´óÏó´«Ã½

Steelmaker Corus is to take on 60 new staff after announcing it will invest £8m in its North Lanarkshire plant.

The firm, which shed 2,500 jobs across the UK in 2009, said the investment followed a surge in demand for its heavy plate products.

The bulk of the jobs will be at the firm's Clydebridge plant, with 11 positions on offer at nearby Dalzell.

The £8m investment at the Dalzell steel mill will more than double the plant's capacity.

The company said that although the new posts would initially be temporary, they could become permanent if market conditions improved.

The Dalzell mill in Motherwell produces heavy levelled plate which can be used to create foundations for offshore wind turbines, power plant construction and heavy machinery.

The firm said it expected to boost its workforce further when a new 3,500-tonne flattening press was installed at Dalzell, as well as an upgrade to the plant's existing press and other manufacturing equipment.

Chris Elliot, Corus' director of product marketing, said the investment would enable the company to improve its capability in a number of markets, including the renewable energy sector.

He said the UK government's decision to approve thousands of wind turbines at sea over the next 10 years would also benefit the firm.

He added: "These developments present us with a massive opportunity.

"In the UK alone, we estimate that about six million tonnes of steel will be needed over the next 10 years to make the foundations and tower structures for offshore wind turbines."

Corus, a subsidiary of India's Tata Steel, currently employs about 24,000 people in the UK and 42,000 worldwide.