Japanese steelmaker JFE Steel Corporation has announced that Al Gharbia Pipe Company, its joint venture with Japanese steelmaker Marubeni-Itochu Steel Inc. (MISI) and Abu Dhabi-based investment company Senaat GHC, held a groundbreaking ceremony on April 13 for a large diameter (LD) welded steel pipe plant in the Khalifa Industrial Zone of Abu Dhabi (KIZAD). At the new plant, Al Gharbia Pipe Company, in which JFE Steel holds a 27 percent stake, Marubeni-Itochu Steel a 22 percent stake and Senaat a 51 percent stake, will produce large diameter steel pipes to transport crude oil and natural gas.
The new plant, which is scheduled to start operations in October 2018, will have an annual output capacity of 240,000 mt. Total investment for the plant is approximately $300 million.