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SSI say Redcar blast furnace will be re-lit this weekend
by Mike Hughes, Evening GazetteApr 13 2012
The blast furnace at SSI in RedcarSTEEL bosses at SSI in Redcar say the blast furnace will finally be re-lit this weekend.
After the tragedy of the closure announcement back in 2009 and two false starts as workers battled to bring the vast plant back to life, the whole of Teesside will be standing to cheer this morning’s news.
We have all held our breath for too long now, as targets were set and missed and the unimaginable scale of the project became clear.
But now with a collective sigh of relief that will be heard in Thailand as clearly as Teesside, an SSI spokesman confirmed this morning: “Plans are now finalised to restart the blast furnace over this weekend. The first iron suitable for conversion into steel will be produced within two or three days of the furnace restart.”
Phil Dryden Chief Executive of SSI UK said: “I am very pleased that we can now look forward to resuming steelmaking at Teesside after a two-year absence. This is an historic event and I would like to record my appreciation to all those who have been involved, for their commitment and hard work, on what has been a complex and demanding restart programme. We now look forward to creating a successful and sustainable business which will benefit the local community and external stakeholders for generations to come”
Today the heartbroken partner of union spokesman Geoff Waterfield, the hugely respected figurehead of the battle to get the plant back on line who died in August aged just 43, told the Gazette: “It will be very emotional for Wills and I being there to represent Geoff and not being with him.”
Sheryl Petite, who will be at the ceremony with her son, said: “Geoff would himself have been emotional at the moment of re-light - seeing what he believed one day would happen, realised.”
Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland Labour MP, Tom Blenkinsop said the news was “...the birth of a new industrial era - a Teesside spring that all Teesside has patiently waited for."
He said: "The real credit must be for SSI, TATA and Teesside's workforce. The workforce were determined their community and families futures were not to be junked, and they and Community Trade Union mounted the campaign to see that the furnace flames were not extinguished for ever.
"I know that one thing that will stand out for the SSI managers will be the enthusiasm and Teesside grit of their workers. This is a great day for everyone after all the pain we as a community have had to
endure."
The furnace stoves had finally been lit at the end of January after two missed deadlines in the reopening process. The original restart date was earmarked as December 8 - but extra work on the blast furnace
was identified and the firm then committed itself to January 6. Bad weather, union action and the enormous workload meant another retreat.
Now there will be a series of landmark events in the reopening, including first slab production and the first export shipment back to Thailand.
Read More SSI say Redcar blast furnace will be re-lit this weekend - Local News - News - Gazette Live
by Mike Hughes, Evening GazetteApr 13 2012
The blast furnace at SSI in RedcarSTEEL bosses at SSI in Redcar say the blast furnace will finally be re-lit this weekend.
After the tragedy of the closure announcement back in 2009 and two false starts as workers battled to bring the vast plant back to life, the whole of Teesside will be standing to cheer this morning’s news.
We have all held our breath for too long now, as targets were set and missed and the unimaginable scale of the project became clear.
But now with a collective sigh of relief that will be heard in Thailand as clearly as Teesside, an SSI spokesman confirmed this morning: “Plans are now finalised to restart the blast furnace over this weekend. The first iron suitable for conversion into steel will be produced within two or three days of the furnace restart.”
Phil Dryden Chief Executive of SSI UK said: “I am very pleased that we can now look forward to resuming steelmaking at Teesside after a two-year absence. This is an historic event and I would like to record my appreciation to all those who have been involved, for their commitment and hard work, on what has been a complex and demanding restart programme. We now look forward to creating a successful and sustainable business which will benefit the local community and external stakeholders for generations to come”
Today the heartbroken partner of union spokesman Geoff Waterfield, the hugely respected figurehead of the battle to get the plant back on line who died in August aged just 43, told the Gazette: “It will be very emotional for Wills and I being there to represent Geoff and not being with him.”
Sheryl Petite, who will be at the ceremony with her son, said: “Geoff would himself have been emotional at the moment of re-light - seeing what he believed one day would happen, realised.”
Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland Labour MP, Tom Blenkinsop said the news was “...the birth of a new industrial era - a Teesside spring that all Teesside has patiently waited for."
He said: "The real credit must be for SSI, TATA and Teesside's workforce. The workforce were determined their community and families futures were not to be junked, and they and Community Trade Union mounted the campaign to see that the furnace flames were not extinguished for ever.
"I know that one thing that will stand out for the SSI managers will be the enthusiasm and Teesside grit of their workers. This is a great day for everyone after all the pain we as a community have had to
endure."
The furnace stoves had finally been lit at the end of January after two missed deadlines in the reopening process. The original restart date was earmarked as December 8 - but extra work on the blast furnace
was identified and the firm then committed itself to January 6. Bad weather, union action and the enormous workload meant another retreat.
Now there will be a series of landmark events in the reopening, including first slab production and the first export shipment back to Thailand.
Read More SSI say Redcar blast furnace will be re-lit this weekend - Local News - News - Gazette Live