Tata Steel announces plans to cut 2,800 jobs in a blow to Welsh town built on steelmaking

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Indian firm Tata Steel says it will close both blast furnaces at its plant in Port Talbot in Wales, eliminating 2,800 jobs. The move is part of plans to make its unprofitable U.K. operation leaner and greener. Tata plans to switch from coal-fired blast furnaces to electric arc furnaces, which emit less carbon — and need fewer workers — using a half-billion pound investment from the British government. The company said it expects about 2,800 jobs will be eliminated, most in the next 18 months, with a further 300 at longer-term risk. The news is a major blow to Port Talbot, whose economy has been built on the steel industry since the early 1900s.