UK STEEL NEWS

Contact Louise Young on lyoung@makeuk.org or 07388 370176. 

UK Steel: Where industry news lives
The number one resource for UK Steel industry updates, sustainability initiatives, Government commitments, and essential news.

Secretary of State Jonathan Reynolds addresses the UK Steel Parliamentary Summit

6 December 2024: Now is the once-in-a-generation opportunity for UK steel. “Let’s look at this as the moment we can say ‘this is the time we got it right’” – this was the message the Rt Hon. Jonathan Reynolds delivered to the UK Steel Parliamentary Summit on Monday.

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UK Steel sector calls on Government to unlock multi-billion pound opportunity in procurement reforms

26 November 2024: As the largest buyer of steel in the UK, the Government has a unique opportunity to support the domestic steel sector. However, the latest data reveals that one third of the steel it procures is imported, costing UK taxpayers £1.5 billion annually rather than supporting UK steel producers. Over the next decade, government steel requirements will exceed £4.3 billion without even accounting for major initiatives such as carbon capture and storage, hydrogen infrastructure, nuclear energy, and offshore wind.

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Businesses write to Ed Miliband and Jonathan Reynolds over concerns about proposed zonal pricing model

7 October 2024: A group of trade associations, businesses, and union from heavy-end electricity users to the renewable energy developers have written to Secretaries of State Ed Miliband and Jonathan Reynolds raising concerns over electricity market reforms, specifically the proposed zonal pricing model.

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New bold policies needed to tackle steel imports and ensure Government sees return on investments

7 October 2024: A new report published by UK Steel says that excess steel capacity worldwide, built due to non-market forces such as state subsidies, could easily cancel out the UK Government’s steel investments if not taken seriously and tackled with new bold trade policies.

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Government agrees to align UK ETS reforms with UK CBAM introduction

27 September 2024: This is a huge win for UK Steel, which has advocated that all carbon leakage policies should be aligned and strongly urged the Government to ensure that any changes to UK ETS and free allocations only happen in parallel with the introduction of the UK CBAM.

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Marcegaglia Stainless Sheffield to invest £50 million in new Electric Arc Furnace creating 50 jobs

16 September 2024: The Prime Minister confirmed in a statement today that Marcegaglia Stainless will be investing £50 million to build a new Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) to upgrade its existing site in Sheffield. The new ‘state of the art’ EAF will increase annual plant productivity to over 500,000 tonnes of stainless steel products, bringing efficiency and environmental improvements, and creating 50 new jobs.

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Tata Steel and UK Government agrees £500 million Grant Funding Agreement as part of £1.25bn low-emission steel package

11 September 2024: Tata Steel and the UK Government has formally signed a grant funding agreement worth £500m, allowing Tata Steel to proceed with its plans to install a state-of-the-art Electric Arc Furnace at its Port Talbot steelworks in Wales. This signifies the biggest investment in the UK’s modern steel sector, as Tata Steel is inputting another £750m.

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New report: Opportunity for Government to reduce electricity prices to uplift steel industry

2nd Sept 24: UK Steel's new report on industrial electricity prices, featured in The Times, demonstrates that a sizable gap remains between what UK steelmakers and their European competitors pay. The report also sets out three recommendations to bring electricity prices in line with European counterparts.

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UK Steel responds to National Wealth Fund announcement after £2.5bn commitment in Labour manifesto

9 July 2024: The Chancellor Rachel Reeves and the Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, alongside Secretary of State for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Ed Miliband, have today announced the new National Wealth Fund. The plans will align key institutions that will boost growth and unlock investment.

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Electricity prices for UK steelmakers over double that of French and Spanish - new government must deliver competitive prices for industry

4 July 2024: New UK Steel analysis, featured in The Guardian, shows that over the past three months, the UK’s electricity wholesale price is more than double the cost of French and Spanish electricity. The data shows an alarming new trend in industrial electricity costs, and it is critical that the next government resolves the problem regardless of the outcome of the General Election.

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Extension of steel safeguards is hugely significant, now focus must shift beyond 2026

26 June 2024: The Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Kemi Badenoch, has given the go ahead to extend the UK’s steel safeguards for all 15 product categories until June 2026. The trade remedy tool can only be applied until June 2026 according to World Trade Organisation rules. With global steelmaking capacity only on the rise, the problems faced by the steel sector will not go away any time soon and UK Steel is now working on new models for future remedies.

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Essential that new government projects buy UK steel, as stats show at least £1.5bn could be spent abroad

24 June 2024: New analysis by UK Steel, featured in The Times, has found that current government infrastructure projects may spend over £1.5 billion on steel bought from abroad. Over the next decade, existing government figures show a steel order book spend worth an estimated £4.3 billion. However, the latest data confirms that only 66% of this steel is purchased from UK steelmakers.

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Critical carbon border policy’s sluggish timeline will leave UK steel sector exposed

18 December 2024: By confirming a CBAM from 2027 instead of matching the EU’s 2026 timeline, the Government risks high-emission steel being dumped in the UK from 2026 when the EU CBAM takes effect.

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UK steel sector calls for action to safeguard steel scrap supplies amid domestic and worldwide anticipated surge in demand

4 December 2023: A new report, unveiled by UK Steel, urges the Government to capitalise on the UK’s current competitive advantage, that we generate over 10 million tonnes of steel scrap each year, to create the conditions needed for a vibrant, circular economy that makes the best domestic use of this vital material.

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Autumn Statement: Chancellor missed opportunity to confirm carbon border policy

22 November 2023: The Chancellor has today missed a major opportunity to confirm that the UK will implement a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) in his Autumn Statement. UK Steel, the trade association for steel companies in the UK, says that the country is now in danger of playing catch-up with the EU on timetables, leaving a critical, trade-exposed industry at risk.

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New report shows Government should reduce electricity prices ahead of electric steel future

13 November 2023: UK Steel has today launched a report showcasing the vast chasm between UK industrial electricity prices and what European competitors pay, setting out four recommendations to deliver competitive electricity prices for the UK steel industry.

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UK Steel: British Steel announcement heralds a vision for new, modern steelmaking

6 November 2023: UK Steel comments on British Steel's proposed plan for £1.25 billion investment to adopt electric arc furnace steelmaking. With British Steel’s announcement, it is clear the UK steel sector is completely committed to rapid decarbonisation. Just one year after publishing the sector’s Net Zero roadmap, the UK’s major steel producers are taking crucial steps to decarbonise by 2035.

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UK Steel comments on Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer’s speech at Port Talbot Steelworks

23 October 2023: We welcome Labour’s continued commitment to the future of our steel industry. Steel is a strategically vital core product that no developed economy can be without.

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UK Steel responds to Network Charging Compensation and calls to close gap on industrial power price disparity

11 October 2023: The Government has today published the Network Charging Compensation scheme. This follows the announcement of the Industrial Supercharger Scheme in February and a consultation with industry on network charges. Today’s announcement confirms that Government will compensate industry for 60% of the network charges it faces.

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Why do we need a strong steel sector in the UK?

2 October 2023: UK Steel has today unveiled its report “Why the UK needs a strong steel sector”. The UK’s steel industry is the bedrock of the UK’s supply chains, central to the country’s economic potential and our resilience at a time of geopolitical turbulence. Now is the time to be bold and seize the opportunity to lead the world by building a Net Zero steel sector.

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UK Steel responds to announcement of Government and Tata Steel funding agreement

15 September 2023: "This is an important day for the UK steel sector. Government has confirmed its firm and bold commitment to the future of steelmaking here in the UK."

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First Metro Mayor pledge to use more UK steel after huge Metro Rail steel order

5 September 2023: Andy Street, Metro Mayor for the West Midlands, signed the UK Steel Charter, committing to using UK-made steel wherever possible in key projects in his region.

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Government must have hawk-like vision to spearhead steel industry decarbonisation strategy

4 July 2023: The Government published its response to its UK Emission Trading Scheme (UK ETS) consultation announcing that the scheme will have a tighter limit on industrial, power and aviation emissions, maintaining the existing free allowances until 2026.

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UK steel production slumps as energy costs soar

12 May 2023: UK Steel releases its latest statistics report which shows production levels of UK steel in 2022 dropped to their lowest since the Great Depression.

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UK Steel calls for extension of Government energy support

14 December 2022: Electricity prices have risen to over £1,500/MWh this week, over 30 times the historical average, forcing some steelmakers to cease production temporarily.

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Future of UK Steel - Five Steel Sector Priorities for a New Government

28 September 2022: Following the establishment of the new government and appointment of key positions, UK Steel sets at in this document it five key policy priorities to deliver a sustainable future of the UK steel sector and the fundamental reasons why domestic steel production is so important to the UK.

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UK steel industry sets out vision for Net Zero transition, securing green jobs and investment

July 2022: To create a Net-Zero steel sector in the UK and meet Government targets, a new report from UK Steel calls for a renewed focus on establishing a positive policy environment for steelmaking.

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