According to local UK media reports, the GMB, Community and Unite steel unions in the United Kingdom met with China-based Jingye Group, owner of UK-based steelmaker British Steel, this week and presented a plan to keep the blast furnaces at the company’s Scunthorpe plant open.
Due to the company’s schedule to switch to electric arc furnace production, the two blast furnaces in the Scunthorpe plant have been facing the risk of being shut down since 2023, which would cost up to 2,000 jobs.
GMB has stated that British Steel is interested in the plan but needs the government to provide relief from the policy costs that disadvantage blast furnace production in line with carbon emission targets. An official from GMB stated, “We believe that keeping the blast furnaces running is vital as it will reduce the risks of the transition and protect thousands of jobs. But the major barrier is the additional carbon costs to be paid under government policy regulations. For our plan to be viable - we need [the government] to provide relief from these policy costs, just as other European countries have done”.