Versalis operations unaffected by Italian emergency measures: spokesman

Operations at Italian petrochemical producer Versalis have not affected by emergency quarantine measures in the country, a company spokesperson said Thursday.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte extended its emergency coronavirus measures Wednesday evening and announced the closure of "non-essential" commercial businesses. This follows the announcement of a nationwide lockdown on Monday, limiting movement for around 60 million people. Under these measures people will only be allowed to leave their homes for work or health reasons.

Factories can operate as long as safety protocols are in place, Conte told a press conference.

"Versalis (Eni) confirms that operations are being carried on regularly. Since the emergency outbreak, the company has promptly put in place all necessary measures to protect its personnel's health," the company told S&P Global Platts in a statement.

"The progress of the epidemic is being monitored in order to continue to guarantee maximum health and safety protection of all employees," the statement continued.

Versalis has three steam crackers in Italy, capable of producing 1.675 million mt of ethylene, 750,000 of propylene and 285,000 mt of butadiene a year, according to Platts Analytics.