Tuwairqi Steel Pakistan starts dismantling DRI plant for move to Saudi Arabia

Al Tuwairqi Steel, based in Islamabad in Pakistan, has begun to dismantle its direct reduction iron (DRI) plant to move it to Saudi Arabia, a source close to the company told Steel First on Wednesday January 28.

Paragraph entered by Atlantic migration, in order for SteelFirst articles to display correctly on Metal Bulletin.

The company has failed in its attempt to extract cheaper gas supplies from the Pakistani government. It warned in mid-January that it would move its operations out of the country unless cheap gas were provided.

The Saudi Arabian government has offered to provide gas at $0.70 per mmBtu to Tuwairqi Steel if it sets up a plant there, according to the source.

The Pakistani government supplies gas at PRs488 ($4.79) per mmBtu.

Al Tuwairqi Pakistan is a joint venture between Saudi Arabia’s Al-Tuwairqi Group and South Korea’s Posco, and has production capacity for 1.28 million tpy of direct reduction iron (DRI).

The mill was inaugurated in January 2013 but has been shut down in recent months due to high production costs.

Details of how long the dismantling process will take, and where in Saudi Arabia the plant will be relocated, have not yet been disclosed.

What to read next
Explore the base metals outlook 2026 and learn how market trends are impacting copper, tin, and other metals this year.
Understand the dynamics of Saudi Arabia steel scrap prices with insights on local market conditions and demand fluctuations.
Fastmarkets wishes to clarify details around the pricing calendar for its MB-FEU-0001 Ferro-tungsten basis 75% W, in-whs dup Rotterdam; MB-FEV-0001 Ferro-vanadium basis 78% V min, 1st grade, ddp Western Europe; and MB-FN-0001 Ferro-niobium 63-67% delivered consumer works, dp, Europe price assessments owing to the year-end festive period.
The publication of Fastmarkets’ black mass inferred prices for Monday December 8 were delayed due to a technical error. Fastmarkets pricing database has been updated.
This price is a part of the Fastmarkets scrap package. For more information on our North America Ferrous Scrap methodology and specifications please click here. To get in touch about access to this price assessment, please contact customer.success@fastmarkets.com.
The following prices were affected: MB-STE-0892 – Steel hot-rolled coil index domestic, exw Italy, €/tonne MB-STE-0028 – Steel hot-rolled coil index domestic, exw Northern Europe, €/tonne These prices are a part of the Fastmarkets steel package. For more information or to provide feedback on the delayed publication of this price or if you would like to provide […]