The signing ceremony was witnessed by Italian Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. Davide Giglio and Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Secretary Frederick Go, underscoring the project's national significance.
Green technology
Valued at ₱30 billion, the mill will use Danieli’s cutting-edge equipment and green steel technologies, aligning with global climate goals.
“Steel is the base of development in any country. This is laying the foundation of future development in the Philippines,” said Danieli CEO Giacomo Mareschi Danieli.
Currently, the Philippines imports all heavy steel sections—including beams, angles, channels, sheet piles, and narrow plates—from China and Vietnam. These components are critical for infrastructure in typhoon-prone and seismic zones, given their superior tensile strength over reinforced concrete.
Employment generation
Go hailed the project as a model of the Marcos administration’s push for investment-driven growth. “This is exactly the kind of investment we need to move from a consumption-based economy to a more sustainable, self-reliant one,” he said.
SteelAsia’s Candelaria mill, along with a parallel facility under construction in Batangas, is expected to create 7,000 jobs and spur the growth of related industries like pre-engineered buildings and fabrication. Once operational in 2027, the plant will reduce lead times for steel delivery from three months to just two weeks and slash the country’s annual import bill by an estimated $1.2 billion.
PH industrial sovereignty
Giglio described the project as a milestone for Philippine industrial sovereignty, highlighting the 30-year collaboration between SteelAsia and Danieli.
Importantly, the Candelaria mill is also expected to have one of the lowest carbon footprints among global steel plants, avoiding up to 2 million tons of CO₂ emissions annually.
SteelAsia, already a dominant player with facilities across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, sees this project as part of its broader strategy to build a robust and self-sufficient steel industry for the country. — Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
