Glencore Portovesme, reduced speed plans on bismuth and lithium lines
From the lithium project that has to come to terms with bureaucracy to the zinc line that is now shut down and without investors, to the challenge of bismuth, which, however, still needs time before it materialises. One year after the visit of the ministers of Mimit and Labour to Portovesme srl-Glencore, the knots still have to be unravelled regarding the future of the metallurgical plant that in the Sulcis Iglesiente pole produced, until a few years ago, lead, zinc, gold, silver, copper and sulphuric acid.
Two years ago, due to the high cost of energy, production lines were gradually shut down: first the lead line, considered no longer competitive, then the zinc line. Next came the relaunch plans at the centre of the meeting, in the meeting room of the Portovesme plant, with ministers Adolfo Urso and Elvira Calderone, undersecretary Fausta Bergamotto and regional president Alessandra Todde.
One of the key points concerned the zinc line, which was stopped due to high energy costs. One of the hypotheses illustrated was the entry of new investors to manage the production segment. One year on, however, there seems to be no immediate solution. The company is engaged in a series of interlocutions with Mimit and Invitalia, sharing detailed information to identify investors willing to start alternative projects in the Portovesme area. A visit by Invitalia is possible in the coming weeks to verify the state of the plants and the areas of interest.
The project to produce lithium from recycled spent batteries is going ahead, but the route is quite long. The project envisages, with an investment of more than EUR 400 million, the extraction of lithium, nickel, copper, water, manganese and cobalt from black mass (obtained by shredding and processing spent batteries). The project, which is currently being discussed with Mimit, has to deal with bureaucratic issues. Including the fact that there is still no clear regulation on the use of black mass. Initial consultations with the institutions indicate that there are critical issues on the administrative authorisation level. In addition, some difficulties related to the lack of gigafactories in Europe must be overcome.
Instead, the project at the San Gavino foundry is proceeding in small steps. Production from triple alloys will continue through 2026 with full employment. The technical study on bismuth continues. The objective is to valorise a product obtained from the refining of lead, which has, albeit in a niche market, an important value with uses ranging from medicine to aerospace.
