Italian long steel producer Duferco Travi e Profilati has secured financing backed by a SACE state guarantee to support its industrial development plan aimed at upgrading its Sicilian facility in Giammoro, near Messina, Kallanish notes.
The €21 million ($24m) funding from credit institution Banco BPM backed by a 70% SACE growth guarantee, aims to support the investment plan of subsidiary Duferco Terminal Mediterraneo SpA. This company manages Duferco Group’s new multi-purpose container terminal located in Sicily, in Pace del Mela, Giammoro. In March last year, the steelmaker obtained the concession for the commercial exploitation of a port terminal, for which the firm has submitted a development project. It intends to carry out naval and logistics services.
The project is part of the reconversion and diversification plan for the Giammoro steel hub, which Duferco is pursuing with a total investment of €95m. The conversion plan, presented by the group last year, also includes the construction of a low-CO2-footprint peaker plant which has been installed at the works to guarantee sustainable energy supply.
Additionally, the plan includes the Hydrogen Valley project, which aims to develop a plant in the Giammoro area capable of producing around 100 tonnes/year of green hydrogen, powered by a 4 MW photovoltaic system and a 1 MW electrolyser. The H2 plant will be developed in partnership with Caronte and Nippon Gases Italia. The investment will be €10m, including €7.5m injected by regional authorities through the national post-Covid recovery funding scheme, PNRR. The hydrogen produced will not only feed the steel mill but also other companies in the area.
Giammoro will also benefit from a €15m investment for a battery energy storage (BESS) system, as well as the revamping and enhancing of the existing photovoltaic installation at the steelworks.
“Our goal is to consolidate and grow existing employment by focusing on three key pillars: energy, logistics and services linked to infrastructure investments,” Duferco president Antonio Gozzi says in a note.
Natalia Capra France
