Pictures show Tata steelworks before it changes forever (original) (raw)

The site will change beyond all recognition as the two blast furnaces are closed this year, with the devastating loss of thousands of jobs

For most of us, the only glimpse we ever get of the Port Talbot steelworks is from the M4. The clouds of smoke and steam rising, the towering structures, chimneys and gas holders.

Once through the barriers of what the people who work there describe as a town in its own right, there are masses of assets where hugely complex, scientific processes take place, undertaken by a workforce of thousands. some following in the steps of at least one generation of their own family. There is also a private beach which is the longest in Europe, hiding incredible historic treasures and natural phenomenon including rare species of flora and fauna.

It is a huge part of people's working lives, and has been for generations, but as part of the Indian steel-giant Tata's restructure the two blast furnaces will be turned off - blast furnace five will close in June and number four in September.

READ MORE: Major closure announced at Tata Steel in Port Talbot

The switch from steel production in the blast furnaces to an electric arc furnace will see thousands of job losses among the 4,000-strong workforce. It will also change the site as a whole. What will happen to the 12km-square site once parts of it are decommissioned is not yet known.

But from September, many of the structures on the site will be closed. The power plant, coke ovens, harbour, ore yards, sinter plant, continuous annealing processing line will all shut. The 'torpedoes' which carry molten iron will no longer travel along the rail tracks.

It will be years until the site changes completely, but the changes are already happening. The coke ovens being turned off earlier this year means that commuters on the M4 will never see the clouds of steam that have, to many, signalled their passage home. In years to come, many of the structures, chimneys and towers that are the skyline by Port Talbot will also disappear.

These pictures, captured by John Myers, show the site as it is in May, 2024, before it starts changing for the last time.