28 September 2015
SSI mothballing: Getting blast furnace operating again would come at 'huge expense'
Dave Cocks, who supervised the 2010 shutdown, says situation today is different :: He warns furnace shutdown 'is not good for the long term'
Bringing Redcar’s blast furnace back into operation would come at a “huge expense” - according to the man who supervised the 2010 shutdown.
Dave Cocks said that in 2010, workers had around three months to prepare for the blast furnace being mothballed - in a process known as ‘tapping the salamander’.
Mr Cocks was technology manager at the plant when it was mothballed by former owners Corus five years ago and supervised the operation, which sees workers drill holes very low in the furnace to drain off molten iron and slag.
But he said the current situation is “not good for the long term”.
“There is a different feel about the situation this time round.
“Last time, there was lots of notice that the closure was going to take place - about three months. We were given time to do it.
“And there were positive noises about people in the background who were interested in the plant, which turned out to be SSI.
“But this time it seems to have been very rapid - a very quick shutdown.”
Mr Cocks, 59, who worked in the industry for 31 years, told the Gazette last week that production had been paused using the “blow down” method.
That is when the furnace continues to produce iron and slag with no raw materials added to the top.
Eventually, the molten materials cool and harden.
“The blast furnace has been shut down for more than a week now,” continued Mr Cocks.
“There may have been some background remedial work done, but the big difference is in 2010 we did that final operation called tapping the salamander.
“That involves drilling a hole much lower down the furnace and allowing the molten iron to drain from the furnace.
“But this has not been done. It has been left to solidify.
“The way it’s been done is a technique for a short-term shut down - but is not good for the long term.
“There is also the problem that the material in the furnace is still cooling and expanding, that can cause structural damage.
“The longer it takes the less attractive the operation will be to a new buyer.
“The ideal situation would be to slowly get the metal in furnace back up to normal temperature, as soon as they can. But if it is left, it will be a huge expense to bring it back.”
And after being made redundant in 2010, Mr Cocks, who is Redcar RNLI’s lifeboat operations manager, feels for everyone who relies on the plant.
“Teesside is built around iron and steel,” he continued. “It is tragic for all of those who are losing their livelihoods, especially those people who were new to the industry since the plant was rescued who thought that there might be another 150 years of steel making operations.”
