ArcelorMittal Italia will continue operating its plant in Taranto after Italy’s Council of State suspended a sentence from the Regional Administrative Court (TAR) of Lecce on Mar 11.
Under the previous sentence, TAR had ordered the Taranto plant to shut down by Apr 14 due to environmental concerns. In 2020, the region’s mayor had first ordered the closure of the hot segment of this plant within 60 days to prevent emissions from affecting the neighboring community, which was suspended by TAR before it gave the latest sentence.
ArcelorMittal Italia and Ilva administration submitted a request for suspension of the TAR order with the Council of State, which ruled in favor of the steelmaker through an order that suspends TAR’s sentence until a court hearing that is scheduled on May 13.
The hot area of the Taranto plant includes a blast furnace, coke plant, steel mill, and all corresponding raw materials management areas in support of steelmaking. In its takeover of the Italian plant, ArcelorMittal noted challenges in operating the site while meeting the large costs associated with the plant, without some government investments and adjustment to expectations to avoid unemployment and stoppage.