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Tata's electric arc furnace plans submitted

Getty The steelworks in Port Talbot at sunset. White steam rises from the chimneys. Getty
Tata said the switch could slash the site's emissions by about 85% a year

Tata Steel has submitted its planning application for a proposed electric arc furnace at the Port Talbot steelworks.

The steelworks closed its blast furnaces on 29 September after 11 years, cutting 2,000 jobs.

The company said the electric furnace plan was a "significant step in the company's commitment to decarbonising its steel production".

Neath Port Talbot council will decide on the plan in early 2025 after a review and consultation on the project.

Metals and mining solution company, Tenova, previously confirmed it would supply the £1.25bn electric arc furnace, which is anticipated to be up and running by the end of 2027.

When it comes online it is expected to be the biggest of its kind in the world, melting mostly scrap to produce three million tonnes of new steel a year.

Tata Steel UK An artist's impression of the new building including the electric arc furnaceTata Steel UK
The electric arc furnace will have an annual capacity of three million tonnes of steel

The Tata workforce required to run the new furnace will be small compared to the 2,000 in Port Talbot who manned the heavy end of iron production and who will be leaving the site as part of the redundancy process over the coming months.

No liquid steel will be made from scratch until at least the end of 2027.

Slabs will be shipped from the Netherlands or India to be rolled and treated in Port Talbot before being sent to customers.