In line with recent statements by company president Bruno Ferrante, Taranto-based Italian steel producer Ilva has filed an official request with the Court of Taranto for the restitution of upstream facilities which were seized during the summer of the current year. The move by Ilva follows the green light given by the Italian environment minister Corrado Clini to the intervention plan presented by Ilva within the framework of the ministry’s Integrated Environmental Authorisation (EIA) issued at the end of October.
In a press release, Ilva highlighted that, without the full availability of its plants, it is unable to implement its planned environmental measures, adding that examinations by the judiciary which have been trusted by the Court “are totally unreliable” .
In August this year, prosecutors in Taranto had ordered Ilva to halt production and clean up its Taranto steelmaking complex in the south of Italy after an inquiry found that toxic emissions from the plant were harming workers and local residents.