A: Electric arc furnaces use high-current electricity to melt predominantly scrap steel.
The current iron and steel making processes at Port Talbot largely use iron ore, coal and other carbon-intensive fuels.
Using electric arc furnace technology, Tata Steel will reduce carbon emissions from its Port Talbot site by 5 million tonnes a year by 2030 – equivalent to the carbon footprint of almost 2 million homes in the UK (almost one in ten of all homes in England and Wales).

A: The EAF will be placed in the existing Basic Oxygen Steelmaking (BOS) plant.

A: The scrap metal for the EAF will be sourced from the UK helping to maintain the country’s self-sufficiency in steelmaking and making our steel production more resilient to adverse global events. The scrap will be transported into site primarily using the existing rail line. This compares to more than 90% of the raw materials required for the current process being imported from a small number of suppliers in countries as far away as Japan, Brazil, and Australia. 
How will using the EAF cut emissions?
The current iron and steel making processes at Port Talbot largely use iron ore, coal and other carbon-intensive fuels, making Tata Steel the UK’s largest CO₂ emitter, which is why this proposal would have such a major impact on decarbonising Wales and the UK as a whole.
As only electricity is required, which can come from renewable sources, using EAF rather than the existing blast furnaces will cut carbon emissions by almost 90%. This is equivalent to 1.5% of the UK’s total direct CO2 emissions.

A: The current iron and steel making processes at Port Talbot largely use iron ore, coal and other carbon-intensive fuels, making Tata Steel the UK’s largest CO₂ emitter, which is why this proposal would have such a major impact on decarbonising Wales and the UK as a whole.
As only electricity is required, which can come from renewable sources, using EAF rather than the existing blast furnaces will cut carbon emissions by almost 90%. This is equivalent to 1.5% of the UK’s total direct CO₂ emissions.

A: We are holding community consultation events over the summer where members of the public can find out more about the EAF proposals, ask any questions and share feedback with us. In September we will hold another round of consultation before a planning application is submitted to Neath Port Talbot Council.