'Steel plant upgrade will create 950 engineering jobs'
30/05/2008(17:22)
A $500 million upgrade of a steelworks plant in Port Kembla will create almost 1,200 jobs in the Illawarra region, it has been reported.
The revamp of BlueScope Steel's Port Kembla plant will require 950 engineering and trade-related workers for a $370 million reline of its No 5 blast furnace, the Illawarra Mercury reports.
In addition, an upgrade of BlueScope Steel's sinter plant will involve 220 additional workers.
"The reline project will be a comprehensive overhaul of the facility and will restore the blast furnace to peak operating condition and secure our ironmaking capacity for many years to come," said BlueScope Steel chief executive for Australia and New Zealand, Noel Cornish.
As a number of workers will need to come from outside the area for the work, the retail sector, hotels, clubs and restaurants will receive a boost, he told the news provider.
The plant currently has a workforce of around 6,000.
Click here for engineering jobs at JobServe