Three potential investors want to assess data for an aluminium smelter in Italy which the U.S. group Alcoa has decided to close, paving the way to a sale of the plant, a senior Alcoa official said on Thursday.
Alcoa said in January it would close its Portovesme smelter on the island of Sardinia, and slash output at two Spanish smelters, as it cuts global output and costs.
It has given access to information about the plant to commodities group Glencore, investment company Klesch and Austria's Hammerer Aluminium Industries, Alessandro Profili, in charge of European affairs at Alcoa, told Reuters.
Profili said any other interested parties would be allowed access to the data.
Potential suitors would then have to file a letter of intent to express their interest in taking over the smelter, he said.
Glencore declined to comment, as did Geneva-based Klesch, whose activity is focused on acquiring businesses in areas including metals and mining, oil and gas, power generation and chemicals.
There was no immediate comment from Hammerer Aluminium Industries.
Alcoa's decision to shut the Portovesme smelter has run into fierce opposition from unions and local authorities who say it would cost about 1,500 jobs and deal a heavy blow to Sardinia's economy.
Italy's Industry Ministry, which has been trying to keep the smelter running and save jobs, held a meeting with Alcoa executives and unions on Thursday.
Alcoa would keep the data room, which contains 200 documents, open throughout March and expected potential buyers to send their letters of intent in April, the FIM-CISL metal workers' union said in a statement after the meeting.
"That sounds like a reasonable timeframe," Alcoa's Profili said, declining to provide more details.
He reiterated Alcoa's intention to close the smelter by the end of this year.
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