‘The line’s running half-empty’: Llanwern steelworks feels the heat from cheap steel imports
New quotas to protect UK firms and jobs appear to be having opposite effect in products such as galvanised steelAt Tata Steel’s factory in Llanwern, south Wales, production lines t
By The Guardian
Tata Steel’s Llanwern factory in south Wales is running at about half capacity because of a surge of cheaper steel imports, according to the report. The company says some production lines that should be operating full-time are now going quiet for parts of the day, with workers moved on to maintenance and cleaning tasks while machines sit idle.
The Guardian report says the site is near Newport and makes galvanised steel. It says there are not enough orders to keep the lines running continuously, and that the pressure from imports is threatening the viability of several similar UK sites and putting hundreds of jobs at risk.
The report also says the government introduced 50% import tariffs in July to protect UK steelmakers, but increased tariff-free quotas for some countries. Those changes included higher allowances for galvanised steel from India, Vietnam and South Korea.
A government spokesperson said the measure was meant to balance support for domestic production with secure supply, and said the quotas were shaped after industry engagement. The government also plans to review the system again in July 2027.