ArcelorMittal Restarts Negotiations with Italy on Ilva Steel Plant

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The press release issued by Italian Ministry of the Interior states that the country’s government has reopened talks with ArcelorMittal Italia over Ilva steel plant assets in the southern city of Taranto.

The primary objective of the talks would be to reach an agreement on a new industrial plan to save the troubled steelmaking assets. The plan will have new productive solutions and technologies, so as to ensure relaunch of the plant, with government support and involvement by the public.

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Accordingly, the government will urge Ilva commissioners to grant brief delay of the trial procedure, and to postpone the hearing scheduled to be held tomorrow. The delay in Milan tribunal ruling is expected to give more time for negotiations. Meantime, the Italian government has requested ArcelorMittal to maintain normal operations at the plant. Following this, the company has cancelled its earlier decision to shut down all blast furnaces at the site by mid-January 2020 and has decided to halt suspension of the plant until court’s ruling.

The conflict started when the Italian government decided to remove legal protection from prosecution offered to the company and its managers during the cleanup process.