The Acciaierie d'Italia (ADI) maintenance program aims to restore production to 4 million tons per year by March next year, Italian Minister of Enterprises and "Made in Italy" Adolfo Urso said during a meeting in Rome last week. He met with representatives of local authorities, including the Puglia region, the cities of Taranto and Statte, and the province of Taranto.
The meeting focused on the resumption of industrial production, which may include investment projects unrelated to steel production.
The minister informed regional and local authorities about discussions initiated in recent months "with major industrial players who have expressed interest in investing in the Taranto area," the ministry said in a statement obtained by Kallanish.
The initial assessment identified more than 15 potential investment projects in sectors such as advanced manufacturing, energy, logistics, digital technologies and the agro-industrial complex. The impact on employment will primarily be directed at the workforce of the former Ilva and its associated supply chain.
"These projects and their impact on employment will be further reviewed by regional and local authorities within the framework of a special technical working group to be convened in the near future," the ministry adds.
Investments can be placed in various areas, including areas of the former Ilva plant that are no longer used for steel production, including 140 hectares that are currently available and 30 that require restoration, 210 hectares of port authority land that are in concession, and 240 hectares that are not in concession Also included are decommissioned or planned decommissioning military lands of over 350 hectares, as well as 2,000 hectares that are already available for industry. Deadlines for the implementation of these potential projects were not specified.
Urso, however, confirmed that the decarbonization process remains a priority. There is no plan to increase the number of employees laid off due to staff reductions or as part of training programs. The continuity of production at ex—Ilva's northern plants will be ensured solely by the supply of coils from the Taranto plant.
According to an informed source, the government is simply buying time, and the long-term plan for the former facility in Ilva is to permanently close it. Restarting the blast furnaces in order to increase productivity to 4 million tons will lead to increased emissions, which is strongly opposed by the local authorities, who consistently insist on closing the Taranto plant.
