Acciaierie d’Italia shuts down blast furnace No. 4 due to conveyor accident

The only operating blast furnace at the Taranto plant has been shut down unexpectedly

Steel company Acciaierie d’Italia (ADI) announced an unplanned shutdown of blast furnace No. 4 at its plant in Taranto, the only one that had been producing pig iron until now. According to representatives, the accident occurred due to damage to the rubber belt of conveyor belt No. 16, which is used to feed raw materials, LaGazettadeMezzogiono reports.

«The shutdown was carried out in accordance with standard procedures. The damage to the conveyor belt prevented the supply of charge, but the incident did not pose any risks to the safety of personnel or equipment,» the company said in a statement.

Repair work began immediately after the incident and is scheduled to be completed within 24 hours, after which blast furnace No. 4 will resume normal operation.

However, even the temporary shutdown caused concern among employees and trade unions. This blast furnace has recently been providing the minimum volume of pig iron production, while other units remain shut down or require significant investment for restoration.

Acciaierie d’Italia recently appealed to the Ministry of Labor with an updated request to extend the temporary leave program to 4,450 employees, of whom more than 3,800 are in Taranto. This signals a further reduction in production activity and increased social tension in the region.

The company’s management acknowledges that current production levels are seriously inadequate and do not cover the costs of maintaining capacity. In the medium term, there are plans to launch blast furnace No. 2, but visible growth in production is only possible after the restoration of blast furnace No. 1, which is currently under arrest.

Trade unions warn that without a clear government strategy and investment guarantees, the plant risks losing its key role in the European steel industry, and thousands of workers will remain at risk of redundancy.

In June, the Italian government allocated another €200 million in financial support to ADI. According to the Minister of Industry, these funds will allow the company to continue operating while negotiations on its sale are ongoing. The transfer of ADI to a new owner remains one of the most important industrial issues for the Italian authorities in 2025.