Italian steelmaker Acciaierie d'Italia in Amministrazione Straordinaria (ADI in A.S.) announced in a press release issued on Friday, February 21, that the blast furnace No. 2 (BF No. 2) of the Taranto plant has returned to operation.
As reported by SteelOrbis, BF No. 2 had been shut down in January 2024, and the production site was working with only one active blast furnace, BF No. 4, as BF No. 1 was placed under seizure by local authorities from May 2025 after a fire.
"The restart of the plant, which ensures the recovery of a strategic production asset, is part of the actions and commitment of the commissioner's activity aimed at ensuring operational continuity and the protection of the industrial and employment perimeter in the current phase," the statement declared.
ADI's goal is to return the site to an annual production capacity of 4 million metric tons of steel by the end of April 2026, and to restart the coke ovens that are currently offline for maintenance. In addition, according to the timetable, BF No. 4 will undergo scheduled maintenance lasting approximately 60 days, starting from February 28, 2026.