UK STEEL NEWS

UK Steel: Where industry news lives

Zonal pricing: Trade Associations and Unions write to Secretaries of State over risk to UK industry

23 February 2025: UK energy-intensive industries, including steel, glass, and ceramics, have urged the government to ensure a secure, competitive, and low-carbon electricity system. They warn that DESNZ's consideration of zonal pricing under REMA threatens industrial investment and decarbonization. For steelmakers, zonal pricing could raise electricity costs in key regions like Yorkshire and South Wales, worsening competitiveness against international rivals. Instead, they call for a Reformed National Market to support industry and energy security.

UK Steel welcomes Government’s ‘Plan for Steel’ consultation

17 February 2025: UK Steel welcomes the announcement by Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds that Government has launched the Plan for Steel Consultation. This marks a significant commitment to tackling the key challenges facing our industry, including high electricity costs, unfair trading practices, and the need to strengthen domestic scrap steel recycling, with Trump’s tariffs being the latest in a number of international trade and competitiveness hurdles.

UK Steel Charter: Supporting Heathrow’s expansion for the benefit of British industry

12 February 2025: Heathrow’s new investment programme, building on its £2.3bn expansion plans and the development of proposals for a third runway to be submitted to Government by summer, marks a transformational moment - not just for the aviation sector, but for the entire UK economy. UK Steel is proud to support this landmark project as the airport sign the UK Steel Charter.

Trump orders 25% tariffs on UK steel imports to the US, without exemption

11 February 2025: UK Steel responds to confirmation of US tariffs on UK-made steel. The US Presidential proclamation claims steel imports from Australia, the EU, Japan, and the UK rose from 18.6% in 2020 to 20.7% in 2024, proving quotas ineffective. However, this ignores 2020’s historically low demand during the pandemic – and UK steel exports to the US were actually 14% lower in 2024 than in 2018 when tariffs were first introduced.

Trump declares 25% tariffs on steel imports to the US

10 February 2025: UK Steel reacts to President Trump announcing new 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to the US, raising concerns over their impact on existing trade agreements, including the UK's tariff-rate quota system.

Steel Council announced: A critical moment for the UK steel sector

7 January 2025: UK Steel is pleased to reveal that the Government has today unveiled that the Steel Council’s inaugural meeting will go ahead later this afternoon. Many of the struggles stem from years of inadequate policy support and a lack of favourable business conditions, with the compounding effect of international steel making overcapacity and high electricity prices. However, this has now changed.

UK steel sector sets out manifesto strategy to secure future of steel

10 June 2024: UK Steel’s election manifesto sets out a comprehensive strategy to secure the sector for the good of the country and to put steel front and centre of the political conversation.

UK Steel Key Statistics Guide 2024 showcases the sector’s significant economic contribution but highlights key challenges

31 May 2024: The UK Steel Key Statistics Guide 2024 provides up to date, at-a-glance information illustrating the scale of the economic contribution of the steel sector to the UK's economy.

UK steelmakers and MOD have landmark opportunity to secure industry-Government partnership

The UK steel industry wants to make a significant contribution to national supply chain resilience, bringing the procurement of key materials closer to home and reducing the UK’s dependence on foreign companies. It is crucial that we get this relationship right for the long-term requirements of the country’s defence industry – from specialist-grade steels to the defence estate.

UK Steel: Without robust Carbon Border, steel industry will be at risk

18 April 2024: In its new report, UK Steel sets out twelve crucial design principles for guaranteeing a robust policy with minimal risk of circumvention, strong carbon leakage protection, and simplicity of administration for governments and industry alike.

UK industry could supply eight million tonnes of steel for public projects over next decade

28 March 2024: The culture in the UK is changing towards actively considering purchasing domestically produced steel, resulting in a year-on-year increase in UK steel companies supplying major infrastructure projects, with a total value of £299mn.

Triple boost as first northern Mayor, regional leaders and Combined Authority to sign UK Steel Charter at Sheffield Forgemasters

19 March 2024: South Yorkshire is home to a proud history of steelmaking, with the earliest record dating to 1642. Today, almost 400 years later, the South Yorkshire Metro Mayor, Oliver Coppard, the South Yorkshire Metro Combined Authority, and the newly founded regional Business Advisory Board will sign the UK Steel Charter. They will also visit the iconic, Sheffield Forgemasters, showing support for and celebrating the importance of the local steel industry.

Government abandons key reforms to deliver lower electricity prices for steel industry

12 March 2024: The Government has today formally abandoned the Green Power Pools policy proposal in its Review of Electricity Market Arrangements.

UK Steel welcomes TRA recommendation to extend steel safeguards until 2026

21 February 2024: Today the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) has recommended the extension of the UK’s steel safeguards for all 15 product categories currently covered by the measure until June 2026.

Tata Steel announcement follow-up: UK Steel issues electric arc furnace capability briefing

22 January 2024: After public discussions on the switch to EAF, UK Steel’s briefing (available here) points to the innovations in the United States showing that EAFs can produce a vast range of steel products through the careful management of the raw material mix. In the UK, EAFs are already supplying highly specialised steel for aerospace and defence applications.

UK Steel comments on Tata Steel UK announcement

19 January 2024: Tata Steel UK has announced proposals to restructure its UK business as it transitions to green electric arc furnace steelmaking.

New UK Government regulations to boost uptake of British made steel in public projects

12 April 2023: This should raise the profile of British-made, ‘melted and poured’ steel in procurement for publicly-funded projects. This means that imported steel, originating from countries such as Russia, then processed through third countries like Turkey, is not simply re-badged.

UK Steel welcomes Government consultation on Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism

30 March 2023: the UK Government announced it will consult on a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and other carbon leakage measures.

UK Steel comments on the reform of the UK’s trade remedies framework announced by the Secretary of State for Business and Trade

9 March 2023: The reform package announced today is hugely significant for UK industry, making the UK’s trade remedies regime more balanced, flexible and truly allowing for decisions to be made in the best economic and public interest of the UK.

UK Steel comments on Liberty Steel's restructuring announcement

12 January 2023: Today’s restructuring announcement from Liberty Steel highlights the significant challenges UK steel companies face navigating the current harsh market conditions.

Extension of Government energy scheme is welcome but falls short compared to Europe

9 January: We welcome the announcement from the Government to launch the Energy Bill Discount Scheme, providing some important certainty and stability for steel producers’ production costs during this extremely difficult economic climate.