Norwegian-UK green steel producer Blastr is among bidders to acquire Speciality Steels UK (SSUK), formerly owned by Liberty Steel, according to reports in the UK media.
In August last year, the High Court placed SS UK Limited into compulsory liquidation.
Reports also suggest Blastr is considering relocating its holding company to the UK from Norway.
SSUK has plants in Rotherham and Stocksbridge. The Rotherham site is equipped with two electric-arc furnaces (EAFs) with a total annual capacity of 1.1 mt of liquid steel, according to the website of the past owner Liberty Steel UK.
Blastr currently does not have any production capacity and in 2023 the company announced a greenfield project to produce up to 2.5 mt of carbon-reduced flat steel in Inkoo, Finland. Among other installations, the steelmaker planned to build a pelletizing plant in the UK to produce around 6 mt/yr of DR-grade pellets.
To learn more about decarbonisation projects in Europe and globally – check Global Green Steel Profile.
Blastr will produce ultra-low CO2 steel, with emissions up to 90% lower than conventional steel for scopes 1 to 3, the company states on its website. The company also provides an estimate of the CO2 intensity of conventional steel at 2.6 t of CO2 per tonne of steel, meaning the green steel of the new plant could have a CO2 footprint as low as 0.26 tCO2/ts
Arabian Gulf Steel Industries (AGSI), headquartered in the UAE, and 7 Steel UK, low-carbon steel producers were also identified as bidders for SSUK. 7 Steel UK acquired 100% of Celsa Steel UK and Celsa Nordic from Spanish company Celsa Group in 2024.
Blastr’s spokesperson declined to comment on the matter.
