Steelwork cranes contribute to decarbonisation  

Tata Steel collaborate with Jaso to acquire seven process technological cranes for the new decarbonisation project at its Port Talbot plant in South Wales, UK.

Jaso Industrial Cranes has been selected again by Tata Steel UK, this time to participate in the transformation towards a more sustainable production model of its Port Talbot plant, the largest steel production facility in the UK. On this occasion, Jaso will provide seven steelworks cranes that will service different critical areas of the new industrial complex, as part of the company’s ambitious decarbonisation project.

This project, driven by the agreement reached in 2023 between Tata Steel UK and the UK Government, represents the largest investment in the country’s steel industry in recent decades. The company will implement a state-of-the-art electric arc furnace (EAF) and two ladle metallurgy furnaces, achieving a 90% reduction in carbon emissions, equivalent to 5 million tons of CO₂ per year.

Jaso Industrial Cranes will supply two 80t scrap cranes to feed the new electric arc furnace by means of a conveyor system; three 500t steel mill cranes for handling liquid steel ladles and a 105t  auxiliary hook; and two 35t cranes for electrode maintenance tasks.

This collaboration is in addition to the existing partnership between Jaso and Tata Steel. In 2019, Jaso supplied the same Port Talbot plant with a 135t capacity, 41m long slab crane and a 500t converter loading crane, consolidating its place among the world’s elite manufacturers of large cranes for the steel sector.

This new order has become one of the largest projects in the company’s history, both in terms of volume and in terms of strategic and industrial impact. With this new order, Jaso Industrial Cranes reaffirms its technological leadership and its firm commitment to the decarbonisation of the steel industry.

Raúl Fernández, marketing and sales director at Jaso Industrial Cranes says, “We are proud to continue to provide high-level engineering solutions for industrial projects of international reference and to contribute actively to the transition towards a more sustainable steel industry.”

Stuart Lloyd, project manager for the cranes project says, “We’re excited to strengthen our longstanding partnership with Jaso on this crucial part of our £1.25 billion green steel transformation.

Back in 2019, we worked with Jaso to replace our 60-year-old North Charging Crane, which lifted hot metal ladles to charge the steel plant’s converters with molten iron. We’ve built on the lessons learned from that project to help guide this exciting next phase of our green steelmaking journey.

These seven new, high-capacity process cranes will play a pivotal role in connecting different parts of our cutting-edge electric arc furnace facility, enabling low-emission steel production in South Wales for many years to come.”