Tata Steel to halt coke ovens' operations at UK’s Port Talbot plant

Tata Steel UK Ops: Tata Steel has decided to stop operations of the coke ovens located at the Port Talbot plant in UK. The move is aimed at increasing the import of coke to offset the impact of the coke oven closures, Tata Steel informed in a regulatory filing.

"As a further update on its operations in the UK, Tata Steel UK has decided to cease operations of the coke ovens at the Port Talbot plant, in Wales, following a deterioration of operational stability," the filing said. Earlier in January this year, Tata Steel made an announcement regarding plans to shut down two blast furnaces at Port Talbot and coke ovens. 

Tata Steel is said to have considered an alternative proposal put forth by a representative body of the UK trade unions and their advisor. The proposal by the representative body was partly accepted by Tata Steel. The company had said that it would adopt some elements of the proposal but added that continued blast furnace operation was neither feasible nor affordable. Tata Steel’s switchover was likely to see a job loss of 2,800 potential jobs across the businesses.

On Monday, Tata Steel stated that it is presently at an advanced stage of deliberations with trade unions in the UK to be on the same page regarding its proposal for the proposed restructuring involving the closure of the iron and steelmaking assets at Port Talbot. 

(With PTI inputs)