Ex Ilva: here are the 14 steel companies behind Federacciai's (partial) takeover plan
Ex Ilva is one of Europe's largest integrated steelworks, built around the Taranto plant in southern Italy. Once operated by ArcelorMittal, the plants are owned by Ilva in special administration and operated by Acciaierie d'Italia, also under special administration since early 2024, with government-appointed commissioners searching for new industrial partners to take over the plants.
The search has taken on new urgency. In July, the Milan Court of Appeal ordered Taranto's hot end, home to Italy's only integrated steel cycle running from raw materials to finished steel through the blast furnace, to halt operations within 90 days, a deadline that falls on October 28, citing unresolved asbestos removal and fine particulate emissions. The plants' owner has since appealed to Italy's Supreme Court, but the challenge does not suspend the deadline.
It is against this backdrop that Federacciai, the Italian federation of steel companies representing most of the country's steel producers, has stepped in. "We consider this willingness an act of responsibility toward the thousands of workers whose future is now at risk. Our goal is to safeguard the entire steel processing supply chain and strengthen the country's strategic autonomy," said Antonio Gozzi, president of Federacciai, commenting on the association's commitment to the ex-Ilva dossier.
What's at stake
The move followed a fast sequence. Federacciai's willingness to get involved first emerged on August 5, on the sidelines of a meeting at Italy's Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT). Five days later, the association's board gave Gozzi a formal mandate, and on August 18, 14 member companies signed on.
The signed document currently carries only preliminary weight: it opens the door to industrial involvement but does not amount to a binding offer. It covers the ex-Ilva plants in Genoa, Novi Ligure, and Racconigi, downstream facilities in Taranto — not the “hot-end” operations, that is the integrated steelmaking area, which remains subject to the court-ordered shutdown described above.
Most of the 14 companies are built around electric arc furnace technology, which accounts for roughly 90% of Italy's steel output, a production profile that differs sharply from Taranto's integrated steelmaking operations. Their interest is therefore focused primarily on downstream assets that could continue operating even without Taranto's primary steelmaking facilities, provided they are supplied with semi-finished steel from other sources.
The 14 companies that signed the expression of interest, in alphabetical order:
- ABS Acciaierie Bertoli Safau
- Acciaieria Arvedi
- Acciaierie Venete
- Advanced Steel Solutions-Asonext
- AFV Acciaierie Beltrame
- Alfa Acciai
- Compagnia Siderurgica Italiana, Gruppo Pittini
- Duferco Travi e Profilati
- Feralpi Siderurgica
- Ferriera Valsabbia
- Lucchini RS Holding
- Marcegaglia Carbon Steel
- O.R.I. Martin
- Rubiera Special Steel
What's next
The expression of interest gives the companies involved access to ex-Ilva's industrial data, a required step before any binding offer can be formulated. Eusider has since also expressed its willingness to join the initiative. Talks between the government, unions, and local authorities continue in the coming days. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni confirmed that a government table will reconvene in early September to examine the manifestations of interest received so far, alongside a separate table dedicated to Taranto's broader industrial development.
Any reduction in Italy's domestic steel supply could ripple through the entire value chain, from producers down to wire, tube, and other semi-finished product manufacturers, though the extent of the impact remains to be seen.
The Feralpi Group also controls the Caleotto and Defim Orsogril plants.
Acciaierie Venete acquired Trafilerie Sanpaolo in early 2025.
Photo: Stefano Tammaro / Adobe Stock
