British Steel consulting on plans to shut Scunthorpe furnaces

The company is planning to replace the blast furnaces with electric arc furnaces.

British Steel are planning to close the blast furnaces in Scunthorpe.
Author: Laurence GriffinPublished 10th Dec 2023

Plans by British Steel to close the blast furnaces at Scunthorpe steelworks are being put to the town today in a public consultation. The plans are designed to produce net zero through electric arc furnaces which will be installed in Scunthorpe and Teeside.

Unions say the plans could mean the loss of up to 2,000 jobs at British Steel - most of them coming from Scunthorpe.

Councillor and steelworker Tony Gosling said: "Scunthorpe is built on the iron and steel here; the community grew because of the increase in the steel industry in the 1930s and 1950s and I dread to think what would happen to Scunthorpe if we didn't have a steel industry.

"The steel industry pays well, and there's not comparable jobs out that there that pay the same as the steel industry so my fear is: where are they going to get the same sort of income to be able to support their wives, families and mortgages?"

Over 160 local businesses and groups signed the Unite the Union's open letter calling for the government to step in and ensure the transition to net zero or 'green' steel is managed without any job losses.

Tony Gosling said: "Everybody down our street when I was a kid worked in the steel industry apart from the vicar across the road. Everybody else worked in the steel industry, I grew up with the industry, in fact I thought you were a bit odd if your dad didn't work in the steel industry!"

A government spokesperson says they're committed to UK steel, and they've offered a generous support package of over 300 million pounds to help British Steel cut emissions and safeguard jobs.

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