Tata Steel has rejected a plan by unions to keep open a blast furnace at the Port Talbot steelworks, ending any hopes of avoiding as many as 2,800 job losses. Unions met the company in London on Thursday with another plea not to press ahead with its proposals which will likely end the ability to make steel from iron ore in south Wales by September and cause thousands of job losses. The first blast furnace is due to close at the end of June, followed by the second blast furnace and the “heavy end” which makes steel from iron in September, according to people briefed on the talks. Indian-owned Tata Steel announced the closure of two of the UK’s four active blast furnaces in January, in a major blow to Port Talbot. The town and its economy are dominated by the steelworks. Tata plans to replace the two blast furnaces – which produce molten iron from iron ore – with electric arc furnaces. Electrification is a much greener option as it does not rely on a chemical reaction that creates carbon dioxide, but the newer technology will require many fewer workers. The shift to new furnaces – which could cut...