One hundred and fifty million on the way already in the next few hours intended for plant maintenance. A meeting within the week between the commissioners of Ilva and Acciaierie d’Italia to “align” on the themes common to the two extraordinary administrations, starting with extension of the rental contract. And a European-wide initiative for protect continental steel and its production.
The future of the former Ilva plants is starting to be outlined, also on an operational level. In the double meeting yesterday evening – Monday 25 March – at Mimit, with trade unions and related companies, the Minister of Business and Made in Italy, Adolfo Ursoannounced that they will be transferred in the next few hours 150 million euros for plant maintenance, foreseen in the Pnrr decree currently being definitively converted in Parliament, according to what was reported by sources present at the meeting. Furthermore, the Mimit manager explained that it will take approximately 7 months for the maintenance of ovens 1 and 2. As regards the rental contract, Urso would have underlined that there are no problems in extending the contract and that this week the extraordinary commissioners should meet for an “alignment” on the new rental contract. The current contract, already extended, expires in May this year when the purchase of the plants by AdI was expected.
The initiative in Europe
The national steel policy goes in “parallel” with the European one, Urso himself explained on the sidelines of the Blutec table and before the meeting on the former Ilva: “The one and the other must be aligned and we are committed in Italy and in Europe so that there is one European industrial policy that allows the sustainability of the system as a whole and, consequently, that it is the basis of the manufacturing industry of our continent”.
“I will give a brief report on what has happened in the last hour in Europe – he said speaking of the table on the former Ilva – because it was there at our request an important meeting in Brussels promoted by the vice-president of the commission on what more can and should be done to improve performance the European steel industry is more sustainable and competitive, where it emerged that our proposals have already obtained significant consensus, i.e. a review of the path of the European steel industry which must be sustainable for the European production system, for the competitiveness of the European steel industry. A path that must lead us to be i champions of green steelmaking at a global level“.
Resources unlocked
At yesterday’s double meeting “the commissioners were also present and we will do it the point of the road we have already travelled in the full consensus of all the institutional actors and also trade union and company associations and of what we intend to do to reach a positive solution – added Urso – that is, the protection of the systems, therefore investments in safety and then the assignment of the same so that we can return to talking about Italy’s great steel system”. “We have already released the resources necessary for the first phase, those of the allocated assets and those necessary for working capital. The commissioners, the two administrations” of the former Ilva and Acciaierie d’Italia “they are discussing to lay the foundations for the industrial and financial plan that will be presented in Europe for the 320 million euro bridge loan”, “it’s a matter of days but they are working on it”.