An Italian court ruled on Tuesday, August 7, that Taranto,
Italy-based steel mill
Ilva should make the necessary upgrades to meet environmental standards, according to media reports. However, the court did not order the shutdown of the plant.
The court ruling invalidated that partial shutdown decision made by prosecutors in late July. As a result of the judgment by prosecutors that the plant is endangering the lives of workers and nearby residents, eight senior officials had been put under house arrest. Five of them were released following the court ruling on Tuesday.
Media reports quoted the chairman of
Ilva Bruno Ferrant as saying that production will continue, while safety conditions will be improved and the environmental impact will be reduced.
Ilva will carry out the upgrade plan with €336 million in funds provided by the government.
It has been pointed out that if the plant was shut down about five percent of
Europe's output would be lost.