The planned construction of electric arc furnaces at Acciaierie d’Italia (ADI) will lead to the definitive shutdown of the blast furnace route at the Taranto steelworks, ADI special commissioner Giancarlo Quaranta said during the blast furnace no.1 restart ceremony. The event was attended by Italy’s Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMT) Adolfo Urso.
The restart of BF no.1 at Taranto will enable adequate output to ensure the financial resources necessary for the survival of the plant. The move is part of the government’s relaunch plan for Taranto, which involves substantial capital allocation aimed at realising sustainable and advanced steel manufacturing through the construction of direct reduction plants and EAFs.
“The first essential step towards decarbonisation and the implementation of electric arc furnaces is the restart of BF no. 1, which has been made possible by substantial investments … This production progress, combined with the implementation of environmental improvement interventions, contributes to strengthening the competitiveness of the site at a national and international level,” the company says in a note seen by Kallanish.
ADI aims to register 1.9-2.2 million tonnes of steel output in 2024. Sources, however, believe the steelmaker’s production will fall short of that. In the first quarter of 2025, BF No.2 is scheduled to be restarted. By Q1 2026, the firm plans to run BFs 1, 2 and 4. The plant is eyeing production of 4.5-5mt in 2025. Until this week, Taranto was operating only BF No.4, while BF No.5 has been inactive for a number of years. BFs 1 and 2 idled production a few months ago.
ADI’s special administration is currently evaluating letters of interest received to acquire the steelmaker. Vulcan Green Steel, based in Oman, along with Canada’s Stelco and Baku Steel Company have submitted letters of interest for the acquisition of all assets belonging to ADI.
Several other firms are evaluating the possibility of acquiring specific assets from the former Ilva in the north of Italy. Among them, Marcegaglia has expressed interest in the tube mills and the Novi Ligure facility, a re-rolling plant situated between Genoa and Alessandria.
According to numerous sources familiar with the dossier, there is no genuine interest in purchasing the entirety of ADI’s assets, and the company will ultimately be divided. The most pessimistic sources are convinced that the Taranto steelworks will eventually close down, as the local authorities intend, or convert into a cold rolling facility.
Natalia Capra France