Tata signs deal for new multi-million-pound acid recovery plant in Port Talbot

Tata Steel has signed a major contract with global engineering firm ANDRITZ to build a state-of-the-art acid recovery plant (ARP) in Port Talbot.

The multi-million-pound agreement will see the Austrian technology group design, supply and commission a closed-loop ARP to support Tata Steel’s new pickling line, which cleans hot-rolled steel before it is further processed for uses ranging from cars and washing machines to building cladding.

The investment is part of the company’s wider restructuring and decarbonisation plan for its UK operations—funded jointly by £750 million from Tata Steel and £500 million from the UK Government—which will see the Port Talbot steelworks move to greener production methods.

The new ARP will regenerate and recycle hydrochloric acid used in the pickling process, cutting the need for the delivery and disposal of vast quantities of acid.

ARP Project Manager Paul Boxer said the plant would “regenerate the used acid, providing a consistent quality acid, removing the need for importing vast quantities of acid from overseas and exporting the spent liquids”.

Programme Manager Andrew McGregor described the deal as “a big step to decarbonise our pickling operations”.

He added: “This is not only good news for our own process stability and costs, it’s also good for the environment, reducing our acid deliveries and collections from around 25 tankers a week to maybe two or three a month.”

Construction of the new facility is due to begin in January 2027, with commissioning later that year. Once operational, the plant will be capable of regenerating up to 6,340 litres of waste acid per hour, supporting both current and future pickling capacity as the site expands from 1.2 million to 1.8 million tonnes per year.

Tata Steel says the new system will also deliver significant cuts in emissions, thanks to ANDRITZ’s latest exhaust-cleaning technology and  support energy efficiency through the system’s integrated ECOmode function.