Tata Steel has appointed UK construction company Sir Robert McAlpine as the main contractor to support its £1.25bn green steel-making project at its Port Talbot steelworks site. The project aims to transform the site into a sustainable steel production facility, with plans to produce 3m tonnes of steel per year. The new electric arc furnace will allow the site to melt scrap steel, producing millions of tonnes of steel each year, but no “virgin steel” will be created.
The project, which is expected to be completed over a three-year construction period, will also involve the installation of ladle furnaces and associated works. The electric arc furnace, built by Italian firm Tenova, is expected to be the largest of its kind in the world and is due to be operational by the end of 2027.
The project is a major step in Tata Steel’s decarbonization goals, aimed at securing a more sustainable future for the steel industry. It follows the closure of the site’s two blast furnaces in September 2024, which is expected to result in around 2,000 redundancies.
Sir Robert McAlpine will be responsible for managing the main civil, structural, and building works for the project. The company has a long-standing relationship with Tata Steel UK and has extensive industrial expertise, making it the ideal partner for the transformation of the Port Talbot site.
Tata Steel hopes that the project will lead to a new chapter in UK steelmaking and pave the way for a more sustainable future for the industry. With the support of Sir Robert McAlpine and other partners, the company is confident that the project will be a success.