Corus to expand and improve operations at Port Talbot steelworks
19 Aug 2010
Port Talbot, UK – Corus, part of Tata Steel, is to invest £185m in the no 4 blast furnace at its Port Talbot steelworks in Wales.The furnace, it said, is to undergo a rebuild, starting in July 2012, to equip it with technology to improve its safety, environmental performance and reliability.
The steel producer also claims that the project will yield the additional benefit of balancing the iron- and steel-making capacities at Port Talbot, increasing the capacity of the two blast furnaces by up to 400 kilotonnes per annum.
The investment is a major step in achieving Tata Steel’s ambition to position Port Talbot as a producer of high-quality strip products on a global scale and an internationally competitive cost base, claimed Kirby Adams, Corus managing director and chief executive officer of Tata Steel.
“Our capital expenditure decisions aim to invest in those who invest in themselves,” said Adams. “The commitment and capability shown by our South Wales employees to meet the challenges posed by the downturn, together with the constant support we have received from the Welsh Assembly Government and the local community and unions, are important factors that have led to this decision.
“As a result of this project, the Port Talbot works and our downstream supply chain will be able, in the coming decades, to continue to improve the quality of products and services provided to its UK and overseas strip product customers.”
David Ferris, chair of the Multi Unions at Port Talbot, added: “Following our recent announcement that we are taking on some 150 young people, this news promises them a strong future - and a sustainable future for the whole community.”
Corus is also investing £8 million at it’s Dalzell steel mill in Motherwell, Scotland. The company is to install a new 3,500-tonne press and handling equipment, and upgrade the plant’s existing press and other manufacturing equipment.
The Scottish plans, which are to help meet demand for heavy plate products, will also see Corus employ 60 workers, with 11 being taken on in Dalzell and 49 at its nearby Clydebridge plant.
