A Newport manufacturer is helping build an important part of Tata Steel UK’s £1.25bn transformation at Port Talbot.
Braithwaite Engineers is producing a 200-cubic-metre emergency water tank for the site’s new Electric Arc Furnace. The tank will sit on a 50-metre tower and keep cooling water flowing if the main supply is interrupted.
Welsh expertise in the supply chain
The order came through PERT, the Italian engineering company delivering the furnace’s water systems. Braithwaite Engineers is manufacturing and galvanising the tank’s components in Newport before they are sent to Port Talbot for assembly.
The company has more than 120 years of experience making water tanks and has supplied Tata Steel and its predecessor businesses for more than 50 years. The tank is also being made with steel supplied through Tata Steel’s operations.
It is expected to be among the first major components installed as work on the furnace progresses. The wider water infrastructure programme is part of Tata Steel’s move towards lower-CO₂ steelmaking, bringing international engineering expertise together with Welsh manufacturing capability.
Why it matters for Britain
The project keeps manufacturing, production and galvanising work in Wales, while giving a Newport business a direct role in a major UK steel investment. It also shows how large industrial projects can support local supply chains and specialist engineering skills.
