As Callanish became aware, many representatives of the British industry reacted sharply to reports that BP was purchasing Chinese steel for use in the Net Zero Teesside project.
The high-profile project to build a gas-fired power plant using carbon capture and storage technology is partially supported by taxpayers and the government and is being implemented on the territory of the former Redcar steel mill.
UK Industry Minister Chris MacDonald says he is "deeply disappointed" by the choice to use Chinese-made steel. "We have made it clear that we expect UK steel's net capacity to be zero in order to use it wherever possible, and I will urgently meet with the company's management to discuss this," he adds.
The UK Steel industry association condemned the move. BP CEO Gareth Stace says: "BP's decision to purchase 7,000 tons of Chinese steel worth about 5 million pounds[$6.7m]for the Net Zero Teesside project, instead of purchasing it from British Steel, located just a few miles away. It doesn't fit in my head. For a major taxpayer-funded project, this is deeply disappointing, and it should not have been allowed."
He adds: "British producers, including British Steel in the region, have the capacity to supply this steel. This decision highlights why clearer expectations and tighter supplies are needed so that government-backed companies cannot continue to build value, jobs and strategic potential offshore when supplies from the UK are available."
Meanwhile, in a blunt post on social media, Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen called it "staggering" that thousands of tons of Chinese steel would be imported for the project, "while the UK's own steel industry remains on the verge of collapse."
He added: "I raised this issue directly with government ministers, officials and the leadership of NZT, and it was absolutely clear to me that this was wrong. These warnings were clearly ignored. Here in Teesside, we know better than anywhere else about the devastation caused by the closure of industries such as steel production. Using Chinese steel in the very place where our own steel mill closed ten years ago is nothing but a slap in the face."
He also noted that the project is supported by the UK government with taxpayers' money, which means that "there is no excuse that British steel is not at its core." The government ignores the interests of
