A DATE for North-East steelmaking to resume is likely to be set next month, it was revealed yesterday.

Phil Dryden, Sahaviriya Steel Industries (SSI) UK president, said he was likely to know in July the answer to the "$6m question" he had been constantly asked since the Thai firm formally took control of the Teesside Cast Products (TCP) plant in March.

He called on people to be patient as he believed the preparation work being done now was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ensure the plant and, with it, the region's 150year steelmaking heritage, would be able to compete on a global stage for decades to come.

Mr Dryden believed the longevity secured by getting that preparation right at the outset would make the difference between waiting months for the plant to reopen pale into insignificance.

He was speaking after he joined SSI president Win Viriyaprapaikit in welcoming the Duke of York to the Redcar, east Cleveland plant, in his role as Special Representative for International Trade and Investment.

The Duke, who unveiled a plaque to mark the upcoming restart of steel-making on Teesside, said he planned to return once it resumed.

The Duke told assembled staff and dignitaries: "What I have learned today is that steel-making is a passion of the North-East and something the North-East is extremely proud of."

At least 800 jobs are expected to be created, and possibly as many as 1,100, on top of the existing staff of 700 who remained at the plant following its partial mothballing by Tata Steel, formerly Corus, in February last year.

Mr Dryden said: "The $6m question I expected to get asked today and everywhere I go is always, 'when are you going to start operating, when are you going to start recruiting'.

"This is more than a car that has been left in a parking lot and you just have to recharge the batteries, stick the key back in and turn it.

"If we restart it in the same condition as when it was closed, this would not be a successful business long term. It is not just a restart, it is a major refurbishment.

"We are in the final stages of the planning. You have to buy the raw materials and equipment, but I would imagine that between mid-July and the end of July we will be in a position to say this is the start-up date.

"From that start-up date, everything will follow for when we need to start to recruit.

"It will be a phased recruitment as there will be people we need month-by-month."

That recruitment is likely to include experienced steelworkers as well as the possibility of workers new to the industry.

Mr Dryden said: "We will need real expertise. You can't come into a steel plant without some prior knowledge, but the balance I am trying to work with is, is there latitude to introduce any new blood and what percentage of new blood can I afford to have?"