Former Ilva, 8 million ton plan and new tender

At the July 14 meeting at the Ministry of Economic Development (MIMIT), Minister of Enterprise Adolfo Urso presented the new decarbonization plan for Acciaierie d'Italia, the former Ilva , to the unions, the Puglia Region, the local authorities of Taranto, and the Ionian Sea Port Authority. At the same time, he announced the need for a new tender to sell the former Ilva assets.

The presentation of the plan, developed by emergency commissioners, precedes the July 15 meeting at the Mimit between the Government, the Region, local authorities, and the Authority, which will discuss the decarbonization program agreement between the institutions. Urso strongly hoped that the agreement could be signed today.

The plan calls for the production of 8 million tons of steel through four electric furnaces, three in Taranto and one in Genoa. Production will be divided between Taranto and Genoa, with 6 million tons each.

The four furnaces are supported by four pre-reduction plants (DRIs), all of which are located in Taranto because it's not feasible to build a DRI in Genoa, as originally planned. To power the furnaces and DRIs in Taranto, 5.1 billion cubic meters of gas are needed annually. This is expected—barring other contributions, such as the TAP pipeline, which needs further development—from the arrival of a regasification vessel in Taranto. The government would like to have this vessel in port, but local authorities are opposed. An alternative to the port, which is on the table, is a breakwater in the harbor, although this placement, Urso said, would cost €400 million.

Specifically, the timeline presented by the government calls for the Taranto plant to resume operations with three blast furnaces starting next March, thus restoring production to €6 million. This is based on the estimate that the Prosecutor's Office will be able to release Blast Furnace 1, which was shut down after the fire in May, in September. After that, the first scenario, which includes the DRI in Taranto, envisions complete decarbonization over eight years—initially ending in 2039—starting next year and concluding in 2033. The first phase, from 2026 to 2029, will include one electric furnace and two DRIs. The second phase, from 2028 to 2031, will include a second electric furnace and a third DRI. The fourth and final phase, from 2030 to 2033 (the final year of each phase is always the year the plants are started up), will include 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 electric furnace is scheduled to start operating at the end of 2029. Urso explained: "In the first four years, we'll have one electric furnace in Taranto and one in Genoa for 4 million tons of steel, and by keeping two of the three blast furnaces in Taranto, another 4 million. After six years, the balance will change: 6 million tons from the electric furnace and 2 million from the blast furnace. Then, after another two years, 8 million from the electric furnaces alone."