UAE-based Green Metals Industries (GMI) has announced plans for an integrated steel and pipe and tube complex at Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (KEZAD), with a first-phase investment of approximately $250 million, targeting specialty and alloy steel grades currently imported into the country.
The complex will have a steelmaking capacity of 1.2-1.4 million mt per year, integrating melting, casting, rolling and pipe and tube production, with all steel melted and poured in the UAE. Shareholders have committed a comparable investment to a second phase, with long-lead equipment already contracted and phased commissioning expected in 2028.
Specialty steel focus supplemented by billet supply
GMI's product range will include carbon, stainless and alloy steels, covering blooms, billets, rounds, finished flat and long products, and pipes and tubes for energy, engineering and manufacturing applications. The company has also expanded its initial product strategy to supply commercial-quality billets to local mills in response to domestic market conditions.
“We will be producing the steel that the UAE is currently importing, and not more of what it already makes,” GMI CEO Sameer Sharma stated.
During its ramp-up, the company targets monthly output of approximately 70,000 mt, subsequently increasing to 100,000-120,000 mt as commissioning and customer qualification progress.
Flexible raw material mix to support production
The complex will use induction and electric arc furnaces supported by secondary refining facilities, with a flexible charge incorporating scrap, direct reduced iron and hot briquetted iron. GMI intends to prioritize domestically sourced metallics, supplemented by regional supplies, while expecting the UAE to begin importing scrap from early 2027 as domestic requirements absorb locally available material.
