New step forward for production resumption at the Eurallumina plant in Portovesme. The addendum was signed this afternoon which establishes the characteristics and terms for restarting the factory. The document was signed in Rome by the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy , by the presidency of the Sardinia Region, together with the departments of Labour, Industry and the Environment, Eurallumina, the trade unions and employers' organisations.
The aim of the addendum is to restart the plants by reducing production and energy costs. The company intends to modify its plant to be able to use bauxites coming from the Republic of Guinea, extracted by Rusal - owner of the plant -, which would allow the reduction of the overall price of the raw material. To reduce energy costs, Eurallumina will present to the managing body a new application for a development contract for the financing of the investment relating to the modernization and conversion project of the refinery to natural gas. Invitalia undertakes to carry out the investigation of the Development Contract application.
However, as regards the financial plan, the company will present to Mimit the request for remodulation of the program contract signed in 2008 and the request for an extension (to 31 December 2026) of the deadline for completing the new investment programme. While awaiting the restart of the plant, the parties have undertaken to identify every possible solution, permitted by law, which can support the income of direct and indirect workers, who are already safe because they are covered by social safety nets. Finally, a commitment was made to monitor the implementation of the project to relaunch the Portovesme site through quarterly meetings to be held at Mimit, the first already set for May 31st.
«The signing of the addendum is a fundamental step that has been expected for a long time, but not a decisive one , an important goal but not the last compared to the other equally fundamental steps preparatory to the definitive resolution of this long and multi-year dispute», comment the territorial secretariats of Filctem Cgil, Femca Cisl and Uiltec Uill and the Rsa of Eurallumina . For the unions it is «fundamental to give legs to the commitments, first of all the adoption of the new Prime Ministerial Decree for energy in Sardinia, giving legs as soon as possible to the construction of the methane gas backbone of which Eurallumina would be the largest and main user of methane gas (35/40% of total volumes), and last but not least, the revocation of the sanction regime which would jeopardize the start of investments, approximately 300 million euros, functional to the restart of the plant. Without the arrival of methane gas - the acronyms reiterate - the Eurallumina will not start again".
(Unioneonline/D)