British Steel blast furnaces to remain open as emergency supplies secured

The government has secured enough raw materials to keep British Steel’s blast furnaces operating in the short term while a steady pipeline is being arranged.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) confirmed that coking coal and iron ore from the US are being imported and transported to the Scunthorpe site after it was forced to scramble for supplies following the rapid transfer of ownership from Chinese owners Jingye last week.

Founded in 2016 from the ashes of Tata Steel, British Steel has had a challenging decade because of reduced demand for the metal and tough competition from Chinese manufacturers. It is estimated that the plant was losing around £700,000 a day, making production economically unfeasible.

However, there are concerns that without domestic steel production capacity, Britain’s national security could be weakened.

Over the weekend, Prime Minister Keir Starmer requested the recall of parliament to vote on emergency legislation to prevent the blast furnaces being shut...