Acciaierie d'Italia, one of Italy's leading steel producers, announced that the AFO/2 blast furnace in Taranto has been deactivated due to technical problems. In a statement made by the company, it was reported that serious damages were detected after the controls carried out in the furnace and therefore the re-commissioning process was suspended.
In the AFO/2 furnace, which was suspended at the end of last year, hot material unloading operations continued until March 2025, after which technical evaluations were started. However, the examinations revealed that the furnace had significant structural problems. It was stated that these problems dated back to before the plant was taken over in recent months.
The company announced that the restart of the furnace has been postponed until early 2026. Currently, only the AFO/4 furnace at the Taranto plant continues production, while the AFO/1 unit, which caught fire last May, remains shut down.
These developments at the Taranto plant severely limit the company's production capacity. In addition, modernization investments and the search for new investors are also expected to be affected by these technical problems.
As the European Commission's pressure on Italy regarding environmental obligations and production conditions continues, Acciaierie d'Italia's struggle with operational difficulties is likely to continue for some time.
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