Former Ilva, 8 million tonne plan and new tender

At a meeting on 14 July at Mimit, the Minister of Enterprise, Adolfo Urso, presented the new decarbonisation plan of Acciaierie d'Italia, the former Ilva, to the trade unions, the Puglia region, the local authorities of Taranto and the Ionian Sea Port Authority. And at the same time he announced the need for a new tender to sell the former Ilva's assets.

The presentation of the plan, finalised by the commissioners of necessity, precedes the 15 July meeting at Mimit between the government, the region, local authorities and the Authority, which will deal with the programme agreement between the institutions on decarbonisation, an agreement for which Urso strongly hoped the signing could take place today.

The plan is to produce 8 million tonnes of steel through four electric furnaces, three in Taranto and one in Genoa. The breakdown of production is 6 million in Taranto and 2 million in Genoa.

In support of the four furnaces, as many pre-drilling plants (Dri), but all in Taranto because it is not feasible to build a Dri in Genoa as was first thought. To feed the furnaces and Dri in Taranto, 5.1 billion cubic metres of gas per year are needed, which is aimed at obtaining - unless other contributions such as the Tap gas pipeline are to be investigated - with the arrival in Taranto of a regasification ship. A ship that the government would like in port, but the local authorities are against it. The alternative hypothesis to the port, which is on the table, is the breakwater in the roadstead, although this positioning, said Urso, costs 400 million.

In detail, the timing presented by the government envisages that the Taranto plant will be back on the road with three blast furnaces from next March, thus recovering a production of EUR 6 million. This is assuming that the public prosecutor's office can release blast furnace 1, out after the fire in May, in September. After that, the first scenario, which contemplates Dri in Taranto, envisages complete decarbonisation in eight years - initially ending in 2039 - starting next year and ending in 2033. First phase from 2026 to 2029, with one electric furnace and two Dri. Second phase from 2028 to 2031 with a second electric furnace and a third Dri, fourth and final phase from 2030 to 2033 (in the various phases, the last year is always the year of plant start-up) with the third furnace and the fourth Dri. Over the eight years, the three blast furnaces would be progressively decommissioned to make way for the new furnaces. In Genoa, the start-up of the electric furnace is instead scheduled for the end of 2029. Urso explained: "In the first four years we will have an electric furnace in Taranto and one in Genoa for 4 million tons of steel and keeping two of the three blast furnaces in Taranto, another 4 million. After six years, the balance changes: 6 million tons from the electric furnace and 2 million from the blast furnace. Then, after another two years, 8 million from electric furnaces alone'.