ArcelorMittal to close Taranto furnaces by mid-January

ArcelorMittal Italia has informed trade unions that it intends to ramp down its Taranto blast furnaces by 15 January, according to a note obtained by Argus.

Blast furnace 2 will be idled on 13 December and blast furnace 4 on 30 December, chief executive Lucia Morselli told unions. Blast furnace 1 will stop on 15 January, and the closure of the site’s coking and power plants is also planned.

Blast furnaces 5 and 3 are not operational.

ArcelorMittal has already denied that it will remain at Taranto until May 2020, as suggested by local press and market sources. The company told Argus it expects the special commissioner to take back ownership within 30 days of its termination notice, which was sent on 4 November.

By Colin Richardson