GREEN STEEL: Tata ‘confident’ supply will hold and furnace project unaffected after Port Talbot fire

Tata Steel has insisted it remains confident of keeping supply flowing to customers after last week’s fire at its Port Talbot works — and that the blaze will not affect the plant’s £1.25bn switch to greener steelmaking.

The company said the fire broke out at its Pickle Line facility, one of the stages that turns raw, hot-rolled steel into a finished product.

A pickle line chemically cleans hot-rolled steel in an acid bath to strip away surface scale, before a cold mill rolls the cleaned steel thinner and stronger at room temperature — two sequential steps in producing finished steel.

With the Port Talbot pickle line out of action, Tata said it had moved quickly to route work elsewhere — making greater use of the existing pickle line at its Llanwern site near Newport, and drawing up plans to restart the mothballed Llanwern cold mill.

The company said it was also drawing on supply chain arrangements from the wider Tata Steel Group where needed, and that stock levels across Tata and the broader UK supply chain were “healthy”, providing resilience while the mitigation measures take effect.

Tata added that operations at the Port Talbot Hot Strip Mill — paused for planned maintenance — have now resumed.

Rajesh Nair, chief executive of Tata Steel UK, said teams had “worked around the clock in recent days to implement mitigation plans”.

“Based on our current assessments, we remain confident in our ability to continue supporting customers and downstream manufacturers during this period and do not currently expect significant market-wide disruption,” he said.

He said the company continued to work closely with customers across construction, automotive and wider UK industry.

Crucially, Tata said the fire would not affect its plans to build the electric arc furnace that is central to the future of steelmaking in the town.

“The long-term transformation of Port Talbot remains absolutely central to our future plans and the wider Electric Arc Furnace project continues to progress at pace,” Mr Nair said.

The reassurance comes after a week in which the furnace project itself faced questions, with the £1.25bn scheme reported to be facing a delay of up to eight months because of a hold-up to the power connection the National Grid is building to run it — a setback that drew cross-party demands for answers in the Senedd.

The electric arc furnace is designed to make lower-carbon “green steel” by melting scrap rather than burning coal — replacing the blast furnaces that closed in 2024 with the loss of around 2,000 jobs.

The fire broke out at the works earlier this month, with crews from Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service remaining on site for two days. Tata said investigations into the cause are under way.

#PortTalbotSteelworks #TataSteel

GREEN STEEL DELAY: ‘No formal change’ to furnace timetable — as row breaks out over who knew what

A political row has broken out in the Senedd over who knew what — and when — about the delay to Port Talbot‘s £1.25bn electric arc furnace.

News that the furnace could be delayed by up to eight months because of a hold-up to its National Grid power connection emerged on 7 June — days after a major fire at the steelworks’ Cold Mill.

Welsh Conservative shadow minister for economy, energy and planning Janet Finch-Saunders MS raised the issue during an emergency statement in the Senedd on Wednesday following the fire — saying that while attention had focused on the blaze, concerns about delays to the furnace may have been known for weeks.

It was reported on 7 June that Tata Steel had discussed potential delays linked to National Grid connectivity issues with “investors” during a conference call around a month earlier.

Ms Finch-Saunders is seeking clarity on whether those “investors” included the UK Government — which is putting £500m towards the £1.25bn project.

“If UK Government Ministers were aware of the issue a month ago, were Welsh Government Ministers informed? If Welsh Government were not informed, why not? If Welsh Government were informed, why did the Economy Minister tell the Senedd today that he only became aware of the delay on Monday?” she said.

“We now need a clear timeline setting out exactly when concerns first emerged and who was told. Port Talbot workers and their families deserve answers.”

The Welsh Conservatives are also seeking clarification on whether any of the £80m transition fund established by the previous UK Conservative government — to support workers at risk of losing their jobs — remains available if the delays create further financial problems for affected workers.

But First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth defended his government’s handling of the situation — telling the Senedd that Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy Adam Price had spoken directly with Tata Steel UK’s chief executive the previous day.

“My government is determined to do all that we can to support investment at TATA,” he said. “My minister for enterprise, connectivity and energy did speak yesterday with Tata Steel UK’s Chief Executive Officer in order to discuss the way ahead in terms of the electricity connection.

“Many of the powers of course are in the hands of the UK Government, but we will do everything in our powers as a Welsh Government to facilitate progress towards the delivery of that investment. That is why my minister acted so quickly.”

The First Minister also took aim at opposition parties’ records on steel: “The contribution made last year by Reform was to say that they wanted to bring back a defunct blast furnace to secure the future of Port Talbot, while my party put plans on the table that could have retained, we believe, virgin steel making in Port Talbot.”

Meanwhile, Aberafan Maesteg MP Stephen Kinnock — whose constituency includes the steelworks — said he had met Tata for a briefing on the implications of the fire, and revealed the company is looking at reviving its mothballed cold mill at Llanwern to maintain supply to customers.

“They have acted at speed to limit disruption and are looking at options to maintain supply to their customers, including by reviving the previously mothballed cold mill in Llanwern,” he said in a statement issued on 10 June. “Tata are working with the unions to look at the deployment / re-deployment of personnel working across both the Pickle Line and Cold Mill at Port Talbot.”

On the furnace delay, Mr Kinnock said: “I also received an update on reports of potential delays to the EAF project. There is no formal change in the timetable at this stage and National Grid, UK Government and Tata Steel are continuing to work together to deliver the project in a timely fashion.”

He also thanked firefighters “for their efforts in bringing the blaze under control and the professionalism of Tata’s workforce”, saying the response meant there were “thankfully no injuries”.

The electric arc furnace is the centrepiece of Tata’s transition at Port Talbot following the closure of the works’ blast furnaces, and the connection delay has already prompted cross-party calls for answers from Tata and National Grid — with former Aberavon MS David Rees among those calling for National Grid to face penalties over the hold-up.

The Welsh Government’s response to the delay — and the Conservatives’ demand for a timeline — comes with the steelworks still recovering from the Cold Mill fire, which burned for two days earlier this month and caused part of the building to collapse.

Answers to the questions of who knew about the delay, and when, are now awaited from both governments.

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GREEN STEEL DELAY: Former Aberavon MS says National Grid should face penalties over delayed electric furnace connection

The delay to Port Talbot’s new electric arc furnace — caused by the National Grid’s own infrastructure works running behind — is worse than feared, according to the former politician who spent years scrutinising the project.

David Rees, the former Labour MS for Aberavon and a long-standing chair of the Senedd’s cross-party group on steel, was responding to Tata Steel’s warning that the £1.25bn furnace could be held up by up to eight months, after the National Grid told the company its connection project was running late.

The grid operator needs to build two new substations and lay miles of underground cabling to power the furnace, and has blamed ground conditions and planning issues for the hold-up.

His comments relate to that grid connection — a separate issue from the recent fire at the site’s cold mill.

Rees said he had questioned the grid connection from the very start of the project.

“One of the questions I asked Tata at the beginning of the EAF project was about the grid connection, and were they sure that it would be ready by late 2027,” he said.

He said he had been told repeatedly that the National Grid had given assurances the work would be delivered on time.

“It’s a question I continued to ask every time we met to discuss the project, and every time I received the same assurances,” he said.

In recent months, he said, workers had begun raising concerns that the timeline was slipping.

“I had hoped it would only be a couple of months at worst, and that we would see the EAF operating in spring 2028,” he said.

“It now appears that that was too hopeful, and it is now moving into autumn 2028 before the EAF is operational.”

That timeline goes further than Tata’s own public position, which put the likely delay at six to eight months.

Rees called on the UK and Welsh governments to commit to getting the furnace running as quickly as possible and to minimise any further delay.

He said they “must get National Grid to guarantee this, and pay penalties if they fail to do so”.

The electric arc furnace is central to the future of steelmaking in Port Talbot, replacing the blast furnaces that closed in 2024 with the loss of around 2,000 jobs.

It is designed to make lower-carbon “green steel” by melting scrap in an electric furnace rather than burning coal — but it needs a major grid upgrade to power it.

“We all want to see steel once again being produced in Port Talbot, and it is imperative that this is done as soon as possible,” Rees said.

“Our town and workers deserve nothing less.”

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GREEN STEEL: Port Talbot’s £1.25bn furnace could be delayed by up to eight months over power hold-up

Tata Steel’s switch to “green steel” at Port Talbot could be delayed by up to eight months, the company has warned — because of problems connecting its new furnace to the power network.

The £1.25bn electric arc furnace, which will make lower-carbon steel by melting scrap rather than burning coal, was due to be running by the end of 2027 — replacing the blast furnaces that closed two years ago with the loss of around 2,000 jobs.

But the project now hinges on a major upgrade to the electricity network — and that work has hit problems.

The new furnace will melt scrap steel using huge amounts of electricity, rather than the coal-fired blast furnaces it replaces, and securing enough power is critical to the switch.

Tata is working with the National Grid to build the infrastructure needed to feed it.

Port Talbot from above with the town’s steelworks in the distance (Image: Neath Port Talbot Council)

The warning came from the company’s executive director and chief financial officer, Koushik Chatterjee, during a conference call with investors last month.

Chatterjee said major demolition work on the site had been completed and the project was progressing, but that “securing access to high power electricity is critical for our planned transition”.

He said the National Grid had “formally alerted us that their connectivity project is delayed”, and that Tata was in talks with the grid operator and the UK government to resolve the issue.

Asked how long the hold-up might be, he said: “Somewhat between, say, six months to eight months will certainly be there, maybe higher, after we have built the plant.”

In a statement, Tata said timelines for major projects “continue to evolve” as engineering, construction and infrastructure work progresses.

The company said it was discussing “potential adjustments to the commissioning timetable” with its partners to deliver the project “safely and as quickly as possible”.

Massive ladles and overhead cranes inside Port Talbot steelworks, as Tata prepares the site for Electric Arc Furnace installation. (Credit: Tata Steel)

The scale of the grid work is considerable. The National Grid said it involved building two new substations, installing transformers and laying 2km of underground cables.

It said issues with ground conditions, along with environmental and planning considerations, had contributed to the delays, but that “good progress” was being made.

Much of that work has already been visible across Port Talbot. Earlier this year the council approved a major expansion of a substation described as “nationally important” to the steel project.

Motorists have also faced up to a year of roadworks as the underground electricity network is upgraded to carry the extra load.

The delay is the latest twist in a turbulent period for the works, which is partway through a £1.25bn transformation that has already cost thousands of jobs.

The setback comes during a difficult spell for the works. Days earlier, a major fire tore through a processing line at the site, leaving part of a building collapsed.

The company said the blaze had forced its Hot Strip Mill offline, with a restart planned for the middle of next week, and that it was routing some work through its Llanwern site to keep supplies flowing to customers.

Tata says the electric arc furnace remains central to its plans for steelmaking in Port Talbot — but for now, the question is when, not if, it will fire up.

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STEELWORKS FIRE: Tata aims to restart Hot Strip Mill mid-next week as fire crews finally leave Port Talbot after two days

The major fire at Tata Steel’s Port Talbot works has been brought to an end, with the final fire crews leaving the site on Friday morning — more than two days after the blaze broke out.

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said its last crews left the scene at 9.34am on Friday, June 5.

The fire broke out at one of the site’s processing lines on the evening of Wednesday, June 3, and burned through the following day before it was finally extinguished.

A turntable ladder reaches towards the roof inside the steelworks as crews worked through the night. Image: Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service

The fire service has now revealed the full scale of the response, describing one of the most demanding operations it has faced in years.

Crews from 17 fire stations attended over the course of the incident — from Port Talbot, Neath and Morriston to as far afield as Carmarthen, Haverfordwest and Milford Haven — backed by colleagues from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service and Avon Fire and Rescue Service.

At its height, the fire service said, 31 fire engines and more than 100 firefighters were at the scene.

Water is directed across the blackened, fire-damaged interior of the mill, showing the scale of the structure crews faced. Image: Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service

The building involved was a vast industrial structure measuring around 1,200 metres by 200 metres, used as a cold mill and pickle line, the service said.

Crews used four main jets, three ground monitors, thermal imaging cameras, breathing apparatus, three turntable ladders, a high-volume pump and a drone to bring the fire under control and monitor the scene.

At one stage, crews had to switch to defensive firefighting — tackling the blaze from a distance — because of concerns about the structure of the building.

It was a genuine multi-agency effort, with South Wales Police, the ambulance service, the Urban Search and Rescue Team, the Hazardous Area Response Team, Public Health Wales and Natural Resources Wales all involved.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/zwNVWLRaysg

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service Chief Fire Officer Craig Flannery said crews had dealt with “a highly challenging industrial fire involving extensive infrastructure and hazardous materials.”

He said the scale of the incident, and the need to switch to defensive firefighting because of structural concerns, had “demonstrated the very highest standards of operational professionalism, decision-making, and discipline.”

Mr Flannery said: “Since Wednesday evening, we have responded to several significant and complex incidents, most notably the major fire at the Tata Steel site in Port Talbot and a further large-scale industrial fire at Neath Abbey Wharf. These incidents have required substantial resources, careful coordination, and prolonged operational commitment.”

He added: “I would like to extend my thanks to our operational crews and Joint Control Room operators for their professionalism and dedication. I would also like to recognise the strength of our partnership working, particularly the support provided by colleagues from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service and Avon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.”

His thanks came at the end of a punishing few days for the service, which was also fighting a separate large-scale fire at a recycling centre in Skewen on the Thursday.

What it means for the steelworks

As crews stood down, Tata Steel set out the impact of the fire on its operations and its plans to recover.

The company said the fire had been at its Pickle Line, and that its Hot Strip Mill had been temporarily taken offline during the incident.

Teams are now working towards a planned restart of the Hot Strip Mill in the middle of next week, Tata said.

In the meantime, the company said its supply chain teams were putting mitigation plans in place — including alternative processing at its Llanwern cold mill and pickle line — to maintain supply to customers.

A full assessment of the affected area is now under way, Tata added, saying its priority remained the safety of its staff and the stable operation of the site.

The company thanked its employees and the emergency services for their swift response.

A turbulent few days

The fire capped a dramatic period for the Port Talbot works. It broke out on Wednesday evening, when more than 100 firefighters from across Wales and the West of England were scrambled to the site overnight.

By the Thursday, part of the building had collapsed, with the union Unite warning of substantial damage to a vital production line and calling for jobs to be protected.

That evening, Tata said the fire had been restricted to a “confined area” of the Cold Mill, while crews continued to hold the scene.

First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth was among those to pay tribute to the emergency services during the response, thanking them for ensuring no one was harmed.

The cause of the fire has not yet been established.

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STEELWORKS FIRE: Tata says blaze restricted to ‘confined area’ of Cold Mill but is unable to assess damage while crews remain on site

The major fire at Tata Steel’s Port Talbot works has been brought under control, more than 20 hours after it tore through one of the site’s processing lines.

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service remained on site into Thursday evening, keeping control of the area of the Cold Mill where the fire broke out the night before.

Because crews were still holding the area, Tata Steel said it was not yet able to assess the cause of the fire, the scale of the damage, or the potential impact on its operations.

But the company moved to reassure on the wider site. A spokesperson said the fire had been “restricted to a confined area,” and that while the Hot Rolling Mill was paused as a precaution, it was unaffected and was expected to restart production shortly.

Tata said it was “investigating a number of options in order to minimise the potential impact on its downstream businesses and external customers.”

The update marked a calmer moment at the end of a dramatic 24 hours at the steelworks.

The fire broke out at around 8pm on Wednesday at one of the site’s processing lines. More than 100 firefighters from across Wales and the West of England were thrown at it through the night, with crews drawn from 16 stations as far afield as Milford Haven, backed by colleagues from South Wales and Avon. All staff were accounted for and evacuated safely.

The scale of the response told its own story, with the Rapid Relief Team — which supports crews at major incidents — describing an “incredibly demanding and hazardous” night and serving around 150 meals to responders.

The response drew praise from the highest level of Welsh government. First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth thanked the emergency services, whose “heroic efforts ensured no one was harmed during the major fire at Tata Steel in Port Talbot.”

“I am very grateful for their outstanding service and commitment,” he said.

By Thursday, the fire had proved stubborn. Part of the building had collapsed, with fallen machinery trapping the fire beneath it and making it harder for crews to reach the flames.

It was at that point that the union Unite struck a more cautious note than the company would later take, warning the blaze had caused substantial damage to a vital production line and calling for jobs to be protected at Tata and down the supply chain during any disruption.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham thanked the emergency services and said no one had been hurt, but warned that “measures must now be put in place to protect jobs both at Tata and down the supply chain during any period of disruption.”

That tension — between the company’s reassurance and the union’s caution — is likely to define the story in the days ahead, with the true picture unlikely to become clear until crews hand the Cold Mill back and a damage assessment can begin.

The cause of the fire has not been established. Tata has stressed it was not connected to the controlled demolition of an empty, redundant gas holder carried out at the site earlier on Wednesday evening, which it described as safe and successful.

The steelworks blaze was not the only major incident facing the fire service. In the early hours of Thursday, crews were called to a separate fire at a recycling centre at Neath Abbey Wharf in Skewen, several miles away — an incident the service says was also still ongoing.

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said no appliances or officers were redeployed from the Tata response to deal with it, and that it had maintained effective operational cover across its area throughout.

It is the second major fire to grip Port Talbot in barely five weeks. At the end of April, a huge blaze involving around 200 tonnes of commercial waste sent black smoke billowing over the town from an industrial site on Dock Road, tying up eight fire stations for days.

The works is no stranger to the crews who fought the blaze. In January, firefighters scaled a 32-metre tower at the steelworks in a multi-agency rescue drill designed to test emergency protocols at the site.

The Port Talbot works is one of the largest steel sites in the world and the region’s biggest industrial employer. Tata closed its two blast furnaces in 2024 with thousands of job losses, and is in the middle of a £1.25bn transformation of the site, switching from coal-fired blast furnaces to a greener electric arc furnace that will melt scrap steel — with steel processing continuing in the meantime.

This is a developing story and we will bring you more as we get it. Anyone affected by smoke is advised to keep windows and doors closed.

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PORT TALBOT: Steelworks fire burns into a second day as part of the building collapses — with union warning over jobs

The huge fire at Tata Steel’s Port Talbot works was still burning on Thursday, more than a day after it broke out — and crews are now battling a blaze that has buried itself beneath a collapsed building.

Part of the structure has caved in, making it far harder for firefighters to reach the flames, the Rapid Relief Team said after supporting crews at the scene.

A spokesman for the charity, which has been feeding responders throughout, said part of the building had “collapsed in” and that “a lot of machinery has fallen on top trapping the fire underneath.”

Live update from RRT Swansea who are still on scene supporting responders in Port Talbot at the Tata Steel incident.#rrtcares pic.twitter.com/OcRYDaV85W

— Rapid Relief Team UK (@RRT_UK) June 4, 2026

The fire broke out at one of the site’s processing lines at around 8pm on Wednesday. All staff were accounted for and evacuated safely, as more than 100 firefighters were thrown at the blaze through the night — crews drawn from 16 stations across south and west Wales, with reinforcements from South Wales and Avon.

By Thursday afternoon the picture had hardened from “ongoing” to something more serious, with confirmation of significant damage and a fire that was proving stubborn to put out.

The union Unite said the blaze had caused “substantial damage to a vital production line” — and moved quickly to put jobs at the centre of the story.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham thanked the emergency services for bringing the situation under control so quickly, and said no one had been hurt and workers had been evacuated safely.

But she warned: “Measures must now be put in place to protect jobs both at Tata and down the supply chain during any period of disruption.”

She added that the union was asking Tata and the government to ensure that operations were “rebuilt as swiftly as possible.”

Unite Wales secretary Peter Hughes said the union was committed to working with the company to secure the long-term future of Port Talbot and the wider Tata operation in the UK.

The jobs warning lands in a town already on edge. Tata closed its two blast furnaces in 2024 with thousands of job losses, and is in the middle of a £1.25bn transformation of the site — switching to a greener electric arc furnace, with steel processing continuing in the meantime. A fire on one of those remaining lines is the last thing the workforce needed.

There was at least some reassurance for residents. Welsh Government monitoring showed air pollution in Port Talbot classed as low on Thursday, though officials note the effects of a fire can be localised — and South Wales Police’s advice for nearby residents to keep windows and doors shut still stands.

The Rapid Relief Team served more than 200 meals to crews over the course of the incident. Image: Rapid Relief Team

It was a punishing shift for the crews. The Rapid Relief Team said it served around 150 hot meals through the night and a further 70 on Thursday morning to keep responders going, with firefighters, ambulance HART medics and high-volume pump crews all rotating through its support tent.

Among the stations that sent crews through the night was Ammanford’s Station 57, which said its firefighters had worked alongside colleagues “from across the Service” and thanked partners on site for their cooperation.

The works is no stranger to those crews. In January, firefighters scaled a 32-metre tower at the steelworks in a dramatic multi-agency rescue drill — an exercise designed partly to test Tata’s emergency protocols in a live industrial setting. Months later, the same teams were back fighting the real thing.

It is the second major fire to grip Port Talbot in barely five weeks. At the end of April, a huge blaze involving around 200 tonnes of commercial waste sent black smoke billowing over the town from an industrial site on Dock Road.

Tata Steel has stressed the fire was not connected to the controlled demolition of an empty, redundant gas holder carried out at the site earlier on Wednesday evening, which it called safe and successful.

The cause has not been established, and the company has said it cannot yet assess the full damage.

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Over 100 firefighters from across Wales and the West of England tackle massive fire at Port Talbot steelworks

A huge fire tore through Tata Steel’s Port Talbot works on Wednesday night, throwing thick black smoke across the town and lighting the night sky a furious orange.

Flames ripped through one of the site’s processing lines from around 8pm, sending a vast plume over the M4 and sparking one of the biggest fire responses the area has seen this year.

Flames take hold inside the Port Talbot steelworks as crews train hoses on the fire. Image: Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service was called at 8.06pm — and the scale of the response tells its own story.

Appliances were sent from 16 of its stations: Port Talbot, Neath, Morriston, Glynneath, Cymmer, Swansea West, Swansea Central, Pontarddulais, Llanelli, Carmarthen, Ammanford, Gorseinon, Pontyates, Kidwelly, Haverfordwest and Milford Haven.

With each appliance crewed by four or five firefighters, several stations sending more than one engine, and command units on top, that points to well over 80 Mid and West Wales firefighters tackling the blaze at its peak — before reinforcements from two other services are even counted.

Some came from the far end of the patch. Milford Haven’s crew faced a journey of more than 70 miles to reach it.

And that was just one fire service. On top of its own crews, Mid and West Wales called in colleagues from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, and from Avon Fire and Rescue Service — based over the Prince of Wales Bridge in and around Bristol, also more than 70 miles away.

Tata Steel said the fire broke out at one of the site’s processing lines and that all staff were accounted for and evacuated safely.

Photographs released by the fire service showed flames glowing through the cladding of one of the vast sheds, with firefighters training hoses on the building as smoke rolled overhead.

Kellie Evans, who drove past as the blaze took hold, told the BBC the scene was “very apocalyptic,” saying the sky was so black she couldn’t see the flames — and that drivers were pulling over to look.

Flames light up the night behind security fencing at the Tata Steel site. Image: Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service

South Wales Police told residents to keep their windows and doors shut and urged people to stay away. Large plumes of smoke were visible across the area, the force said, and drivers were asked to find alternative routes.

It was a brutal night for the crews. The Rapid Relief Team, which feeds the emergency services at major incidents, said around 100 responders faced an “incredibly demanding and hazardous” shift.

The charity said eight fire appliances, two foam units, two high-reach turntable platforms and a high-volume pump were thrown at the fire, and that its volunteers turned out 125 hot meals through the night to keep crews going.

By Thursday morning the worst was over. Heavy overnight rain helped beat the flames back, leaving only small wisps of smoke drifting from the rolling mill end of the plant.

Daylight reveals fire damage to the cladding of the steelworks building on Thursday morning. Image: Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service

Traffic on the M4, slowed by the smoke overnight, was flowing freely again, and from the outside the works looked much as normal — though crews remained busy inside.

Tata Steel moved quickly to head off speculation about the cause, stressing the fire was not connected to the controlled demolition of an empty, redundant gas holder carried out at the site earlier that evening, which it called safe and successful.

That demolition is part of a sweeping clear-out of the old works. In January, Tata released footage from deep inside the plant showing the scale of the demolition and reconstruction now under way as it clears redundant structures to make way for its new electric arc furnace.

The cause of the fire has not been established, and the company said it could not yet assess the damage.

In a statement, Tata thanked its site teams and the emergency services for their “prompt and professional action,” and said further updates would follow.

It is the second major fire to grip Port Talbot in barely five weeks. At the end of April, a huge blaze involving around 200 tonnes of commercial waste sent black smoke billowing over the town from an industrial site on Dock Road, tying up eight fire stations for days.

The Port Talbot works is one of the largest steel sites in the world and the region’s biggest industrial employer. Tata closed its two blast furnaces in 2024 with thousands of job losses, and is in the middle of a £1.25bn transformation of the site — switching from coal-fired blast furnaces to a greener electric arc furnace that will melt scrap steel.

The transition has meant huge upheaval in and around the works, from the demolition now reshaping the site to a major expansion of the local electricity network needed to power the new furnace. Steel processing — turning imported slabs into finished products — has continued throughout in the absence of the furnaces.

This is a developing story and we will bring you more as we get it. Anyone affected by smoke is advised to keep windows and doors closed.

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PORT TALBOT STEEL GETS NEW ROLE IN GREEN ENERGY FUTURE: Welsh consortium launches research into wind turbine towers made with local steel

Researchers backed by Welsh Government funding have launched a project that could see the steel being made in Port Talbot’s new electric arc furnace used to build the next generation of wind turbine towers — creating a direct link between the town’s industrial future and Wales’s clean energy ambitions.

The consortium, led by the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, includes Tata Steel UK, energy companies RWE and Bute Energy, and engineering firms Hutchinson Engineering and Ledwood. It has been awarded £174,000 through the Welsh Government’s SMART Flexible Innovation Support scheme to research a new approach to turbine tower design using thin strip, coil-based steel produced in low-emission electric arc furnaces.

The significance for Port Talbot is immediate. Tata Steel is currently in the middle of a £1.25 billion transition from blast furnace steelmaking to electric arc furnace production — a transformation that has already cost thousands of jobs at the steelworks but which the company says will deliver a cleaner, more competitive future. As Swansea Bay News has reported extensively, construction of the new furnace is now under way, with commissioning expected by the end of 2027 or early 2028.

The type of steel at the heart of this new research project — thin strip, coil-based product made in an electric arc furnace — is precisely the kind of output that Port Talbot’s new operation will be able to produce. That steel is also the feedstock that flows downstream to operations including the Trostre tinplate works in Llanelli, which produces coated steel for food and drink packaging and which is directly dependent on the Port Talbot supply chain.

The turbine tower research aims to solve a specific problem in the UK’s renewable energy sector. Most wind turbine towers currently built in Britain rely on thick steel plate imported from overseas — creating a bottleneck in the supply chain and adding cost and carbon to projects. The consortium wants to develop a design that replaces imported thick plate with domestically produced thin strip coil steel, using engineering techniques borrowed from the marine and aerospace industries to create structures that are lighter, stronger and cheaper.

Crucially, the proposed design would also be dismantlable and recyclable — meaning that when turbines reach the end of their working life, the steel could be melted down and reused. Bute Energy’s Catryn Newton described it as a circular economy vision for Welsh steel: end-of-life turbines helping to power homes and industry for decades could eventually be recycled through the electric arc furnace and transformed into the towers of the next generation.

“If we get this right, we could see end of life turbines that have been helping to power homes and industry across Wales for the past 30 years, recycled and sent to the newer electric arc furnaces,” she said. “The work of this group is exploring whether that scrap metal can be transformed into a material that could be used in the next generation turbine towers, helping to power Wales’ clean power future.”

Computer-generated perspective of how Tata Steel at Port Talbot will look once the new EAF (electric arc furnace) is fully completed.
(Image: Tata Steel)

Tata Steel’s Sumitesh Das said the company was excited to be involved in research that could position Wales as a global hub for this kind of innovation. “As Tata Steel UK transitions to electric arc furnace steelmaking, our ambition is to ensure domestic supply chains capitalise on the growth of clean energy and help drive economic growth in the UK,” he said.

The project comes as Port Talbot’s industrial community continues to navigate the painful consequences of the blast furnace closures, which took around 2,800 jobs with them. The hope — articulated by politicians, unions and the company itself — has been that the new electric arc furnace would not only preserve steelmaking in the town but open doors to new markets and new applications for Welsh steel. This wind tower project is one of the first concrete examples of what that future might look like in practice.

Aberafan Maesteg MP Stephen Kinnock welcomed the research, saying it was essential that British and Welsh steel played a central role in the clean energy transition. “This research demonstrates how Wales and the UK can remain at the forefront of the transition to renewable energy,” he said. “By decreasing reliance on imported steel we can bolster energy security, create economic growth, secure regional jobs, and support offshore wind deployment in the Celtic Sea and beyond.”

Rebecca Evans MS, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, said the investment reflected the Welsh Government’s commitment to building a greener economy. She pointed to the potential for creating high-value jobs and strengthening supply chains as Welsh industry pivots towards clean energy.

The Celtic Sea, off the coast of Pembrokeshire and west Wales, is one of the most promising sites for floating offshore wind development in the UK. Port Talbot — with its established steel expertise, its port infrastructure and its proximity to that potential wind farm zone — has long been identified as a natural base for offshore wind supply chain activity. As Swansea Bay News has reported, a £64 million wind energy hub plan for Port Talbot has already been put forward with the promise of up to 5,000 jobs.

The first phase of the new research project will focus specifically on onshore turbine tower design and the commercial case for using locally produced coil steel. If the concept proves viable, the researchers say it could be extended to offshore and floating wind applications in later phases — potentially unlocking a significant new market for the steel being made in Port Talbot and processed downstream at Trostre.

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PORT TALBOT JACKPOT: Steelworkers’ syndicate scoop £1M – and reunion to remember

A 15-strong syndicate of ex-colleagues from Port Talbot is celebrating after scooping a life-changing £1,000,000 in the EuroMillions draw.

The group – dubbed the “Tata Steel Syndicate” – first started playing together while working long shifts in the finance team at the town’s iconic steelworks.

What began as a bit of fun to lift spirits during 14-hour days turned into a seven-year tradition… and now a huge payday.

At the heart of it all is syndicate leader Paul Davy, 61, who kept the group going long after colleagues moved on – sending weekly emails and organising their £5 entries.

He said: “I couldn’t believe it – a message just popped up on the app.

“I thought it must be an error, but then I saw the winning code. I was in complete shock.”

Members of the Port Talbot syndicate celebrate their £1 million EuroMillions win on the seafront after scooping the jackpot.
(Image: Matthew Horwood/PA Media Assignments)

The win came via the Millionaire Maker code in the Friday February 27 draw – instantly making every member of the syndicate a winner.

But for Paul, the money is only part of the story.

“This win has given us the perfect excuse to celebrate together properly,” he said. “We haven’t all been in the same room for years.”

Despite going their separate ways professionally, the group remained close – staying in touch through emails, occasional meet-ups and the odd pint.

Now, they’re planning a full reunion to mark the moment their loyalty finally paid off.

Among those celebrating the windfall are Gill Furlong, Christine Davies, Sally Wise, Julie Lambert, Allan Evans, Ian Howells and Raja Prasad – all still living locally.

The group say the winnings will go towards a mix of practical plans and long-held dreams.

Top of the list? Paying off mortgages, dream kitchen renovations, new cars and long-awaited holidays.

For Paul, a return to cruising is firmly on the cards.

“Me and my partner went on a cruise a couple of years ago and loved it,” he said. “So another one – maybe the Mediterranean – is definitely on the list.”

The 15-strong syndicate pose together after their life-changing EuroMillions win.
(Image: Matthew Horwood/PA Media Assignments)

The syndicate had always treated their weekly ticket as “a bit like donating to charity with a chance of winning” – a mindset that made the shock even greater when their numbers finally came in.

And while the £1 million prize will be split between the 15 members, the real reward might just be the friendships it has rekindled.

After years of near-misses, hopeful emails and small stakes, their persistence has paid off in spectacular fashion – turning a simple workplace tradition into a story they’ll never forget.

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