The former Ilva plant in Taranto is expected to benefit significantly from the newly presented European Green Deal, a roadmap for making Europe sustainable through investments.
In a recent interview, David Sassoli, the Italian president of the European Parliament, confirmed that Italy will have the opportunity to claim as much as €4 billion through the new deal. The funds would go to support the transition of large industries, including Ilva, towards fossil-free production.
The support could further accelerate the investment of the Italian state in the company, in partnership with ArcelorMittal. Italian authorities have until the end of the current month to negotiate a new deal and industrial plan for Ilva with ArcelorMittal (see Kallanish passim).
Both ArcelorMittal and Italian authorities agree on the fact that Taranto will need to transform part of its steelmaking production by using EAF or DRI systems. This will be to start the transition towards fossil-free steelmaking.