Whyalla's imminent blast furnace call could hit hundreds of jobs
An announcement is expected as soon as today that will potentially impact hundreds of jobs at the Whyalla steelworks, the ABC understands.
The aging blast furnace at the Whyalla steelworks has been offline since April, and a decision on its future is expected soon. This could lead to the loss of hundreds of jobs at the site, including contract and indirect positions. The South Australian government aims to finalize the sale of the steelworks by the end of the year.
The blast furnace's situation has worsened, with Premier Peter Malinauskas stating it is in an exceptionally precarious position. Two bidders, Jindal Steel and M Resources, remain in the running, while BlueScope Steel retains the right of last offer. The state government, unions, and administrator KordaMentha have been preparing for a permanent shutdown before the steelworks transitions to a different technology.
The sale, if finalized, would inject significant capital into Whyalla, setting it up for a new long-term future.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
