An aerial photograph taken by drone of the Scunthorpe steelworks in Scunthorpe, Britain, 14 April 2025. Emergency legislation allowing the UK government to take control of the Scunthorpe steelworks was enacted over the weekend after Chinese owners Jingye declined government support to keep the plant operating, citing losses of around 700,000 pounds (809,732 euros) per day. A race is now on to supply the plant with the raw materials needed to keep the furnaces in operation, which, if allowed to cool down, could become inoperable. EPA-EFE/ADAM VAUGHANThe government had been racing to secure enough coking coal and iron ore to keep the loss-making furnaces running after passing emergency laws on Saturday to take operational control of the site in northeastern England from Chinese owners Jingye Group 600768.SS.
The furnaces need to be constantly fuelled, cannot easily be restarted if closed down, and were losing 700,000 pounds ($922,950.00) per day.
Without them Britain would be reliant on imports for its rail, construction and automotive industries at a time of trade wars and geopolitical instability.
Business minister Jonathan Reynolds said British industries at the heart of the government's plans to revive the nation's ageing infrastructure relied on domestic steel.
Reynolds will travel to the east coast port of Immingham to watch the fuel be loaded for transit after the government said it has settled payment for the shipment, which originally arrived from the United States and had been stored at the docks.
A separate ship from Australia carrying coking coal and iron ore was also bound for Britain after the resolution of a legal dispute and payment from the government.
($1 = 0.7584 pounds)
(Reporting by William James; Editing by Nia Williams)
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