David Bailey, Professor of Business Economics - Birmingham Business School
Philip Tomlinson, Professor of Industrial Strategy - Bath Management School
David Bailey
Philip Tomlinson
The last few years have been pretty turbulent for the British steel industry. High energy costs, a wave of cheap Chinese imports, plant closures, the COVID pandemic and financial struggles have all hit hard.
Steel is a high energy user and big carbon emitter. Coal-fired blast furnaces temperatures exceed 2,000°C and the industry accounts for around 2% of UK greenhouse gas emissions. The sector faces huge challenges in transitioning to greener and more cost-efficient production.
Such challenges are especially acute at the UK’s largest steelworks at Port Talbot in South Wales. Owned by Tata Steel, the site recently closed one coal blast furnace with a second one due to shut in September.
The blast furnaces were said to be losing the company around £1m a day, and the closures could see 3,000 jobs lost. ...
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