A fire broke out at Tata Steel UK's Port Talbot steelworks in Wales, prompting an emergency response and forcing the company to temporarily halt operations at part of the site, although the full impact on production remains unclear.
Mid and West Wales Fire Service attended the site at around 8 p.m. local time on Wednesday after a fire was reported at one of the plant's processing lines. Tata Steel said all personnel were safely evacuated and accounted for, with no injuries reported.
Tata Steel share price was trading 2.6% lower at Rs. 205.01 rupees, as of 1:02 pm IST.
As of Thursday evening, emergency services remained in control of the affected section of the Cold Mill, preventing the company from assessing the cause of the fire, the extent of the damage or its potential impact on operations.
Tata Steel said the fire was confined to a limited area. The site's Hot Rolling Mill, which was paused as a precaution, was not affected by the incident and is expected to resume production shortly.
The company said it is evaluating several options to minimise any disruption to downstream businesses and customers while investigations continue.
Tata Steel also clarified that the incident was unrelated to the demolition of an empty and redundant gas holder at the Port Talbot site earlier on Wednesday.
Port Talbot is Tata Steel UK's largest steelmaking site and is undergoing a major transition after ceasing ironmaking operations in October 2024. The company is currently preparing to build a 3.2 million-tonne-per-year electric arc furnace, scheduled to begin operations in late 2027 or early 2028 as part of its decarbonisation strategy.
