Ex Ilva, è sfida a due: sul tavolo le offerte di Arvedi e Jindal

Two bids from Arvedi and Jindal are now the main contenders for the acquisition of Acciaierie d'Italia. The Italian team, led by Federacciai, is absent from the competition. Flacks Group, however, has stated it will not participate in the race but reserve the right to update its offer after discussing with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Jindal, despite having previously entered the race in January 2025, was absent from the subsequent bidding round closed in September 2025. Arvedi, in contrast, is attempting Acciaierie d'Italia for the first time. Arvedi's previous bid for the ex Ilva dates back to 2016-2017, when the Cremona-based group, which also produced flat rolling in Taranto before halting that process, entered the first bidding round of the extraordinary administration.

Arvedi was part of the Acciaitalia consortium alongside Jindal and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, but that bid was won by ArcelorMittal, the multinational that managed the ex Ilva from November 2018 until February 2024. Now, both groups aim to restore steel production in Taranto using electric furnaces, not the old ladle furnaces that have been removed.

Electric furnaces are seen as a way to decarbonize, an objective that has been mentioned as the new prospect for the ex Ilva for more than a year. However, the intervention of the judiciary and the confirmation by the Cassazione Court of the Magistrate's stop decree now necessitates bringing forward the electric furnace project in Taranto if the goal is to revive ex Ilva's steel production and maintain at least part of the employment there, currently around 9,600 direct employees, with 8,600 in Taranto asking for support from the special integration fund due to a production slowdown.

Additionally, tomorrow, November 10, the negotiations with the Ministry of Labor on the special integration fund will resume. Finally, as expected, no bids came from Italian steelmakers and Federacciai. In the morning, after the confirmation of the groups that entered, the sector federation should explain its absence, which is attributed to the high cost of the investment, its long return period, and energy costs.

Italian steelmakers had reportedly not entered, but Federacciai's president, Antonio Gozzi, quickly clarified that this was just media speculation and that Italian steelmakers had not decided yet. This team, comprising 14-15 names, had declared they would only focus on the rolling area and had also requested a postponement of the bidding process, which was initially set to close on October 15.

However, rumors suggest that through some of its members, Italian steelmaking might still contribute to reviving the ex Ilva.