Blast Furnace 5 winds down as Tata Steel presses ahead with decarbonisation plans

Blast Furnace 5 had been operating since 1959, but will shut as part of Tata Steel UK’s restructure. Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

One of Port Talbot's blast furnaces is expected to produce its final iron today as Tata Steel presses ahead with plans to decarbonise the steelworks.

People living nearby have been warned to expect plumes of steam and whooshing noises from Blast Furnace 5 as the winding down process is carried out.

The second, Blast Furnace 4, is due to shut at the end of September. The Morfa Coke Ovens were decommissioned in March after concerns about the deteriorating conditions.

The steel giant has said the restructuring proposals are necessary to stem financial losses of up to £1 million a day.

It is expected that around 1900 people will lose their jobs at the site in Port Talbot, with around 2500 job losses in total across the UK over the next 12 months, followed by another 300 in the next three years.

Tata Steel says it is investing £1.25 billion and is committed to building an electric arc furnace as part of a transition to low-CO2 steelmaking.

Consultations between the unions and the steel company are ongoing.

People living nearby have been warned to expect plumes of steam and whooshing noises from Blast Furnace 5. Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

  • What is the winding down process?

The operations to close Blast Furnace 5 were initiated in July.

The winding down process means turning the blast furnace off which involves several steps.

This week the workers changed the burden - the raw materials put in the top of the furnace - reducing the amount of coal put into the furnace.

Then extra sprays of water were carried out to cool down the furnace.

After 24 hours, a 'blow down' process saw workers stop feeding the furnace with raw materials, including coal.

They will carry on with the process until all the materials inside the furnace are consumed down to a certain level.

In the final stages of the process, the bleeders are opened - which is when plumes of steam are expected, creating whooshing noises.

The operations to close Blast Furnace 5 were initiated in July. Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

  • What's the history behind the blast furnaces?

Blast Furnace 5 (BF5) has been operating since May 1959, but will shut as part of Tata Steel UK’s restructure.

It produced 11,800 tonnes a week, peaking in 2009 when it was producing more than 57,000 tonnes a week.

Tragedy struck back in November 2001 when an explosion in BF5 killed three steelworkers and seriously injured 12 others.

Andrew Hutin, 20, and Stephen Galsworthy, 25, were killed, along with 53-year-old Len Radford.

In 2008, the Health and Safety Executive published a report on the explosion, which blamed water entering the blast furnace as the cause of the disaster, following the failure of safety-critical water cooling systems.

  • What happens next?

Blast Furnace 4 (BF4) is due to shut at the end of September.

Tata Steel plans to replace the two blast furnaces – which produce molten iron from iron ore – with electric arc furnaces.

The company plans to place orders for the furnace equipment by September and begin construction by August 2025.

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