£60m upgrades set to double production at Liberty Steel in Rotherham

Upgrades to its electric arc furnace and small bloom caster will help it hit output of 1m tonnes-a-year, bosses say, boosting supply of ‘rebar’ for schools, hospitals, houses, energy facilities and transport links.

The programme also includes upgrades to Thrybergh Bar Mill and and the installation of a new Rod Block to produce wire rod.

The business said it will deliver almost 10,000 tonnes of ‘GreBar’, made from scrap metal melted in an electric furnace, before the end of the year.

Jon Ferriman, Liberty Steel UK managing director, said: “We’ve already taken big strides by doubling production at Rotherham to 500,000 tonnes-a-year since we acquired the business, including the launch of sustainably-produced new components such as GreBar perfect for infrastructure projects like HS2.

“The investments we’re announcing today will double production again and put us on course to hit our target to produce one million tonnes a year at Rotherham.

“This is a truly exciting prospect for Rotherham which will guarantee its long term viability producing sustainable GreenSteel for the growing construction and engineering sectors in the UK.”

The production increase will reduce the UK’s reliance on imported steel, helping to strengthen the UK supply chain and secure high-value jobs, he added.

The company bought the Speciality Steel business from Tata three years ago when it says production was 225,000 tonnes of steel a year.

Liberty announced 250 job losses at its Stocksbridge plant in January under plans to achieve up to 30 per cent efficiency gains.

Now it will launch a public tender to upgrade the N-Furnace in Rotherham to remove production bottlenecks and increase scrap steel melting.

Sanjeev Gupta, executive chairman, GFG Alliance, said: “Liberty’s programme of further investment in south Yorkshire is proof that the UK steel industry can deliver the low carbon infrastructure Britain needs to build back better. With Government backing for UK steel in procurement for major construction projects, a resurgent steel sector can deliver a new generation of industrial skills and jobs.”

The government has unveiled a £100bn infrastructure programme.

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