WORK on Port Talbot’s greener steel production following the loss of 2,800 jobs officially began today.

As ministers joined Tata Steel chiefs for a groundbreaking ceremony at the south Wales steel plant, Community assistant general secretary Alasdair McDiarmid insisted that continued investment is essential.

He said: “This bittersweet day is a consequence of the devastating closure of the blast furnaces, but importantly a future for Port Talbot steelmaking is being secured.”

The plant’s last blast furnace was shut down in September 2024 after the government backed plans for the new £1.25 billion electric arc furnace at the Tata steelworks with a £500 million investment.

The switch-on is due to take place in 2027 and will cut the plant’s emissions by 90 per cent, according to Tata.

The workforce “needs the electric arc furnace project to be both a success and a turning point,” said Mr McDiarmid.

“Today should represent the first step towards rebuilding our steel industry and creating new high-quality jobs for our steel communities. 

“Going forward we must see further investment to develop and grow the business, both here in Port Talbot and across all the crucial downstream sites.”

He welcomed Wales Secretary Jo Stevens’s attendance in Port Talbot, and added that Community will continue to hold talks with government “on their plans to safeguard and co-invest in our steel industry.”

Port Talbot’s new electric arc furnace will be able to process scrap steel, but is not able to make virgin steel as a blast furnace can.

Ms Stevens said that it would help to realise “the promise we made to the community, while the development of floating offshore wind, plans for a Celtic Freeport and millions more for local regeneration all mean that Port Talbot has a bright future.”

First Minister of Wales Eluned Morgan said: “This is a momentous day for heavy industry in Wales, as the electric arc furnace has secured the long-term future of steel making at Port Talbot.”

The ceremony “provides a tangible sign of Tata’s intention to continue producing steel in the area,” she said.

Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Steel and the Tata Group, described the moment as an “important day for Tata Group, Tata Steel and for Britain.”