Milan court orders Ilva blast furnace 2 shutdown

Italy's tribunal court of Milan has ordered Luxembourg-based steelmaker ArcelorMittal to shut down blast furnace 2 at the former Ilva plant in Taranto.

The court order, made yesterday, came two days before the Italian government and ArcelorMittal are to meet to discuss an amended industrial plan for the assets. Plant workers are also expected to go on strike tomorrow.

The furnace was historically producing upwards of 1.5mn t/yr of the 5mn t/yr run rate at the plant, which ArcelorMittal has now significantly reduced as a result of multiple factors. The company had its legal immunity removed by the Italian government, while local authorities have been pushing hard for the shutdown of blast furnace 2 since the summer.

The Taranto public prosecutor ordered the shutdown after it said the safety of the furnace had not improved following an accident in 2015 under the previous owners, but the company was given an extension later on.

A spokesperson for ArcelorMittal refused to comment, saying a formal written order has not been issued yet.