Italian steelmaker Acciaierie d’Italia (ADI), the joint venture between state company Invitalia and ArcelorMittal, has restarted blast furnace No. 2 which has been idled since July at its Taranto steelworks, informed sources confirm to Kallanish.
At the moment the equipment is casting pig iron. Some temporarily laid off workers are also resuming work. Production is expected to increase at the plant but the company has not revealed any figures and did not offer comment when contacted by Kallanish. The official number of laid off workers remains at 1,800 for the moment.
The group produced 3.5 million tonnes of crude steel in 2022 and 3.3mt of pig iron generating revenue of €3.9 billion ($4.2 billion) and a positive Ebitda of €327 million. In 2021, it posted a turnover of €3.3 billion, up from €1.6 billion in 2020. In 2021, it produced 4.1mt of crude steel, an increase from 3.4mt in 2020.
This year, the steelmaker has vowed to produce about 11,000 tonnes/day of pig iron, or 4 million tonnes/year, using two to three blast furnaces. This compares to an average of 20,000 t/d that could be produced without layoffs.
Acciaierie d’Italia employs over 10,000 workers. It is currently operating with BFs Nos.1, 2 and 4. In the second half of 2023, it will start the refurbishment of blast furnace no.5, which has been idle for several years, and begin construction of an electric arc furnace.
Natalia Capra France