TAG Energy Solutions factory based on the river Tees, closed its doors today and left around 100 people out of work.
So far not much is known as to why the closure took place and what chances there are of rescuing around 100 jobs. This closure comes despite the announcement that Tag Energy Solutions achieved a recent significant landmark by producing foundations for the Humber Gateway offshore wind farm, situated 8km off the Yorkshire Coast close to the mouth of the Humber Estuary. The foundations were 60-metre long, 650 tonne monopile designs plus four transition pieces.
TAG Energy Solutions were according to their earlier statements, the first UK manufacturer to secure a substantial monopile and transition piece project for a wind farm in British waters. Questions are now being asked what will come of the UK’s only dedicated Tubular Production Facility at its base on the North East Coast of England, which had the ability to roll and weld large diameter steel tubes that form the monopiles and transition pieces used in offshore wind farm construction.
This came on top of concerns over Tata Steel pulling out of many of its operations in Europe by selling off it Long Products Europe business and associated distribution activities. Yesterday Tata Steel announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Klesch Group. This undertook detailed due diligence and negotiations for the potential sale of its Long Products Europe business and associated distribution activities.
The MOU covered European based assets including steelworks, mills, an engineering workshop, a port terminal as well as other operations in the United Kingdom, France and Germany. Around 6,500 people are employed at Long Products Europe and its distribution facilities.
Both TAG Energy Solutions and TATA Steel had been highly active in the Offshore wind industry
Tata Steel’s Long Products Europe business is made up of the following facilities:
- Scunthorpe integrated steelworks
- Teesside Beam Mill, Lackenby
- Special Profiles, Skinningrove & Darlington
- Dalzell Plate Mill, Scotland
- Clydebridge, Scotland
- Immingham Bulk Terminal (port terminal)
- Hayange Rail Mill, north east France
- Engineering workshop, Workington
- Rail consultancy, York
The associated distribution sites which are part of the potential sale are located in:
- Teesside
- Scunthorpe (two locations)
- Newcastle
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Dundee
- Mosstodloch, Scotland
- Hull
- Wolverhampton
- Dartford
- Brandon
- Newton Abbey
- Stoke
- Lisburn, Northern Ireland
- Dublin, Ireland
- Cork, Ireland
- Mülheim, Germany
- Zwickau, Germany
- Hamburg, Germany
- Stuttgart, Germany
