Motherwell and Wishaw MP Frank Roy has praised Tata Steel’s Dalzell plant for “coming to the rescue”of a project to help build the new Forth road bridge.
A Spanish firm, who were to make the steel girders that will support viaducts at either end of the structure, have had to drop out and the contract has gone to Darlington firm Cleveland Bridge. And they will use Tata’s Dalzell steelworks in Motherwell to make the steel.
Mr Roy said that “It’s testament to the skill and commitment of the management, workforce and trade unions at Tata Steel. I hope this potential development will demonstrate the Scottish steel industry could have a strong future given the right opportunities.”
Motherwell and Wishaw MSP John Pentland also welcomed the news that Dalzell will help with the huge steel girders to support the viaducts at either end of the 1.7 mile long structure.
He said that “This is clearly good news for the Darlington firm, but it is also good news for workers at the Dalzell steel plant in Motherwell, since it has also been reported the steel for the contract will be supplied by Tata from their plants in Motherwell and Scunthorpe.”
“It is good to see some of the work from the bridge finally coming to UK steel industry rather than Spain, Poland and China as with the main contract, and especially good some of the work will be undertaken by Scottish steel plants.”
He added that “It is a pity the SNP government did not use procurement powers to ensure more orders went directly to Scottish firms.”
In 2012, we reported Dalzell were at the centre of a GBP 1.6 billion row after it emerged all contracts to provide steel for the new Forth Road Bridge went to foreign firms.
The town’s MP and MSP met with management of the plant’s owner Tata Steel after the firm were allegedly snubbed by Transport Scotland
Transport Scotland said no Scottish company had bid to provide the raw steel for the project. But the Wishaw Press understand, although raw steel is no longer produced in Scotland, companies such as Dalzell could have provided the finished steel.
A spokesman for Tata said then that “TATA Steel can confirm they did participate indirectly in the tendering process for the Forth Bridge contract and their Dalzell works is capable of supplying a significant proportion of the steel required.”
