"British Steel's Closure Plan Threatens 2,000 Jobs and Polluting Blast Furnaces"

British Steel plans to close its blast furnaces in Scunthorpe, putting up to 2,000 jobs at risk. The company aims to replace them with two electric arc furnaces, one in Scunthorpe and one in Teesside, as part of a £1.25bn proposal to become a "clean, green and sustainable business." The plans are subject to government support. Unions estimate that the shift could lead to the loss of 1,500 to 2,000 jobs. The closure of the blast furnaces would leave the UK without the ability to produce "virgin steel," but the government argues that electric arc furnaces can cover most of the country's steel needs.