Sir Robert McAlpine has been appointed by Tata Steel to construct an electric arc furnace at Port Talbot steelowrks, under a construction management contract.
McAlpine will be responsible for managing the main, civil, structural and building works required for the construction of a new electric arc furnace-based steel production facility. When complete it will produce around three million tonnes of steel per year.
The project involves the construction of an electric arc furnace, ladle furnaces and associated works – all built within the existing basic oxygen steelmaking (BOS) plant and surrounding external areas.
It forms part of Tata’s £1.25bn investment in low-CO2 carbon steelmaking at its Port Talbot steelworks.
The project is scheduled to be completed over a three-year construction period. Enabling works for the project will start in Q1 2025 with the main civil, structural and building works scheduled to start in Q3 2025, subject to planning approval.
McAlpine has been working with Tata Steel UK since September 2022, supporting it with the feasibility studies associated with the construction of the new state-of-the-art facility. It has previous experience of working at Port Talbot, having been responsible for the construction of various parts of the steelworks over the past 70 years.
A world-leading hub
Craig Allen, managing director of industrial at Sir Robert McAlpine, said: “We are proud to be part of the decarbonisation of Port Talbot steelworks, which will play a pivotal role in turning the Port Talbot site into a world-leading hub for sustainable steel production.
“Our robust relationship with Tata Steel UK and longstanding industrial expertise makes us the ideal partner for this transformation. We look forward to working collaboratively, as part of a fully integrated project team, to deliver the project successfully.”
Tata Steel’s EAF project lead, Peter Jones, added: “We’re delighted to confirm the appointment of Sir Robert McAlpine to support us on this once-in-a-generation investment project. Our new arc furnace will be one of the largest and most sophisticated of its kind in the world, so it is important that we work with highly skilled and experienced partners to ensure its success.
“We have a longstanding and trusted collaborative relationship with Sir Robert McAlpine, so are confident they are the right partner for us in the project.”
