Concern over furnace uncertainty for Shotton’s future

Plaid Cymru’s North Wales Senedd Member has expressed concern about the uncertainty that the closure of Port Talbot’s blast furnaces could have on Tata’s Shotton plant.

The final blast furnace was shut down permanently on Monday, marking the end of traditional steelmaking in Wales.

Tata’s specialist plant on Deeside employs more than 700 workers and relies on coils of steel from Port Talbot. Now that Port Talbot has closed its blast furnaces, steel will need to be sourced from elsewhere.

Llyr Gruffydd, who represents North Wales in the Senedd, said: “The impact of the closure of the Port Talbot blast furnaces is also felt here on Deeside, which relies on high-quality steel to produce specialist coated products.

“There are other sources for the steel within Tata — for example, its plant in the Netherlands — but it’s important that the quality is maintained.

“Quality is an issue for the proposed new electric arc furnace that is meant to be built in Port Talbot. There is talk of having a Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) facility to enable the production of high-quality products, but it’s important that the company delivers on that so that the future of Shotton is assured.

“There has been a shocking lack of long-term planning for the need to transition to a greener way to produce steel, and I — along with my colleagues in Plaid Cymru — am determined to ensure that Wales continues to be a steel-making country, providing the high-quality jobs that entails. We will continue to press the UK and Welsh Governments to make sure that is the case going forward.”