by Marta Rosati
The cost of energy has weakened various industrial entities but there is a lack of dialogue with Enel which manages an important hydroelectric asset in the area; within the chemical hub there has been no agreement for years with Edison which has its own power plant there; there are complementary productions within a few kilometers but the connection infrastructures are not adequate; there are public funds waiting to be invested and promises of development and research that must be realized. These are some of the reflections that the Filctem Cgil secretary of the province of Terni, Stefano Ribelli, entrusts to Umbria24 in an attempt to photograph the state of health of the chemical sector in the Conca and stimulate all those subjects who should drive its relaunch.
Graphite for electrodes and anodes «The good news of the doubling of Sangraf employment (currently the Narni scalo company employs around eighty workers), linked to new production, as well as the fueling of hydrogen systems, is a sign that this territory still has great potential to express, taking advantage of the history, research, knowledge and skills that have been formed and renewed over the decades. However – Ribelli warns when in the medium-long term – it is from the institutions that an ever greater stimulus to investments should come to safeguard what is good and allow industrial steps to be taken in line with the times and with European directives towards increasingly green frontiers which are rewarding for the environment and for businesses. The difficulty of meeting between Sangraf and the Terni steel mills makes us reflect: one produces graphite electrodes for electric arc furnaces, the other uses these very plants to produce stainless steel”.
Chemical sector Reassuringly, moving to the Ternano area, the revamping underway inside the former Treofan, now Visopack. Around 40 employees are currently working in the factory for the preparatory phase for the restart of the plants, another 50 awaiting progressive reemployment (from the industrial plan 146 by 2025), are on layoffs. In Piazzale Donegani there are also Beaulieu, Novamont and Edison: «In the first case, with a union agreement the number of redundancies for 2024 has been reduced to six (from 10) and the exits are on a voluntary basis. The company operates for only 10 months of the year with two lines out of three active and with the crisis of the hygiene market, which consumes less absorbent material, it is difficult to see positive prospects in the production of ‘flake’. It currently has around 80 workers. As for Novamont (leader in Mater-bi production), the new owner Eni Versalis has declared the group strategic, but what role Terni can play in this match is not yet known. The Umbrian site employs 130 workers. However, there are 15 who work in the Edison power plant which, unfortunately, no longer serves the other nearby industries. And let’s not forget the related industries, in particular the Scat cooperative company which employs around 90 people.”
Stefano Ribelli «As repeatedly mentioned – Ribelli said – the chemical hub would need a restyling of the infrastructure and planning of agreement between the various sites that operate there, for the sharing of services, energy, water purification and so on in order to optimize costs and also benefit in environmental terms. With the Treofan dispute resolved, it is time to take action. The institutions should ‘make a point’ before the next electoral deadlines. And with them entrepreneurs and trade associations must plan the future of the industry in the area, it would be even better if there was a clear and defined national reference policy on the topic. In any case, we cannot afford to give up the resources available, such as the PNRR funds (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) or the FSC funds (Development and Cohesion Fund). Much less can we allow the so-called ‘Vitality’ biomaterials hub to remain a title without a real soul of research and development branded Unipg in collaboration with Novamont. for now we are only at the announcements.”
Filctem Cgil The photograph of the sector in the area (which is part of the poker set by the CGIL to relaunch the economy) can only go through the giant Alcantara: «In April there should be no need for layoffs (in Umbria in the first two months of 2024 there was an appeal to the Cigo shock absorber by 79.1% more than in January-February last year). However, it is worth underlining that in the space of 4 months, 69 workers left (today there are 520 employed). The answers that arrive from the technical discussions initiated by the company leave room for a certain confidence – but we must insist on market diversification. If the automotive sector continues to impact turnover by such a high percentage, the risk of periodic crises like the current one will show no sign of reducing.”
Saint Gemini And a temporary stop also affects the Oi glass factory, which is dealing with overproduction on a global scale: a line will remain closed for 13 weeks, so the redundancy fund has been opened but in the second half of the year the forecast data are good; it is no coincidence that the internal stabilization of 3 workers (90 in total) occurred recently. In this context, Exolon of the Serafin group, which produces polycarbonate sheets, is trying to open up to new markets: the sales department’s eyes are focused on the States. «From crises – Ribelli is convinced – we can emerge stronger. The heritage that this area boasts deserves to be safeguarded and developed in a sustainable way. Politics should also address in time the issue of hydroelectric concessions, currently in the hands of the Regions, expiring in 2029″.
Tags: TerniNarni Chemistry thousand employees heritage history knowhow protected
