Project Aurora — Teesside, UK

Restoring
British
Electrical Steel

A £1.4bn greenfield DRI-EAF-ESP facility on Teesside — the UK's only advanced-stage proposal to restore domestic electrical steel production.

£1.4bn Total Investment
1,200kt Annual Capacity
~500 Permanent Jobs
0.5t CO₂ per tonne
2031 First Steel
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The UK imports
every tonne

The UK has had zero domestic electrical steel production since 2019, when Orb Electrical Steels — the country's last producer — closed. Every tonne used in EV motors, grid transformers, heat pumps and rail traction systems is imported from China, Japan, South Korea and the EU.

The UK Steel Strategy (March 2026) identified this as a critical supply chain vulnerability. No incumbent producer is pursuing domestic electrical steel capability. Aurora is the only active project to address this gap.

The transition to electrification — EVs, offshore wind, grid modernisation, SMRs — is accelerating demand precisely as supply chain risk is rising. Aurora is positioned to supply this market from within the UK, from 2031.

2019
Orb Electrical Steels closes.
UK domestic production ends.
100%
Of UK electrical steel
is currently imported.
2031
Aurora targets first steel —
restoring domestic supply.

Five product streams.
One facility.

NOES
Non-Oriented Electrical Steel
EV motors, industrial drives, heat pumps. Zero UK domestic supply since 2019.
GOES
Grain-Oriented Electrical Steel
Grid transformers, SMRs. From 2034, including Hi-B export grade.
T2/3
Specialty Strip
HSLA-Si, tool & spring steel, soft magnetic — for UK precision engineering.
T4
Specialty CRC
Enclosures, frames and precision engineering for UK industrial supply.
HRC
Hot-Rolled Coil
UK domestic market. Structural cost advantage via ESP cast-and-roll — no reheat furnace.
Technology HYFOR DRI → Twin EAF → ESP Cast-and-Roll → Cold Processing → Lamination  —  0.5 tCO₂/t  —  H₂-ready design

Teesside is
the natural home

Aurora requires a site that is genuinely rare: large contiguous heavy industrial land, deep-water port access for bulk ore imports, high-voltage grid infrastructure, and a planning environment suited to major industrial development.

Teesworks is the only site in the UK that combines all of these — with the added advantage of Freeport incentives that directly improve project economics.

Aurora requires 60–70 hectares on a long-term tenure, with direct access to Teesport for Panamax bulk vessel berthing and proximity to the Teesside industrial grid.

Port
Panamax deep-water access Teesport's Panamax-capable berths support ~350kt/yr iron ore concentrate imports — a critical infrastructure requirement difficult to replicate elsewhere in the UK.
Grid
275kV industrial grid Proximity to Teesside's industrial grid and the emerging offshore wind corridor supports Aurora's 240MW peak power requirement.
Land
Available heavy industrial land Large contiguous parcels within an established heavy industrial zone — immediately suitable at scale.
Freeport
Freeport advantages Customs facilitation on imported ore, enhanced capital allowances and employer NI relief — directly improving Aurora's project economics.

Structured path
to first steel

Q2 2026 – Q1 2027
FEED
Front-end engineering and design. Primetals Technologies. Environmental baseline, grid pre-agreement, planning pre-application, land option.
Mid-2027
FID
Financial Investment Decision. Equity and debt package close. EPC contract awarded. Full planning consent. FEED loan repaid.
2027–2030
Construction
DRI module, meltshop, ESP, electrical steel cold mill, lamination facility, 275kV grid connection and site infrastructure.
2031
First Steel
HRC production begins. NOES ramp commences. ~40% run-rate by year-end. Revenue from day one. ~500 permanent roles filled.
2034–2036
Full Operation
GOES online. 1,200kt/yr steady state. £194.5m/yr EBITDA. Full complement of direct roles.

Get in touch

Aurora is currently in pre-FEED. We welcome enquiries from site partners, strategic investors, offtake counterparties, and relevant public bodies. Full project documentation is available under a mutual NDA.

Name Evan Millard — Founder, Project Aurora
Phone 07846 367000
Location Teesside, UK

Full project documentation available under mutual NDA.