AdI (formerly ILVA) plans to restart blast furnace (BF) No2 during the course of the next few days, the release reads.
At the same time, on February 28, the company will start planned maintenance at BF No4, scheduled to last about 60 days. Also, within the same time frame, the company will restart coke batteries 7,8 and 12, which have being temporarily shut down for maintenance recently.
Restart of BF No2 (installed capacity of 2 million tpy of pig iron) and following restart of BF No4 (installed capacity of 2.3 million tpy of pig iron) will allow AdI to ramp up steel output to around 4 million tpy, the company said.
AdI is the largest steelmaker in Italy, with installed capacity for 8 million tpy of pig iron and 10 million tpy of crude steel. But the steelworks managed to produce just 3 million tonnes of steel in 2023, below the target of 4 million tonnes. In 2024, the company produced less than 2 million tonnes of steel, market sources said. The company had equipment to produce hot-rolled coil, cold-rolled coil, galvanized coil, plate and tubes.
As for the other BFs, industry sources said that BF No3 was completely out of operation, while BF No 5 — the largest one, with capacity for 3.7 million tpy — would require significant investment and effort in a revamp.
As of February 2026, BF No1 remains under judicial seizure and cannot be operated, after being shut down following a fire in May, which led a judge at the Court of Taranto to order a more in-depth investigation. On Thursday February 12, the Court of Taranto dismissed the application to release BF No1 from seizure, local media reported.
The Italian government took over the administration of AdI in February 2024, removing ArcelorMittal from operational management, Fastmarkets reported.
“Since February 2024, over €997 million ($1.19 billion) has been allocated to maintenance activities and industrial investments, confirming the Extraordinary Administration’s commitment to ensuring the full functionality of the facilities,” the release reads.
ADI was officially put up for sale by the Italian government in August 2024.
The sale process is unfolding against the backdrop of a long-running dispute between ArcelorMittal and the Italian state over the management and alleged expropriation of the former Ilva assets.
Earlier this week, the European Commission approved a €390 million rescue loan for the Italian steelmaker.
The measure was aimed “to ensure that AdI can cover its operating costs until the business is transferred to a new operator that will be selected in tender procedure that is currently ongoing,” the Commission said.
Author: Julia Bolotova
