British Steel raw materials arrive to keep Scunthorpe plant going

The government says it has secured the raw materials needed to keep the British Steel plant at Scunthorpe going “for the coming months” into the summer.

Ministers announced 55,000 tonnes of blast furnace coke arrived from Australia at the port of Immingham on Saturday and would be transferred by rail to Scunthorpe.

A shipment of more than 66,000 tonnes of iron ore pellets and 27,000 tonnes of iron ore fines is due to arrive from Sweden next week.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, who led the government in its takeover of the plant, said the steel workers and their families could “breathe a sigh of relief”.

The supplies have been paid for by the government using the existing Department for Business and Trade budget.

Reynolds said: “By securing the raw materials we need to keep Scunthorpe going for the foreseeable future we’ve helped protect thousands of crucial steel jobs.

“Now, British Steel workers and their families can breathe a sigh of relief and know that we are on their side.”

Meanwhile, British Steel has appointed more new executives, including an interim chief operating officer and human resources director, after ministers passed an emergency law to take control of the company from Chinese owner Jingye.

Allan Bell, interim chief executive of British Steel, said: “We’ve successfully secured the raw materials we need to keep the blast furnaces running, meaning our production of steel can continue.

“We would not be here today without the hard work and dedication of our specialist procurement, technical and operational teams who have worked tirelessly on short timescales to secure the required raw materials.

“Over the coming months our focus will be on stabilising our operations for the long-term, cementing British Steel as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of steel.”

Alasdair McDiarmid, the assistant general secretary of the Community Union which represents steelworkers, welcomed the shipments.

He said: “The imminent shipments of coke and other raw materials needed to keep the blast furnaces running over the months ahead provide much-needed assurance for our members on site in Scunthorpe.

“We are grateful to British Steel and the government for the decisive work they have undertaken to secure a future for the business – we have seen their commitment and dedication first-hand.”

The latest shipment comes after British Steel announced a consultation on redundancies launched in March would be scrapped, saving 2,700 jobs that were put at risk.

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