Acciaierie d’Italia, the joint venture between ArcelorMittal and state-owned Invitalia, is gradually increasing production after earlier mothballing equipment at its Taranto steelmaking facility to address the current unsustainable costs of energy.
This week, some equipment in the cold area is now restarting and shifts are being added, sources close to the company tell Kallanish.
At the end of 2021, the steelmaker mothballed blast furnace no.4 because of a technical issue. This followed the restart of BFs no.1 and 4 in October. The latter was idled for about seven months and the company spent €70 million ($69m) on upgrade works. The steelmaker, formerly known as Ilva, mothballed blast furnace no.2 last month amid the downturn in prices and demand in the global coil market. At present, Taranto continues to work using two BFs.
Meanwhile, the USB unions are threatening strikes to protest against the use of temporary layoffs that are set to affect about 2,500 workers at Taranto. The scheme expires in March 2023, Kallanish understands. The Italian government however is mulling an extra two months’ layoff scheme based on the current crisis in energy-intensive sectors such as steel.
Natalia Capra France
