Iron and Steel: Furnaces
(asked on 19th March 2026) - View Source
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what progress he has made on transitioning the UK’s remaining blast furnaces to electric arc furnaces.
Answered by
Chris McDonald
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In March 2025 Jingye rejected an offer of substantial financial support to convert the Scunthorpe steelworks to electric arc furnaces. More recently we have been in discussions with Jingye to find a pragmatic, realistic solution for the future of British Steel.
British Steel remains owned by Jingye and HM Government’s powers to intervene under the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act 2025 are designed to maintain steelmaking and avoid a disorderly closure of the blast furnaces. We are seeking to resolve the future of British Steel and our long-term aspiration for the UK steel sector will require co-investment with the private sector, as appropriate.