The development could begin by the summer of 2025 and follows the decision to shut down the blast furnaces with the loss of thousands of jobs

Tata Steel’s electric arc furnace at its Port Talbot plant received planning permission from the local authorities on February 18.

Tata Steel's application was given the go-ahead on Tuesday morning at a meeting of Neath Port Talbot Council's planning committee. The company closed both of its blast furnaces last year and said they would be replaced by an electric arc furnace, as part of its transition to greener production methods.

Tata Steel's £1.25 billion electric furnace project in Port Talbot has been approved, securing thousands of jobs and marking a significant step towards sustainable steelmaking in the UK.

Neath Port Talbot Council approves Tata Steel UK's Electric Arc Furnace project, securing jobs and reducing CO2 emissions.

The transition from conventional blast furnace steelmaking to EAF technology will reduce direct on-site CO₂ emissions by 90%

The planning application to the Neath Port Talbot Council's Planning Committee sought permission to construct an Electric Arc Furnace, two new Ladle Metallurgy Furnaces for secondary steelmaking, and supporting infrastructure.

The development could begin by the summer of 2025 and follows the decision to shut down the blast furnaces with the loss of thousands of jobs

An artist's impression of how the new electric arc furnace will sit within the existing Tata Steel site in Port Talbot Tata Steel's bid to build a £1.25bn electric arc furnace at its Port Talbot steelworks has been given the go-ahead by planners.