, which has a long and distinguished history in steel production, seeing the benefits of this new strategy.
“I hope the Steel Strategy can achieve its aims of tackling long-term issues facing the sector such as high electricity costs and how it can be protected from unfair trading practices abroad. I am also very interested in looking at ways of ensuring more UK steel is used in infrastructure projects, particularly those funded by the public sector.”
Link to consultation:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/input-into-the-steel-strategy