Port Talbot: Tata plans could cost thousands more jobs – report

In five to ten years, new technology such as floating offshore wind and the benefits of the Celtic Freeport should be harnessed, the report said.

It warned that, without a plan to support workers, the restructure at Tata Steel “would accentuate and accelerate the ‘brain drain’ of younger, more highly skilled workers from the area”.

While there were opportunities from new technologies such as wind power and hydrogen generation, the report said that the Welsh government and the UK government would need to support large-scale projects.

Tata Steel said it was investing £1.25bn over the next four years in the UK steel industry, aiming to secure 5,000 jobs to “create a sustainable future with green steelmaking at the heart of an industrial ecosystem”.

“We are very aware of the impact such decisions have on the people and businesses in the region, and we are working hard to ensure a just transition through our own initiatives,” the company said.

“It is crucial that the decisions being made to support people, businesses and groups within the Port Talbot community are based on timely and accurate information.”