Tata Steel UK has begun construction of a new pickling line in Port Talbot

Tata Steel UK has begun construction of a new 1.8 million tonne pickling line at its Port Talbot facility, according to a company statement.

This work is an important part of a £1.25 billion investment in low-carbon steel production.

According to Mills Program Manager Andrew McGregor, the current assets have reached the end of their useful life, and without replacing the pickling line, the plant would not be able to process many of the steels required by the company’s processing plants and directly by customers.

The dismantling of the old floor and air ducts has now begun, and a new foundation for production will be installed in April 2026.

It should be noted that in April this year, Tata Steel signed contracts with Clecim and ABB Limited to supply an advanced pickling line for the Port Talbot plant. The project was expected to employ 250 local residents during construction.

As a reminder, Tata Steel purchased slabs from British Steel amid US demands. The company was looking for ways to avoid the threat of US steel tariffs if the parties agreed on quotas.

The basis for the disagreement between the parties was the US insistence that steel must be “melted and cast” in Britain to qualify for tariff exemptions. However, Tata closed the country’s last blast furnace last year, and its Welsh plants were dependent on purchasing slabs from other sources. However, the UK later postponed negotiations with the United States on steel tariffs under certain quotas, seeking instead to agree on a permanent guarantee of a 25% tariff level.