Acciaierie d’Italia performs a series of shutdowns of blast furnace No. 4

Steel company Acciaierie d’Italia (ADI, formerly Ilva) is carrying out a series of shutdowns of blast furnace (BF) No. 4 at its steel plant in Taranto, Corriere di Taranto reports.

The company implemented a 24-hour shutdown on November 5, and a 72-hour pause in the unit’s operation is planned from November 10. Blast furnace No. 4 is the only one operating at the company.

As noted, these shutdowns are necessary for the company to carry out maintenance work required for the regular operation of the blast furnace. In October, it was not shut down once, producing an average of approximately 4,500 tons of pig iron per day during this period.

The upcoming shutdown will coincide with the government and trade union summit on ADI, scheduled for November 11.

Given the record low production levels and the operation of only one blast furnace, the publication notes that Acciaierie d’Italia cannot risk being left without its only operating plant, as this would have serious consequences both economically and in terms of employment.

ADI is currently seeking to get through the last two months of the year without further complications, awaiting a clearer picture regarding the other two blast furnaces, in particular DF No. 2, which is scheduled to resume production by the end of this year or in early January 2026.

Blast furnace No. 1, which was restarted in mid-October 2024 after a shutdown, is currently still under evidence collection without the right to use it after a fire on May 7 in one of the tuyeres. The last samples were taken on October 27 and 28. Acciaierie d’Italia is now waiting for the official completion of the investigation report in order to reapply for the lifting of the seizure. The first application was submitted in August but was rejected by the judicial authorities.

Italian Minister of Enterprise and Production Adolfo Urso said that at a meeting with trade unions scheduled for November 11, the government plans to outline the current situation and propose a positive solution aimed at decarbonizing the Taranto plant and supporting it. This will include investments in areas of the facility that will no longer be used for steel production and adjacent industrial areas.

As of the end of September, Italy had received 10 bids to acquire the assets of the former Ilva, but only two bidders expressed their willingness to buy the company in its entirety.