Part of 3. Questions to the Minister for Economy – in the Senedd at 3:08 pm on 31 January 2023.
The reality is that much of the investment for the steel industry must come from the UK Government, and I'd have to join Jack Sargeant in saying that it is disappointing that there is a reluctance from UK Government Ministers to engage with our CPG. In fairness to you, Minister, I think this will be the second time that you've come to the CPG now, and I know Members are very appreciative of that.
We know that steel is important for reaching net zero, so, to this end—and you mentioned hydrogen use in blast furnaces—I would like to explore further how steel factors into the Welsh Government's approach to hydrogen. Of course, hydrogen may offer a way of producing low-carbon steel and secure the industry's future, and the risk, of course, is that if we don't look at hydrogen more, we may focus too much on recycled steel.