UK government projects use more local steel – UK Steel

The number of companies supplying products for large infrastructure projects is growing

The culture of steel consumption in the UK is changing towards active consideration of purchasing locally produced steel products. This was stated by the industry association UK Steel, Kallanish reports.

UK Steel commented on the government’s report on public procurement of steel in 2024, in particular, welcoming the completeness of the data provided.

According to the association, the number of British steel companies supplying products for large infrastructure projects has increased, with a total value of £293 million ($370 million) in 2022-2023.

Last year, transportation projects were the largest buyers of steel, including large contracts for the construction of railways and roads. Awareness of the willingness of steelmakers to participate in large projects last year was helped by the interaction between the Ministry of Transport, UK Steel, and British steelmakers.

However, as the association noted, an order for £16 million worth of steel products could have been closed with British steel, but the contractors ended up purchasing it abroad.

UK Steel also notes that there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure that British steelmakers can demonstrate their potential to support the transition to green energy.

As GMK Center reported earlier, the UK Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) has proposed to extend safeguard measures for 15 steel products for another two years, until June 2026, amid concerns about global overcapacity. The list of products subject to the review included hot-rolled and cold-rolled plates, metal and organic coated plates, rebar, wire rod, bars, etc.