TATA: "It's going to turn Port Talbot into a ghost town" says local shop owner
Businesses in Port Talbot say the closure of the last blast furnace at Tata's plant will have a severe knock-on effect.
Last updated 1st Oct 2024
Businesses in Port Talbot say the closure of the last blast furnace at Tata's plant will have a severe knock-on effect.
The company's moves towards green production is costing 1.25 billion pounds.
Around 2,800 jobs are expected to be lost
Bethan Davies from Afan Ales says everyone in the town is connected to the steelworks:
"I think it's going to have a massive impact, everyone who comes into Afan Ales works in the steelworks or has a father, brother, cousin that's working there."
"Everyone has got links to the steelworks."
The new furnace uses electric current to melt scrap steel or iron to produce steel, whereas blast furnaces use coke, a carbon-intensive fuel made from coal to produce steel.
Bethan continued to say how she thinks the redundancies will change the town:
"It's going to turn Port Talbot into a ghost town, it's going to have a ripple effect really."
"People are not going to have money to come into a business like ours, they're not going to have money to come in and buy a pint or go into the local cafes."
Tata Steel UK chief executive Rajesh Nair said:
"Throughout this transition we are doing everything possible to minimise the impact on all those who are affected by the changes we are making.
"It is important at this juncture to pause, recognise and credit the huge contribution of the many thousands of people and the technologies that have sustained our industry and communities here for generations."
Tata will also be releasing 385 acres of the Port Talbot site for industrial redevelopment.