January 9, 2026 16:06

The former Venator Italy plant in Casone di Scarlino, in the province of Grosseto (central Italy), was acquired at the end of December by the newco Sol Tiox, a company owned by the Solmar group (1%) and its subsidiary Nuova Solmine (99%), as part of the agreement signed in early December at the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (see article).

The plant has reopened after two years of inactivity and could resume producing titanium dioxide (TiO2) in the coming weeks, using feedstocks supplied by Nuova Solmine itself, a long-standing supplier to the Tuscan facility.

According to local media — citing internal company sources — the first of the three lines should start producing titanium dioxide as early as January, and the second could come on stream over the next three months. The plan also calls for investments of around €35–40 million, roughly €10 million of which are earmarked for upgrading the lines.

The Scarlino plant has been producing titanium dioxide (TiO2) since 1972, used in numerous industrial sectors including plastics, paints, inks, pharmaceuticals and food. The only TiO2 producer in Italy, with a former nameplate capacity of around 80,000 tonnes per year, the facility had been idle for two years; at the beginning of 2024, Venator — the previous owner — included it among the assets to be divested as part of the plan to reduce titanium dioxide production capacity, together with the Duisburg plant in Germany.

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