By Maytaal Angel
LONDON (Reuters) - ArcelorMittal (AS:ISPA), the world's biggest steelmaker, has submitted a non-binding offer with Italian steel processor Marcegaglia for Italy's Ilva steel plant, handing a lifeline to the loss-making plant mired in an environmental scandal.
"We (have) submitted a non-binding offer to acquire all of Ilva's operations. We look forward to continuing discussions with Commissioner Gnudi concerning our offer," an ArcelorMittal spokeswoman said.
A Marcegaglia spokesman said the non-binding offer was submitted last Monday with a deadline of 30 days.
Privately owned Ilva, Europe's biggest steel plant by output capacity, was placed under special administration last year after being accused of failing to contain toxic emissions, threatening the jobs of its more than 16,000 employees.
The company is losing tens of millions of euros a month, and neither ArcelorMittal nor Marcegaglia disclosed the monetary value of their offer, or details of their industrial and environmental plan.
Rival companies interested in Ilva include Italian steel producer Arvedi, which filed a non-binding expression of interest in the plant last month.
Arvedi is looking to partner Italian state holding company Cassa Depositi e Prestiti and other steelmakers, according to the senate committee testimony of Antonio Gozzi, president of Italian steel association Federacciai.
Its interest in the plant is also conditional, as it wants to see a "rationalisation of the Italian steel market", Gozzi said. CDP is prevented by its articles of association from investing in companies that are in financial trouble, like Ilva, but it can invest in companies that are interested in the plant.
Italy's steel industry is Europe's second-largest after Germany's but its deep troubles have prompted the government, battling a third recession in six years, to take a keen interest in the sector and to look to foreign investors.
Estimating how much Ilva could be sold for is difficult given its situation. The company is burdened by net debt of roughly 2 billion euros (2 billion pounds) and a needs 1.8 billion euros to be invested for it to comply with environmental laws.
But is not clear who would have to pay for that.
Ilva has been hit by weak demand for steel in Europe since the 2008 financial crisis. Its main production site has a capacity of more than 11 million tonnes of steel but in 2013 produced only 5.7 million.
(Reporting by Maytaal Angel. Additional reporting by Isla Binnie and Krishna Das, editing by David Evans)