The contest for the former Ilva steelworks has narrowed to two bidders, with offers now before the plant’s extraordinary commissioners. Arvedi of Cremona broke away from the Federacciai consortium to bid alone, proposing two electric furnaces built in successive steps using its ESP continuous strip technology, though founder Giovanni Arvedi said the offer carries suspensive conditions, including approval of the industrial plan by the institutions and the people of Taranto. India’s Jindal, which took part in the first tender in July 2024, has updated its proposal to account for the shutdown of the hot area and says it can build an electric furnace; the details and prices of both offers are not yet known.
The metalworkers’ unions Fim, Fiom and Uilm called Arvedi’s bid an important step but said they cannot judge it without the offers’ contents, and asked the government to convene them at Palazzo Chigi. Employment talks continue separately over extraordinary wage support covering up to 8,622 ex-Ilva workers, and the next government meeting with the social partners is expected in mid-November.