Tata Steel Announces 2,500 Job Cuts Amid Transition to Greener Production

03 Jun 2024 CW Team

In a significant move towards sustainable production, Tata Steel is set to cut around 2,500 jobs in the UK, a decision deemed "inevitable" by CEO T V Narendran. The India-based steel giant owns the UK's largest steelworks in Port Talbot, South Wales, and employs around 8,000 people across its UK operations.

As part of its decarbonisation strategy, Tata Steel is transitioning from the blast furnace (BF) method to a low-emission electric arc furnace (EAF) process. This shift is aimed at reducing production costs and cutting down CO2 emissions by 5 million tonnes annually, with substantial support from the UK government.

However, this transition has drawn sharp criticism from workers' unions, who are actively protesting the anticipated job losses. Narendran emphasized the necessity of these cuts for maintaining competitiveness and achieving environmental goals. "All this involves 2,500 job losses, and that is what the unions obviously are not happy with. And that's a conversation going on with the unions to see how we can do it as smoothly as possible," he stated.

In September 2023, Tata Steel and the UK government agreed on a joint investment plan worth 1.25 billion pounds to support the decarbonisation efforts at the Port Talbot facility, with 500 million pounds provided by the UK government. This initiative marks a crucial step in Tata Steel's plan to complete its decarbonisation journey within the next three years.

Already, the company has closed its coke ovens in March, with one blast furnace set to shut down in June and the other in September. These closures are due to operational struggles and asset quality issues.

Narendran highlighted the strategic advantage of shifting to EAF production, citing the abundance of steel scrap in the UK, which would reduce dependency on imported raw materials and improve cost efficiency by at least USD 150 per tonne. This transition is expected to turn Tata Steel's traditionally loss-making UK operations into a cash-neutral business.

Despite the planned transition, Tata Steel reported a steep 64.59% decline in its consolidated net profit for the January-March quarter of 2023-24, primarily due to lower realizations and exceptional expenses. The company's revenues from the UK business stood at 2,706 million pounds, with an EBITDA loss of 364 million pounds for the year.

As Tata Steel navigates this complex transition, the company remains focused on balancing its decarbonisation goals with the economic and social impacts on its workforce.

In a significant move towards sustainable production, Tata Steel is set to cut around 2,500 jobs in the UK, a decision deemed inevitable by CEO T V Narendran. The India-based steel giant owns the UK's largest steelworks in Port Talbot, South Wales, and employs around 8,000 people across its UK operations. As part of its decarbonisation strategy, Tata Steel is transitioning from the blast furnace (BF) method to a low-emission electric arc furnace (EAF) process. This shift is aimed at reducing production costs and cutting down CO2 emissions by 5 million tonnes annually, with substantial support from the UK government. However, this transition has drawn sharp criticism from workers' unions, who are actively protesting the anticipated job losses. Narendran emphasized the necessity of these cuts for maintaining competitiveness and achieving environmental goals. All this involves 2,500 job losses, and that is what the unions obviously are not happy with. And that's a conversation going on with the unions to see how we can do it as smoothly as possible, he stated. In September 2023, Tata Steel and the UK government agreed on a joint investment plan worth 1.25 billion pounds to support the decarbonisation efforts at the Port Talbot facility, with 500 million pounds provided by the UK government. This initiative marks a crucial step in Tata Steel's plan to complete its decarbonisation journey within the next three years. Already, the company has closed its coke ovens in March, with one blast furnace set to shut down in June and the other in September. These closures are due to operational struggles and asset quality issues. Narendran highlighted the strategic advantage of shifting to EAF production, citing the abundance of steel scrap in the UK, which would reduce dependency on imported raw materials and improve cost efficiency by at least USD 150 per tonne. This transition is expected to turn Tata Steel's traditionally loss-making UK operations into a cash-neutral business. Despite the planned transition, Tata Steel reported a steep 64.59% decline in its consolidated net profit for the January-March quarter of 2023-24, primarily due to lower realizations and exceptional expenses. The company's revenues from the UK business stood at 2,706 million pounds, with an EBITDA loss of 364 million pounds for the year. As Tata Steel navigates this complex transition, the company remains focused on balancing its decarbonisation goals with the economic and social impacts on its workforce.

Infrastructure Urban

11 Mar 2026

India Expands Semiconductor Training To 500 Institutions

Under the Chips to Startups programme of the India Semiconductor Mission, the Union minister responsible for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and IT reported notable progress in talent development. He indicated that over the past four years substantial steps have been taken towards a 10-year target of training 85,000 engineers in semiconductor design. World-class EDA tools have been deployed in 315 academic institutions across the country to provide students with practical exposure to chip design. These EDA tools are supported by leading global firms and are accessible t..

Infrastructure Urban

11 Mar 2026

Delhi Institutions Support India Semiconductor Mission

The Government of India has prioritised talent development through training, upskilling and workforce development under the Chips to Startups initiative of the India Semiconductor Mission, with officials noting progress in four years towards a 10-year target of training 85,000 engineers in semiconductor design. Electronic design automation tools provided by Synopsys, Cadence, Siemens, Renesas, Ansys and AMD have been deployed in 315 academic institutions, enabling students to gain practical chip design experience. Chips have been fabricated and tested at the Semiconductor Laboratory, Mohali, a..

Infrastructure Urban

11 Mar 2026

NHA Announces Winners Of NHCX Hackathon At IIT Hyderabad

The National Health Authority (NHA) has concluded the NHCX Hackathon under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) to stimulate innovation around the National Health Claims Exchange (NHCX). The winning teams presented their solutions at the NHCX Innovation Meet held at IIT Hyderabad during a two-day event in March 2026 that also served as the hackathon grand finale. The hackathon itself ran from 22 to 28 February 2026 and aimed to accelerate paperless, transparent claims processing across India. The event was organised with a range of ecosystem partners, including the Insurance Regulatory a..