The tragedy of steel making at Port Talbot

Yes, it is a tragedy. An estimated 12,000 people either directly or indirectly will be affected.

I've never understood the Brexit vote in Wales when it was a great beneficiary of EU support. They, and indeed all of us, are now at the mercy of liars and incompetents as you rightly say.

Yes it’s a tragedy that all our core industries have been dismantled, Thatcher started it and all governments have continued in the same way. I look across the channel and see the French who still have nationally owned Car, Steel, Shipbuilding, Energy and Utility industries. In many cases we pay them to run our essential needs, it’s just madness.

Are coal fired furnaces contrary to the UK’s net zero target?

Neath Port Talbot voted leave

GrannyGravy13

Are coal fired furnaces contrary to the UK’s net zero target?

Yes, it’s very polluting. They are opening an electricity operated recycling plant for steel at Port Talbot instead, but not for several years. My understanding is that the anger locally is in part because whilst they understand the environmental concerns, they wanted to keep one of the two blast furnaces open in the interim but this was not supported, so thousands will lose their jobs, only for some to be reemployed in 2027.
The bigger issue is that as varian said, there will now be no ability to produce virgin steel in the UK.

GrannyGravy13

Are coal fired furnaces contrary to the UK’s net zero target?

Yes, but there are no gains because we import our needs from China and Korea who do use coal and are still building coal fired power stations.

Katie59

GrannyGravy13

Are coal fired furnaces contrary to the UK’s net zero target?

Yes, but there are no gains because we import our needs from China and Korea who do use coal and are still building coal fired power stations.

Mainly we import steel from Germany I understand, but your point is still correct. What is needed is ecologically friendly virgin steel production in the UK, but our industry is so decimated that the investment would be enormous.

How nasty to gloat over 3,000 people loosing their jobs just because you didn’t agree with the way they voted.

Agree petra.

Agree petra

flappergirl

Yes, it is a tragedy. An estimated 12,000 people either directly or indirectly will be affected.

I've never understood the Brexit vote in Wales when it was a great beneficiary of EU support. They, and indeed all of us, are now at the mercy of liars and incompetents as you rightly say.

Not all of Wales voted leave.
We are not an amorphous mass.

It is devastating for Port Talbot and I don't know why the closing of the blast furnaces could not be phased until the introduction of the electricity operated recycling plant.

Tata Steel said it is not economically viable to tryto keep the furnaces open as has been put forward in plans by the unions.

It really is ironic that steel will now have to be imported from other countries which will increase the carbon footprint of the steel anyway!

A blow for Rishi Sunak? Why did his government not come forward with a plan?

Agree Petra

‘Not all of Wales voted leave.
We are not an amorphous mass.’

Quite, *Callistemon. Of all the vote leave areas of the UK, Wales had the smallest margin, only 82,000 more voted leave than remain. If you think about why Neath Port Talbot voted leave, it may well have been partly because they thought the future of steel production would be safer if UK wasn’t in the EU. As it turned out they couldn’t have been more wrong, which would be a bitter pill.

Yes, 56% in Port Talbot may have voted to leave the EU, but some thought that British car making would boom, resulting in a greater demand for British steel.
They also thought that more support would be forthcoming from the British government in lieu of EU grants.

I'm so sorry to hear this. I belong to a community which was similarly devasted many years ago. The knock on effects are long lasting. Remember Ravenscraig.

Oops, devastated....

petra

How nasty to gloat over 3,000 people loosing their jobs just because you didn’t agree with the way they voted.

No-one is gloating Petra - just feeling very sad about the damage that the Brexit liars have inflicted on our country. Just imagine the pain of those who believed the lies and now see the truth.

‘Hope they enjoy they enjoy riding their unicorns ‘

This was not sadness Varian

We should all feel compassion for these good people who were conned and are now suffering the consequences.

You mocked them Varian

I did not. I think these good folk were badly let down.

Port Talbot voted for Brexit. Looks like they've found another Brexit “benefit”. Hope they enjoy riding their unicorns!

This was mocking Varian

Anniebach

Port Talbot voted for Brexit. Looks like they've found another Brexit “benefit”. Hope they enjoy riding their unicorns!

This was mocking Varian

Well, it was as stupid as the people in Sunderland that voted for brexit. They’re lucky that Nissan didn’t move from the area ( an area that was regenerated by EU funding). Anyone that believed the vote leave lies reap what they sow. Unfortunately a lot of people that didn’t vote for it are suffering from it now.

That was a quotation from Quora as you can see.

My title using the word "tragedy" is my take on this.

I understand that we need to cut carbon emissions, but the prudent course would have been to retain one of the two blast furnaces.

Unfortunately this Brexit-Con government has demonstrated time and time again that it does not give a toss for the ordinary working folk who were conned into voting Leave.

They are squandering £500,000 of our money on making thousands redundant.a