Government Launches Talks with U.S. Steel Kosice's Future Owner about Its Plans

Bratislava/Kosice, February 11 (TASR) - The future of the Kosice steelworks, their new owner's plans in the region and the issue of steel production's decarbonisation were high on the agenda of the talks held between representatives of the Slovak government, Nippon Steel Corporation and U.S. Steel Kosice, TASR has learnt from the Economy Ministry. The Cabinet was represented at the meeting by vice-premiers, Economy Minister Denisa Sakova (Voice-SD) and Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee). "The debate was focused on the future of the steelworks, which is an important employer in the eastern Slovakia, as well as Nippon Steel's current view of their plans in the region," stated the two parties in a joint statement. At the same time, the two parties emphasised that it would be premature to talk about the conclusions of the debate, as the concern does not expect to close the entire transaction sooner than the third quarter of 2024. "This will enable the company to assess the feasibility of its plans. Nevertheless, it's important that these constructive talks have begun," they said. They also discussed the issue of decarbonisation of steel production in the context with the fact that Slovakia has money for this purpose allocated from the Recovery and Resilience Plan, as well as other funds. The ministries will inform the public about further steps resulting from the conclusions of the talks in upcoming weeks. American corporation U.S. Steel announced its intention to sell the corporation, including Kosice steelworks, to Japan's Nippon Steel last year. The transaction should be carried out this year. ko