European Parliament and Council agree on CBAM simplification
The European Parliament has announced that, together with the European Council, it has agreed on the proposed technical changes and simplifications made to the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).
The changes will introduce a new cumulative annual CBAM threshold of 50 mt per importer, exempting 90 percent of importers – mainly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and individuals importing small quantities of CBAM products – from CBAM rules, while still covering 99 percent of emissions from iron, steel, aluminum and cement imports. The changes will also simplify the authorization process for declarants, the calculation of emissions and the management of CBAM financial liability, while strengthening anti-abuse provisions. These changes aim to reduce the administrative burden for SMEs and occasional importers.
“The CBAM is designed to prevent carbon leakage and protect Europe’s cement, iron, steel, aluminum, fertilizer, electricity, and hydrogen industries. We have answered calls from companies to simplify and streamline the process and exempted 90 percent of importers of CBAM goods to facilitate competitiveness and growth for our businesses. As the CBAM will still cover 99 percent of total carbon emissions, we have maintained the EU’s environmental ambitions and remain fully committed to a just transition and to achieve climate neutrality by 2050,” Antonio Decaro, rapporteur of the parliament, stated.
Still, the changes have to be endorsed by both Parliament and Council. They will enter into force three days after publication in the EU Official Journal.
European steel industry decarbonization from EAF mill perspective: IIO 2025
In contrast, electric arc furnace (EAF)-based producers — which predominantly consume ferrous scrap and direct-reduced iron (DRI) — have received relatively limited attention, in part because they are inherently less carbon-intensive.
But this disparity overlooks the potential and challenges unique to EAF production, especially while the industry shifts toward greater use of scrap and renewable electricity. Addressing decarbonization in EAF operations is essential for achieving a comprehensive level-playing field across the European steel industry.
During Fastmarkets’ International Iron Ore & Green Steel Summit 2025 that took place in Barcelona on June 17-19, Julia Bolotova, Fastmarkets’ strategic markets editor for green steel, met with Alexander Gordienko, export director of Spanish EAF-based steelmaker Celsa Group, to discuss these topics and more.
Evolving definition for green long steel
Currently, about 55% of steel in Europe is produced via the BF-BOF route, which generates approximately 2.0 to 2.2 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (both direct and indirect) per tonne of steel, according to the European Commission.
In contrast, around 45% of European steel is manufactured using the electric arc furnace (EAF) route — a figure that is projected to increase to roughly 57% while the EU transitions to cleaner technologies in pursuit of its net-zero emissions target by 2050.
In terms of definitions of green long steel, Gordienko pointed out that there were currently none as such, and it was “a bit of a moving target,” with emissions thresholds getting lower over time.
“If you asked me [about green longs definition] even six months ago, I’d tell you that we consider green long products produced with emissions of under 500 kilograms of CO2 per one tonne of steel…Today we would consider green longs with emissions under 400 kilograms of CO2 per one tonne of steel,” Gordienko said.
“And I wouldn’t be surprised if [in one year] this number will move to under 300 kilograms of CO2 per one tonne of steel,” he added.
Competition between long steel suppliers on CO2 emissions levels is getting tighter, EPD is getting “better and better” and also the grid energy supply was getting “greener” across Europe, according to Gordienko.
“Every time the grid gets 10% greener, we are shaving off around 50 kilograms [of CO2 emissions] on our EPD,” he said.
On April 9, Fastmarkets launched a price assessment for green steel, differential to steel reinforcing bar (rebar) domestic, delivered Northern Europe.
Fastmarkets’ methodology defines European green long steel as “steel produced with Scope 1, 2 & 3 emissions at 500 kilograms of CO2 per tonne of steel.”
Fastmarkets’ assessment of the green steel, differential to rebar, domestic, delivered Northern Europe was €15-30 ($17-34) per tonne on Wednesday, widening downward from €20-30 per tonne seven days earlier.
Energy efficiency and costs
When it comes to the perception of EAF steelmakers among EU policymakers, Gordienko said he doesn’t believe “EAFs are really appreciated” for their cleaner production method.
Using steel scrap instead of virgin ore in steelmaking reduces CO2 emissions by 58%, and recycling one tonne of steel saves 1.4 tonnes of iron ore and 0.8 tonnes of coal, according to European studies cited by recycling companies like Stena Metal.
But despite its cleaner setup, Gordienko pointed out that EAF energy efficiency is actually much worse compared to BF-BOF mills.
While BF-BOFs use 0.05 MWh per tonne of steel production, EAFs use 0.45 MWh per tonne of steel, he estimated.
“EAFs are up to 10% more energy inefficient than BOFs,” he said.
“The way green transition is handled in Europe — it’s front-loaded,” he said. “The costs [of electricity] for the operators of the grid are being passed to consumers. We are the main consumers — and we are paying for the green transition”.
Gordienko also pointed out that highly fluctuating power prices in renewable energy grid have a massive impact on the costs of steelmaking for EAF-based steelmakers.
“After 2022, the swing in the power costs [in European electrical grid] can go from historical lows — €20-30 per MWh — up to €200 per MWh. [And it is unsustainable]. One day it can go to €200 per MWh, another to €50 per MWh, and then back to €200 per MWh. It’s completely unpredictable for long term agreements,” he said.
“[These electricity price fluctuations] transit up to €70 per tonne of additional costs of steel production — only for electricity, which [steel mills] can’t pass down to the customers,” he added.
Electricity prices in Europe remain significantly higher than in many other regions, with industrial rates often exceeding €100 per MWh — compared to around €30-50 per MWh in parts of the United States and China — posing a major competitiveness challenge for energy-intensive industries like steelmaking.
“Even with the Carbon Border Adjustment (CBAM) costs, imports still might be competitive, considering the disparity in electricity costs,” Gordienko said.
“It’s very difficult for us to compete [outside Europe] due to high electricity costs,” he added.
Support for green transition
By the end of 2024, the total amount of public funding dedicated for green steel transition was significantly above €14 billion, Fastmarkets estimates. But practically all of this was granted to BF-BOF based steelmakers.
“As far as I know there wasn’t a single project which has been funded for [existing] EAF-based steelmakers. 80% of public funding goes to BOF projects, with very little to no support for EAFs,” Gordienko said.
The only known funding for EAF steelmakers was to new facilities not yet in production, Fastmarkets understands.
“We asked the EU to arrange [the] renewable power tariff, which is fixed on the ETS (Emission Trading System) price,” Grodienko said. ” We are already paying for renewable energy sources, so it’s not a subsidy or anything like that. It’s just fixed cost for EAFs, which would help us to manage the cost [of electricity],” he said.
Scrap supply and demand
Another bottleneck for the green steel transition was the limited prime steel scrap generation in the EU and high domestic prices, according to market sources.
Europe generates around 100 million tonnes of scrap per year, with 20% of that amount being exported at prices very often cheaper compared to domestic prices, according to Gordienko.
These higher scrap prices in the European domestic market result in €20-40 per tonne higher costs for steel production, Gordienko said.
Between 40 million and 50 million tonnes of new green steelmaking capacity — using just EAFs or EAFs and DRI — is expected to come online in Europe by 2030, Fastmarkets’ research team estimates.
For EAF-made flats, steelmakers will need premium scrap with low copper content. The generation of low copper scrap in Europe is only around 1 million tonnes per year at present, according to Gordienko.
“[Premium scrap generation] can be improved, but huge infrastructure investments are required — and it’s not happening at the moment,” he said.
Ferrous scrap prices in key markets such as Turkey have trended downward over the last three years, but Gordienko said he believes they are still too high for EAF steelmakers.
Pressure from European steelmakers has led to the European Commission pondering the imposition of export tariffs or restrictions on EU-origin ferrous scrap, with a decision expected in the second half of the year, according to market participants.
Such measures are strongly opposed by scrap processors in the region, which point out that Europe doesn’t have enough demand to consume all of the scrap it generates, making exports necessary, according to industry sources.
But European scrap should stay “at home”, Gordienko said.
Scrap export tariffs would be “in line” with WTO rulings and the European Commission “must consider” such an approach, he added.
ArcelorMittal will focus on EAF only “when commercially viable”
The move includes cancelling associated subsidies from German government totalling €1.3 billion that were tied to a June 2025 construction commence timeline.
“Since the contract with the German government for €1.3 billion in funding stipulated that construction work on the project would begin by June 2025, ArcelorMittal was required to officially notify the government that it could not continue with the investments due to the market situation and the lack of economic viability of CO2-reduced steel production,” the company said.
“We appreciate the funding from the German government and the state of Bremen, as well as the support from the state of Brandenburg, for this project. But even with the financial support, the economic viability of this transition is not sufficiently ensured, which highlights the scale of the challenge,” ArcelorMittal Europe’s chief executive Geert Van Poelvoorde said.
“The European steel industry is currently under unprecedented pressure to maintain its competitiveness and, even without the additional costs required for decarbonization, imports are a major problem,” Van Poelvoorde said. “We need a 15% cap on flat product imports, which represents a reduction of about 50% compared with current levels.
“Once this is achieved, the industry will also be in a much better position to drive investments in decarbonization,” he added.
Instead of building DRI modules and by focusing on the EAFs in Bremen and Eisenhüttenstadt, ArcelorMittal hopes to be “prepared when production with electric-arc furnaces becomes economically viable.”
The company also said that green hydrogen is not yet a viable energy source and natural gas-based DRI production is not competitive as a transitional solution.
It said that using hydrogen with existing DRI modules in Europe would currently be too expensive to be competitive, with hydrogen prices currently around €5-8 ($5-8) per kg. And a trade source in Northern Europe said the price of hydrogen should be “around €2.50-3.00 per kg to make it commercially viable for steelmaking.”
Another source said €3.00 per kg was just a breakeven price for hydrogen and “to make any profit, it would need to be below that level.”
Around 140,000-150,000 tonnes per year of hydrogen would be required to fuel a single 2 million tpy DRI module, a mill source told Fastmarkets.
“Before you even get to hydrogen you can’t make DRI in Europe with natural gas [because] even with natural gas the costs are prohibitive,” a source said.
In November 2024, ArcelorMittal put several green project investments in Europe on hold due to unfavorable market circumstances.
The company warned in November 2024 that it “could not make final investment decisions on the construction of new DRI-EAF plants in Europe because the political, energy, and market conditions had not developed in the hoped-for direction,” ArcelorMittal said.
At the time, the company said it would explore a phased approach to decarbonization in Europe, starting with the construction of EAFs and in May 2025 ArcelorMittal confirmed plans to build EAFs in France at Dunkirk.
ArcelorMittal said it remains dedicated to enhancing the carbon footprint of its facilities. However, as announced in April, it is becoming increasingly unlikely that the company will meet its 2030 CO2 reduction targets. This reflects a broader trend, as the energy transition is clearly advancing more slowly than anticipated across all sectors.
Market brief
The European steel market is still struggling with slow demand from all key steel-using sectors amid high imports, despite the trade measures put in place, according to sources.
Earlier this year, the European steel industry association, Eurofer, downgraded its outlook for apparent steel consumption across the EU for 2025.
According to Eurofer’s latest report, published on June 5, apparent consumption was expected to shrink by 0.9% to 128 million tonnes in 2025, compared with 129 million tonnes in 2024. This was a downward revision from the previous forecast in early-February of a slight recovery.
Carbon steel imports to the EU in 2024 totaled 26.36 million tonnes, up by 6.4% compared with 24.78 million tonnes in 2023, Eurofer data shows, and in the first quarter of 2025, steel imports to the block totalled 6.2 million tonnes.
Sources estimated that imports share in domestic steel consumption in Europe was around 30% in 2024.
Prices for HRC in Europe started to increase at the beginning of the year due to a pick-up in apparent demand, but the upward trend only continued until early-May, after which prices started to decline.
In April, Fastmarkets’ steel HRC index, domestic, exw Northern Europe averaged €652.74 per tonne. Since then, the average monthly price of HRC has been sliding, with the daily index reaching €590.00 per tonne on June 19 – its lowest level since January 31, 2025.
Short-term expectations on green steel remain quite pessimistic amid a lack of real demand and mounting import pressures, sources told Fastmarkets.
European heavy plate round-up: prices down on weak demand
European heavy plate prices dropped in the week to 20 June as pressure by mills to fill their order books met with limited demand.
Italian re-rollers have been trading heavy plate at EUR590-610/t ex-works, down by around EUR10/t on week.
European mills still have been offering July delivery material, sources said.
“Heavy plate moved down on low demand, but there is at least less pressure from import compared to other products,” a mill source said.
Some market participants believe that there is room for further price decrease, judging from the costs of imported slab and exchange rates.
“There is no pressure from import plate, but demand is low. I believe re-rollers have space to decrease the prices to secure deals,” a trader said.
Slab offers from China have been reported at $500/t CFR Italy, and exporters were ready to give discounts of around $10/t.
Slab from Indonesia has been offered at $480/t CFR Italy, but the material was not suitable for heavy plate rolling, sources said.
In Northwest Europe, heavy plate prices also moved down amid weak demand. Although some integrated mills are still benefitting from supply to projects under long-term contracts, demand from those segments has also started to dry out.
Prices are moving down “due to complete lack of business, windmill projects were frozen,” another steelmaker said.
A deal for s235jr plate from a Northwest European re-roller has been heard at EUR650/t delivered Germany.
German mills continued to offer s355jr plate at prices close to EUR700/t delivered or at EUR670-680/t ex-works for s235jr material.
Italian re-rollers have been offering plate at EUR660/t delivered Germany.
A Central European re-roller offered the material at the equivalent of EUR655-680/t delivered Germany for s355jr grade.
Weekly European Heavy Plate, Slab and Green Steel Prices
| Unit | Term | Marker | Change | |
| Weekly heavy plate | ||||
| Northwest Europe ex-works heavy plate | EUR/t | EX-WORKS | 665 | 0 |
| Germany delivered heavy plate (Northwest Europe) | EUR/t | DEL | 660 | -25 |
| Italy ex-works heavy plate | EUR/t | EX-WORKS | 600 | -10 |
| Weekly steel slab | ||||
| Italy CFR slab | $/t | CFR | 490 | 0 |
| Weekly Green steel | ||||
| Green heavy plate premium (scopes 1-3 CO2 1t) | EUR/t | 50 | 0 |
Maria Tanatar, Benjamin Steven
European long steel round-up
European rebar prices held firm in the week to 20 June, stabilising after a slight downward trend.
In Northwest Europe, market participants reported prices in the range of EUR615-635/t as negotiable against offers between EUR630-640/t delivered. McCloskey sees rebar prices as stable on the basis of reported indications, at EUR625/t delivered Northwest Europe.
Prices in the region appear to be relatively consolidated, with domestic and both South European and international imports material at effective parity. FOB export prices for Spanish origin long products were reported by traders at EUR580/t, deliverable to Northern Europe at EUR630/t DDP.
Input scrap prices have traded relatively sideways in the last three months, seeing a dip into April and a short recovery in May, before returning to prices above EUR250/t delivered Amsterdam Dock in June.
Production costs continue to be the primary driver of European rebar prices, fragmenting markets regionally on the basis of national energy price variances, and logistical efficiencies.
Benjamin Steven
ArcelorMittal agrees to sell Zenica steel mill
ArcelorMittal has signed a deal to sell its operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina to Bosnian Pavgord Group on 20 June for an undisclosed sum, the steelmaker said.
The operations sold include ArcelorMittal Zenica integrated steel mill and ArcelorMittal Prijedor, an iron ore mining business.
Under the agreements ArcelorMittal’s shares in Zenica and Prijedor will be sold to Pavgord Group, and all employees’ jobs are transferred to the new owner.
The deal is expected to be finalised in the third quarter of 2025, subject to merger control clearance and the fulfilment of all conditions precedent.
ArcelorMittal Zenica is a blast furnace (BF)-based long steel producer with an annual capacity of almost 1 million tonnes.
In Northwest Europe, domestic rebar prices have been heard in the range of EUR615-635/t as negotiable against offers between EUR630-640/t delivered. McCloskey sees rebar prices as stable on the basis of reported indications, at EUR625/t delivered Northwest Europe.
This week, ArcelorMittal’s European segment has notified the German government of its decision to indefinitely suspend its decarbonisation projects in Bremen and Eisenhüttenstadt, with state financing for the projects contingent on commencement by June.
Maria Tanatar, Associate Director, Steel and Green Steel
SSAB postpones Luleå mill amid power delays
SSAB has announced a 12-month delay to the start-up of its new steel mill in Luleå, Sweden. The facility, originally planned to go online by the end of 2028, is now expected to be operational by the end of 2029, Kallanish understands.
The postponement stems from delays in upgrading Sweden’s power transmission infrastructure. Vattenfall Eldistribution, which is tasked with connecting the new mill to the grid, reported that necessary grid reinforcements will not be completed on schedule. The main holdup is linked to modernisation work at the existing Svartbyn grid station, which needs to be completed before the new Hällmyran station—key to SSAB’s connection—can go live, according to SSAB.
According to Vattenfall, Svenska kraftnät, the national grid operator, is facing technical challenges and outage scheduling constraints that have extended the construction timeline for Svartbyn. As a result, the broader grid expansion plan has been pushed back, directly impacting the mill’s timeline.
Despite the delay, SSAB confirmed that the total planned investment of €4.5 billion ($5.17 billion) for the project remains unchanged. The company has begun discussions with Vattenfall Eldistribution and Svenska kraftnät to develop a revised, sustainable timeline for the project moving forward, the company underlines.
Once completed, the Luleå mill will replace SSAB’s existing blast furnace-based production with a cleaner, more energy-efficient steelmaking process, aligning with the company’s transition toward fossil-free steel.
Almost ten days ago, SSAB and Danieli signed a contract under which Danieli will supply a highly automated technology solution for the steelmaker’s new mini mill in Luleå. The new Luleå mini mill will have a capacity of 2.5 million tonnes/year of SSAB’s specialty products, and a cold rolling complex to serve the mobility segment with a broader offering of premium products. It will produce hot-rolled strip in thicknesses ranging from 1.3mm to 25.4mm, in widths of up to 2,100mm and coils of up to 40 tonnes (see Kallanish passim).
Burak Odabasi Turkey
ArcelorMittal Belgium faces Steelanol challenges amid regulatory constraints
The €215 million ($248m) industrial-scale carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) Steelanol facility operated by ArcelorMittal in Ghent, Belgium, may face a shutdown. The steelmaker warns that the plant is not profitable due to current EU regulations.
ArcelorMittal, however, assures that it will continue its dialogue with policymakers at the Flemish, national, and European levels in pursuit of viable solutions to the challenges facing its operations. The steelmaker’s CO2 reduction roadmap in Belgium is anchored on energy efficiency, greater circularity through scrap use and electrification, and the deployment of smart carbon technologies. Key initiatives include carbon-to-ethanol conversion, and carbon storage.
ArcelorMittal Belgium’s largest investment to date is the Steelanol plant, approved in 2017. The project reflects the company’s view that a combination of technologies is essential to achieve CO2 reduction targets. The plant produces ethanol for both the chemical and fuel markets, but despite securing a sustainability certificate for chemical-sector supply in mid-2024, certification for fuel use remains pending, the company warns.
In Gent, blast furnace B operates with a mix of fossil coal and biocoal from the Torero plant. Part of the BF gas is processed by Steelanol. The two key objectives are to produce bioethanol in line with biocoal use and reduce recycled fuel tied to fossil coal use. However, EU rules adopted after the plant’s approval result in far lower recognised bioethanol volumes than initially planned.
“To have ethanol recognised as recycled fuel, we must demonstrate that its CO2 footprint is at least 70% lower than an external fossil reference. This calculation must include the electricity no longer produced (Steelanol uses part of the gas to make ethanol, which is no longer available for Engie’s power plant). Because Steelanol is connected to the Belgian electricity grid (which still has a relatively high CO₂ footprint), we do not meet this target. If Steelanol were connected to the French grid (which has a low CO₂ footprint due to many nuclear plants), we would meet the target. ArcelorMittal Belgium expected that the CO₂ savings from Steelanol could be deducted from the total emissions of our cluster. According to new regulations, this is only allowed if the CO₂ is stored for a very long period (centuries). Use in fuels does not count, as the CO₂ is eventually released during combustion. Yet, Steelanol does reduce total CO₂ emissions because our ethanol replaces fossil fuels. Even for ethanol sold to the chemical sector, we are not allowed to deduct the CO₂ emissions. The difficulties in getting ethanol recognised as biofuel (when using biochar), as recycled fuel (when using fossil coal), and the fact that we cannot count the CO₂ savings from Steelanol, make it very difficult to make the project profitable—despite its great potential,” the steelmaker explains in a note obtained by Kallanish.
Last year Steelanol increased its ethanol production to a level that allows large-scale shipping via barge. ArcelorMittal’s partner LanzaTech acquired the first barge shipment last year, with the ethanol in transit for purification and subsequent sale to LanzaTech’s CarbonSmart customers.
In partnership with LanzaTech, Primetals and ERM, ArcelorMittal designed the Steelanol unit, the first of its kind in Europe, to capture carbon-rich waste gases from steelmaking. They are biologically converted into advanced ethanol through LanzaTech’s bio-based process. The ethanol produced has the potential to be marketed directly to fuel sectors or undergo additional purification or conversion for application in various consumer goods, including clothing and packaging solutions (see Kallanish passim).
Natalia Capra France
Italian coil derivatives slide amid weak market sentiment
Prices for Italian coil derivatives continue to decline, with sheet values down by €30–40/tonne ($34-46) compared to May, mirroring similar drops in welded tube prices, according to sources at distribution and service centres.
No upward price adjustments are currently anticipated, as the market remains in a broad downturn driven by falling coil prices both within Europe and for import. The continued decline is affecting the entire value chain, from raw materials to finished steel products. A major distributor voices concern over the persistent erosion of prices, noting the devaluation of inventories. Despite this, he emphasises the need for distributors to maintain sufficient stock levels and continue purchasing in small weekly volumes. Another distributor adds: “Our clients are aware that prices are falling and are holding off purchases, waiting to reach the bottom.”
Sales activity is expected to remain sluggish throughout the week, with little improvement projected until coil prices stabilise. Meanwhile, high processing costs and fierce competition are severely compressing margins at service centres, which some sources describe as virtually non-existent, Kallanish notes.
Hot rolled sheet prices have declined to €660-670/t delivered, while pickled material is now quoted at €690/t delivered, according to multiple sources. A major buyer of tubes and sheets reports a sharp decline in tube prices, citing a rise in commercial discounts from 37–38 points last month to 42–43 points currently. Larger buyers are reportedly securing even steeper discounts. According to a steel purchasing group, the market is nearing a bottom for hot rolled coil prices, with €530-550/t ex-works for European-origin material considered a potential floor. This level may consolidate next month, coinciding with an expected return of buying interest. Following the typical summer slowdown across EU markets, coil prices are forecast to rebound around September due to CBAM, which could lift both coil and derivative product prices.
Tube demand has weakened, reflecting the broader industrial downturn. However, sources note that demand was relatively healthy prior to the recent price correction in coils. Despite softer input costs, margins for re-rollers remain under pressure, squeezed by competitive pricing, weak end-user demand and expectations of heavy duties on their import purchases.
Looking ahead, July consumption for coil derivatives is expected to stay subdued, with distributors reporting medium-to-low stock levels, sufficient to meet the current reduced demand but limiting any near-term restocking activity.
Natalia Capra France
UK Infrastructure Strategy to support domestic steel sector
The UK government’s new Infrastructure Strategy has been welcomed as supportive for the domestic steel sector, Kallanish observes.
Industry association UK Steel welcomed the move noting the developments worth “billions of pounds,” would bring opportunity for steelmakers. However, it noted that a competitive environment remains vital.
It highlighted that millions of tonnes of steel will be needed for the Infrastructure Strategy investments in new nuclear capacity, regional transport, schools and prisons, announced by the Government. The association also highlighted Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, saying in her recent Spending Review speech that these projects should be made using UK-made steel.
It added that the announcement offers businesses clarity over the Government’s long term public procurement plans and how steel companies can support these ambitions and grow their own production. However, it noted that ongoing market confidence for steel companies will be cemented with truly competitive electricity prices, strategic domestic public procurement and reinforced trade defences.
UK Steel director-general, Gareth Stace, said: “Where public money is involved, British contracts should buy from British steel firms, boosting thousands of jobs and supply chains across the United Kingdom. The Infrastructure Strategy and forthcoming pipeline means the steel industry can take full advantage of these opportunities.”
“UK steelmakers are holding up their end of the bargain, working closely with the Government on reforms to the Policy Procurement Note for Steel and a digital steel catalogue to ensure procurement teams know what steel we make and where,” he added.
“To secure the success of our steel companies and the Government’s ambitions, the infrastructure plans must go hand-in-hand with competitive electricity prices, strategic domestic procurement and a new trade defence mechanism in 2026 to handle the influx of imported, high-emission steel,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, the British Constructional Steelwork Association also welcomed the strategy and said it was a “strong signal of intent to deliver not only infrastructure, but also industrial resilience and regional growth.”
It praised the commitment to reform public infrastructure procurement, which it said valued whole-life performance over lowest upfront price. As well as clearer, longer-term project pipelines that support investment in UK-based fabrication capacity and skills.
It also welcomed the shift towards prioritising domestic supply chains to support sustainability, employment, and strategic national capabilities.
“The constructional steelwork sector is ready to build the infrastructure of the future – greener, safer, and made right here in the UK. Let’s seize this opportunity to turn strategy into delivery,” it added.
Carrie Bone UK