Tata "look forward" to growing 'green steel' at Port Talbot with government
Rajesh Nair spoke of plans to transform the Port Talbot plant's production
Last updated 6th Jul 2024
The CEO of Tata Steel, the owners of the Port Talbot steel plant, has congratulated the Prime Minister Keir Starmer on his election victory and says he looks forward to working with the government in producing what he calls 'green steel'.
Rajesh Nair says his company will be talking to the government about their plans to use electric arc furnace steelmaking at the Port Talbot plant.
This comes following the confirmation that Jonathan Reynolds has been appointed Secretary of State for Business.
Mr Nair said: 'I congratulate Sir Keir Starmer on his election victory and look forward to working with the new government on our shared goals of growing the production of green steel in the UK, and building a positive operating environment for this critical industry.'
'In the coming days and weeks we will be engaging with new ministers over our ambitious plans to invest in and transform Port Talbot with electric arc furnace steelmaking, and to supporting our workers through this necessary but difficult transition.'
The announcement comes after Tata said that one of the blast furnaces at the Port Talbot site would be turned off in order to reduce their impact on the climate.
Blast Furnace 5 was confirmed to be shut down as part of the restructuring programme that help reduce losses of ÂŁ1million a day.
Union leaders have been opposed to the move, however, arguing that the move to greener production will result in the loss of 2,800 jobs.