- KEZAD complex to produce 1.2-1.4 mnt/y of steel
- Second phase targeted for commissioning in 2028
Green Metals Industries L.L.C. (GMI) plans to invest close to $250 million in the first phase of an integrated steel, pipe and tube complex at Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (KEZAD), targeting niche specialty and alloy steel grades currently imported by the UAE.
The company said all steel will be melted and poured in the UAE, with the project designed around domestic metallics and local supply chains. GMI will also supply commercial-quality billets to local mills, following a modification to its original product strategy to support the existing UAE steel industry.
Integrated steelmaking and downstream complex
The complex will integrate melting, casting, rolling, and pipe and tube production at a single site. All operations will be carried out at the KEZAD complex in Abu Dhabi. The melt shop is designed for 1.2-1.4 million tonnes/year based on a scrap and metallics charge.
The process route will include induction furnace and electric arc furnace-based primary steelmaking, supported by ladle refining furnace (LRF), argon oxygen decarburisation (AOD) and vacuum oxygen decarburisation (VOD) facilities.
GMI plans to produce carbon steel, including high-carbon grades, stainless steel, and alloy steels. Products will include semi-finished blooms, billets and rounds, as well as finished rolled long and flat products, pipe and tube.
The company said its core product strategy remains focused on the niche specialty and alloy steel segment, rather than competing in the commercial steel segment. However, commercial-quality billet production has been added in response to current domestic market conditions.
“We have modified that plan so that we can also supply commercial-quality billets to local mills. We are feeding mills that are already here rather than competing with them,” GMI CEO Sameer Sharma said.
Output to reach 120,000 t/month by mid-2027
GMI expects production to reach approximately 70,000 t/month by the end of Q4, before increasing to 100,000-120,000 t/month by the middle of next year, as commissioning and customer qualification progress in parallel.
The company said its shareholders have committed a comparable amount for a second phase, with long-lead items already contracted. Commissioning of the second phase is expected in early to mid-2028, with implementation planned in a phased manner.
Both phases form part of a broader two-to-three-year capital cycle extending into the UAE energy sector.
Scrap, DRI and HBI to provide charge flexibility
GMI intends to prioritise domestically sourced metallics, supplemented by material from within the region. Its charge has been designed to switch between scrap, DRI and HBI, providing flexibility in raw-material sourcing.
The company expects the UAE to begin importing scrap from early 2027, as domestic steel demand absorbs the country’s available scrap generation.
“We expect that from early 2027 the UAE will start importing scrap, because the domestic industry will need everything the country generates,” Sharma said.
This could have implications for the UAE’s metallics balance as additional steelmaking capacity comes on stream and domestic scrap generation becomes insufficient to meet requirements.
Supporting domestic steel supply chain
GMI said the project is intended to reduce supply-chain risks for UAE manufacturers by producing steel currently sourced from overseas. Its development is aligned with the UAE’s Operation 300bn, Make it in the Emirates agenda, In-Country Value programme and Net Zero 2050 strategic initiative.
The company is also targeting a net-zero steel facility. It said emission scopes, targets and the verification pathway will be published once they are defined to an auditable standard.
The investment therefore combines upstream steelmaking with downstream pipe and tube production while adding commercial billet supply for existing mills. This positions the project as both a domestic steel-substitution initiative and an expansion of the UAE’s integrated metals value chain.
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