Tata Steel UK has moved to reassure customers and downstream manufacturers that it remains confident in its ability to maintain continuity of supply generally following a fire at the Pickle Line facility in Port Talbot.
The company said mitigation measures were implemented rapidly following the incident to protect downstream operations and customer commitments. This includes increased utilisation of the existing operational Llanwern Pickle Line, plans to restart the Llanwern Cold Mill and support from wider Tata Steel Group supply chain arrangements where appropriate.
Current stock levels within both Tata Steel UK and the wider UK supply chain are also considered healthy, providing resilience while mitigation measures are implemented. The company said it continues to work closely with customers across key manufacturing sectors including construction, automotive and wider UK industry.
Hot Strip Mill operations at Port Talbot have now resumed following planned maintenance activity.
The incident does not affect the wider Electric Arc Furnace project and does not alter the firm's long-term commitment to the transformation of Port Talbot, it said.
Investigations into the cause of the fire are underway.
Rajesh Nair, CEO of Tata Steel UK, said:
“Teams across the business have worked around the clock in recent days to implement mitigation plans and we are making strong progress on contingency arrangements across our UK operations.
“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.
“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.”
