Who Owns Skinningrove Steel?

The Skinningrove steelmaking site has a history dating to the late 19th century, when ironstone mining in the Cleveland Hills of North Yorkshire supported the development of iron and steel production along the North Yorkshire coast. The Skinningrove Iron Company was established in 1874, and the site developed into a steelworks producing a range of iron and steel products for industrial and construction markets.

Throughout the 20th century, the Skinningrove site changed ownership multiple times as the British steel industry consolidated. The site became part of the nationalized British Steel Corporation following the nationalization of the UK steel industry in 1967. When the British steel industry was privatized in 1988, Skinningrove became part of British Steel plc, which subsequently merged with Hoogovens of the Netherlands to form Corus Group in 1999.

In 2007, Tata Steel of India acquired Corus Group for approximately £6.7 billion, making Skinningrove part of Tata Steel Europe's long products division. Under Tata Steel ownership, Skinningrove specialized in producing special profiles and light rail sections, serving niche industrial markets that required the specialized rolling capabilities of the Skinningrove mill.

In 2016, Tata Steel Europe sold its long products division, including Skinningrove, to Greybull Capital, a British private equity firm, for a nominal sum of £1. The new company was named British Steel Limited, reviving the historic British Steel brand. The Skinningrove Steel brand was established as part of British Steel Limited's product portfolio, representing the specialized rolling products manufactured at the Skinningrove site.

British Steel Limited encountered financial difficulties and entered insolvency in May 2019, with the UK government's Official Receiver taking temporary control of the company. In 2020, Jingye Group, a Chinese steel company, acquired British Steel Limited from the Official Receiver for approximately £50 million, assuming ownership of the Scunthorpe steelworks, the Skinningrove site, and other British Steel assets.

Under Jingye ownership, British Steel continued to operate the Skinningrove site as part of its manufacturing network. The Skinningrove steelworks produces special profiles and light rail sections that are distinct from the structural sections and rails produced at Scunthorpe, serving specialized industrial customers.

In early 2025, the UK government intervened in British Steel's Scunthorpe operations following concerns about Jingye's financial position and its ability to fund the transition of the Scunthorpe blast furnaces to electric arc furnace steelmaking. The government assumed operational management of the Scunthorpe blast furnaces under emergency legislation. The Skinningrove site's operations depend on steel produced at Scunthorpe, making the Scunthorpe situation directly relevant to Skinningrove's operational continuity.