It will be impossible to run the
former ILVA plant at Taranto unless the government's growth
decree is changed, ArcelorMittal said Wednesday.
"If the decree were to be approved in its current form, the
disposition relating to the Taranto plant would jeopardise, for
anyone, ArcelorMittal included, the capacity to mange the plant
while implementing the environmental plan requested by the
Italian government and dated September 2017," it said in a
statement.
The plant, which has been linked to high local cancer rates,
is being cleaned up while preserving jobs under the
government-approved plan.
ArcelorMittal said that is Italian unit, ArcelorMittal Italia
(AMI), "has manifested its concerns to the Italian government".
It said the growth decree, in its preset form, "cancels all
the legal safeguards existing when ArcelorMittal agreed to
invest in the Taranto plant.
"Safeguards which are necessary to remain in force until the
environmental plan is completed so as to avert incurring
responsibilities relating to problems which the current managers
did not cause".
The industry ministry said it was "surprised" by
ArcelorMittal's statement, "seeing that (the company) was
informed in February 2019 of the developments regarding thee
possible revocation of the penal immunity introduced in the
growth decree".
It said "the industry ministry and all the government are
working to make sure the company continues to operate while
respecting the environmental parameters".
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