The British government has confirmed that British Steel’s blast furnaces will continue operations, ensuring a delivery of sufficient raw materials for the coming weeks. The supply of coking coal and iron ore, sourced from the US, will arrive at Immingham docks on Tuesday and will then be transported to the Scunthorpe site, following a swift procurement of resources. Additionally, another consignment of materials is en route to the UK from Australia, after resolution of a legal dispute over its ownership between the government and British Steel’s owner, Jingye. This move follows the government’s takeover of the business during the weekend after a fallout in negotiations with its Chinese owner, who was accused of plotting to extinguish the furnaces. If the furnaces ran out of fuel, the UK’s ability to produce ‘virgin steel’ would be lost, as reigniting them is a complex and expensive procedure. Virgin steel production, a process which involves the purification and treatment of iron extracted from its original source, is crucial for major construction projects. Scunthorpe’s furnaces produce molten iron from iron ore rocks through a chemical reaction necessitating intense heat. A fall in the furnace temperature could result in permanent damage. The government has stated that the US materials will maintain the steel-producing furnaces for the forthcoming weeks and is striving to establish a consistent supply chain. The government has footed the bill for the materials, but the cost remains undisclosed. Union officials have declared that the plant, which provides employment to 2,700 individuals, is in a significantly improved condition due to the government’s intervention. On Tuesday, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds will journey to Immingham in north east Lincolnshire, where the raw materials will be unloaded and transported to British Steel. He stated that the government acted ‘decisively’ to procure the necessary raw materials to ‘rescue British Steel’, adding that numerous UK industries rely on the company.
This story was adapted by The Lincoln Post from original reporting by www.bbc.com.
