Taranto steelworks furnaces must shut, Italy court rules

An Italian appeals court on Friday upheld an order to shut blast furnaces at the Taranto steelworks before the end of October because of pollution levels.

The ruling confirmed a July order requiring the shutdown by October 28 of the furnaces, which are already operating at reduced capacity. The court cited the presence of asbestos and illegal levels of fine particle emissions.

The site, formerly known as Ilva and now operated by Acciaierie d'Italia, must be cleaned up before the facilities can restart.

Acciaierie d'Italia had argued that the cooling procedures needed for a shutdown would endanger production at the plant, which employs 8,000 workers and supports contractors. The appeals judges said the balance between competing interests had to favour health protection.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government placed the plant under state administration in February 2024 to try to protect jobs and has been seeking a buyer. The Taranto site is Italy's last producer of primary steel, rather than recycled steel processing.