Tata Steel to close blast furnaces at Port Talbot
Nigel Farage hit out at Tata Steel after it confirmed plans to close blast furnaces at its South Wales plant in a net zero move.
About 2,800 jobs at Port Talbot will go over the next 18 months, with a further 300 expected to be affected later.
The former Ukip leader branded the move a "disaster" and "totally mad".
Mr Farage said in a post on social media platform X: "It is a disaster that Net Zero is costing 3,000 steel jobs and that we will stop being a primary steel producer.
"It is dangerous strategically and means we have to import products made with higher emissions. Totally mad."
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Port Talbot's two high-emission blast furnaces and coke ovens are due to close by the end of the year as part of a shift to greener steelmaking.
They will be replaced by an electric arc furnace, which produces less carbon dioxide but requires fewer workers.
But it leaves the UK on course to become the only major economy unable to make steel from scratch.
Tata said in a statement: "Tata Steel today announced it will commence statutory consultation as part of its plan to transform and restructure its UK business.
"This plan is intended to reverse more than a decade of losses and transition from the legacy blast furnaces to a more sustainable, green steel business.
"The transformation would secure most of Tata Steel UK's existing product capability and maintain the country's self-sufficiency in steelmaking, while also reducing Tata Steel UK's CO2 emissions by five million tonnes per year and overall UK country emissions by about 1.5 per cent."
Unions reacted with anger to the news and said industrial action was not being ruled out.
The electric arc furnace project is set to cost ￡1.25billion, with ￡500million invested by the UK Government.
A UK Government spokesperson said: "We are determined to secure a sustainable and competitive future for the UK steel sector, which is why we have committed ￡500million of UK Government support that will transform the site and protect thousands of jobs - both in Port Talbot and throughout the supply chain.
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"Engagement with trade unions is rightly a company-led process.
"There is a broad range of support for staff affected, including a dedicated Transition Board backed by ￡80 million funding from UK Government and ￡20 million from Tata Steel.
"Chaired by the Welsh Secretary with ministerial representation from the Welsh Government, the Board will support both affected employees and the local economy."
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