Richard Tice, member of the UK Parliament, has stated that it is concerning that UK-based steelmaker British Steel’s blast furnaces at Scunthorpe may be closed over the next 6-12 months following the recent closure of Tata Steel UK’s blast furnaces at Port Talbot, meaning the UK would have no general domestic steelmaking capacity.
The MP also said he fears that the proposed electric arc furnaces will be either delayed for many years or will never be built, in the face of high electricity prices which make the UK steel industry uncompetitive. In addition, it is reported that national grid cannot provide sufficient electricity supply to Scunthorpe for over five years, meaning any new electric arc furnaces could not operate until then.
To resolve this problem and save the UK steel industry, Mr. Tice stated that the government must accelerate its steel strategy and release it before Christmas as next spring will be too late, must guarantee that the blast furnaces at the Scunthorpe plant remain operational by the government taking a strategic stake in British Steel, must scrap all current and proposed carbon taxes, stop Chinese steel dumping with substantial tariffs on imported steel, and must ensure UK public sector projects buy UK-manufactured steel.