On Saturday, October 6, Taranto-based Italian steel producer Ilva was ordered by local prosecutors to start by October 11 the shutdown of production facilities which it had previously been ordered to shut down amid concerns over the environmental impact on the surrounding area of toxic emissions from the steel complex.
This latest order from Taranto prosecutors followed a meeting last week with court-appointed special administrators at the plant, who stated that management at Ilva had not been cooperating with the original order to shut down the furnaces.
The previous directive of prosecutors ordered the shutdown of blast furnaces No. 1 and No. 5 and the sale of the blast furnace No. 3, which had already been shut down amid weak demand. In addition, seven coke oven batteries are also to be shut down.
Local prosecutor Franco Sebastio stated, "The company now has to say if it is in or out...As judges, I think we have shown throughout this time much common sense and patience. But our job is to uphold and enforce the laws. We need to commence action to stop the pollution caused by the steel plant and stop production, while trying not to prejudice a future recovery of the plants."
No official comment has been issued by Ilva, which is a subsidiary of the privately-owned Riva steel group. Meanwhile, Italian environment minister Corrado Clini commented, "Turning off Ilva in five days is impossible because it is a complex system. In fact, the prosecutor is just calling for the shutdown process to begin."