Dexin Steel is exploring the construction of a DRI plant in the Middle East

Indonesian steelmaker Dexin Steel is close to completing a feasibility study for a direct reduced iron (DRI) plant in the Middle East, Kallanish reports.

The company will also consider building a steel plant in the region.

According to a Dexin spokesperson on the sidelines of the conference, the company is exploring opportunities for environmentally friendly hydrogen-based steel production, DRI and electric arc furnace production.

In addition, following the recent expansion, Dexin plans to launch hot-rolled coil production at the end of June this year, adding 2 million tons per year of this product to the market. The company’s current annual steelmaking capacity is 7 million tons and slab production is 2.5 million tons. The company also produces 4.5 million tons of billets, 0.5 million tons of wire rod and 1 million tons of rebar per year.

Baosteel Zhanjiang Iron & Steel (part of China Baowu Group) has launched a direct reduced iron plant in Guangdong province. The plant can produce up to 1 million tons of DRI per year using natural gas, coke oven gas and hydrogen using the Energiron Zero Reformer technology developed by Danieli and Tenova.

As GMK Center reported earlier, the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa) could become a global leader in green steel production and DRI trade, according to a study by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). The region is well-positioned to supply India, a key growth market, and demand centers for green steel such as Europe.