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Redcar steel plant reaches 1 million tonne milestone

The iron and steel plant at Redcar has now produced a million tonnes of steel since reopening in April of this year, according to owner Sahaviriya Steel Industries (SSI) UK.

Production at the plant was stopped in 2010 by previous owners Tata Steel, after 150 years of steelmaking in the area. However, the site was acquired in 2011 by SSI, who readied the furnace for production over the subsequent year.

The plant has a production capacity of 3.6m tonnes per year and employs around 1,800 people, many of whom worked at the site under its previous ownership.

Currently all of the steel produced is being shipped to Thailand, home of parent company SSI.

Phil Dryden, Chief Executive of SSI UK, said: “Although this has been a very tough year for steel businesses across the globe, the plant has operated extremely well since the restart and this is another important milestone reached.

“It is a demonstration of the commitment shown by SSI UK employees and is testament to the support received from all the stakeholders involved in the rebirth of iron and steelmaking on Teesside.”

The previous owners mothballed the plant after four companies withdrew their business, which accounted for 80% of the site’s revenue.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Robert Cooper .