UK steelmakers boosted by EU aid approval

Embattled industry wins rebate on energy costs but unions say concession does not go far enough

The government has won EU approval to compensate steel producers for the cost of green taxes, but unions warned that the concession was not enough to save the industry.

British energy-intensive industries such as steel paid 80% more for electricity in the first half of 2015 than the EU average, which is itself about twice as high as in the US. High energy costs have contributed to thousands of job losses at British steelmakers, including 2,200 at Redcar in north-east England.