From left: CEO Zengwei An, UK Steel’s Gareth Stace, Industry Minister Sarah Jones, Scunthorpe MP Sir Nic Dakin, Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye, and Community’s Roy Rickhuss.
Heathrow to Use British Steel in Major Investment Programme
Heathrow has delivered a major boost to British Steel and the wider UK steel industry by pledging to use British-made steel in its largest-ever investment programme.
The announcement was made during a special event at the Scunthorpe Conference Centre.
As a sign of its commitment to ensuring positive benefits nationwide, Heathrow also signed the UK Steel Charter, which aims to maximise supply chain opportunities for UK steel producers like British Steel.
Full details of the investment programme, including project phasing and the pathway to a third runway, will be submitted to the Government this summer. Confirmed plans include new investment in:
- Terminal infrastructure: Heathrow will collaborate with airlines and the regulator to finalise plans for expanding Terminal 2 and optimising passenger capacity in Terminal 5.
- Customer experience and punctuality: Reconfiguration and layout improvements of the airfield to increase the number of aircraft stands, enhancing resilience and punctuality.
- Local transport connections and sustainable travel: Further improvements to bus and coach links to promote sustainable travel options for local communities.
- Sustainability initiatives: New infrastructure will feature improved environmental credentials and utilize more sustainable power sources, aligning with Heathrow’s Connecting People and Planet sustainability strategy.
British Steel Welcomes Heathrow’s Commitment
Welcoming the announcement, British Steel’s Chief Commercial and Procurement Officer, Allan Bell, stated:
“Today, we stand at the dawn of a new era — an era in which we are committed to building a clean, green, and sustainable business where steel is more important than ever before.
We are embarking on our biggest journey yet, transitioning to a sustainable and modern, cleaner process using electric arc furnace technology.
British Steel is pivotal for the UK to achieve its net-zero targets. Our products play a central role in transitioning to a low-carbon, circular economy. Products produced here will be fundamental in supporting the future growth of the UK economy. We are proud to back a third runway and the proposed expansion of Heathrow.
Major developments like this require large volumes of steel, demonstrating why the UK must maintain a strong and vibrant steel manufacturing sector. This sovereign capability is critical for delivering such national projects.
We look forward to working with Heathrow, other customers, and the UK Government to support investments that grow the British economy and safeguard employment.
Our colleagues in Scunthorpe and Teesside have a distinguished history of supplying world-class products to projects like Heathrow’s Terminal 5, The Shard, and Network Rail. We are incredibly excited by the potential created by this announcement and Heathrow’s signing of the UK Steel Charter.”
CEO Zengwei An on British Steel’s Role
British Steel’s CEO, Zengwei An, added:
“As Britain’s only manufacturer of heavy constructional steel sections and rail, we have a critical role to play in helping this country meet its many infrastructure needs.”
Read more about the UK Steel Charter here.
