Many of the existing ‘heavy end’ assets —such as blast furnaces and coke ovens— in Tata Steel UK’s Port Talbot works, had reached the end of their operational life. Sustaining the current configuration any longer, or further investment in the traditional heavy end, was not economically or environmentally viable.
Following the closures earlier this year of the deep-water harbour, Morfa Coke Ovens, Blast Furnace 5 and Continuous Caster 2, the planned iron and steelmaking asset closures are completed today with the cessation of the Sinter Plant, Blast Furnace 4 and primary steelmaking, along with some secondary steelmaking and energy systems.