Reuters reported that Glencore International Plc will look into new possibilities for an aluminum smelter in Italy which the US group Alcoa Inc plans to close.

Alcoa said that earlier this month it would close its Portovesme smelter on the Italian island of Sardinia and slash output at two Spanish smelters as part of a broader effort to cut its global output by 12% and reduce costs.

The ministry said that Glencore has confirmed its intention to assess starting in the next few days the possible industrial and market prospects of Alcoa's plant. Last week it would meet potential new investors in the plant and was also committed to finding sustainable solutions for the problem of high energy costs which had been raised by Alcoa.

Alcoa's decision to shut the Portovesme smelter, a major employer on the island has run into fierce opposition from labor unions and island authorities, who say it would cost the jobs of about 1,500 people and hurt the economy.

In 2010, Italy passed a special decree offering favorable power supply conditions to some industrial consumers to convince Alcoa to keep its Italian plants working.

(Sourced from Reuters)