British Steel confirms restart of blast furnace in Scunthorpe

British Steel, a steel company owned by China’s Jingye Group, has confirmed the restart of the second blast furnace at its Scunthorpe facility, Kallanish reports.

The company noted that the Queen Anne furnace is back in operation after being shut down in mid-2024 due to a production problem.

A British Steel spokesperson said that the company currently operates two blast furnaces at its Scunthorpe plant and continues to purchase raw materials to support iron and steel production.

In addition, the British Steel representative noted that no final decisions have been made on the construction of the EAF. The Group is in ongoing discussions with the government on decarbonization plans and the future of British business.

Earlier, the Financial Times reported that the company’s announced plan to close the blast furnace and build an electric arc furnace in Scunthorpe and another in Teesside will be revised to concentrate all production exclusively in Scunthorpe. Last spring, we received permission to build EAFs at both sites.

As for the closure of one of the blast furnaces in Scunthorpe last year, it was due to the use of the wrong type of coal. The problems with Queen Anne arose after the company started importing coke after its coke oven batteries were closed. Initially, the situation raised concerns among some government officials that British Steel might be trying to sabotage its own plant, but ministers were assured that the shutdown was due to a management error.

As GMK Cenrer reported earlier, the UK government has set up a new Steel Industry Council to advise on the recovery of the steel industry and develop a future strategy for the industry. It includes steel sector leaders such as the CEOs of Tata Steel and British Steel.