Tosyali SULB has placed an order for the initial phase of the DRI complex in Libya

Tosyali SULB, a joint venture between Turkish steelmaker Tosyali Holding and Libya’s United Steel Company for Iron and Steel (SULB), has announced that it has placed an order with direct reduced iron technology developer Midrex and Germany’s SMS Group for the first phase of its plan to build a DRI facility in the country. This was reported by SteelOrbis.

The DRI unit will be supplied by Midrex and its consortium partner, Paul Wurth, part of the SMS Group, which supplied both direct reduction units to Tosyali in Algeria.

Fouat Tosyali, Chairman of Tosyali Holding, noted that it was a great opportunity to use its own experience in operating a DRI plant and producing value-added steel to transform the Libyan steel industry into an ecosystem that produces high-quality, environmentally friendly products. According to him, Midrex’s technology will allow the company to flexibly use natural gas and hydrogen.

Ahmed Ghadalla, Chairman of SULB, emphasized that this project provides an opportunity to significantly expand Libya’s export capabilities in the DRI industry.

Last June, Tosyali SULB presented a plan to build the world’s largest DRI complex with a total annual capacity of 8.1 million tons. As part of the first phase, the company immediately started investing in the construction of a 2.5 million tonne DRI unit.

Global production of direct reduced iron using Midrex technology reached 76 million tonnes in 2023, up 3.3% compared to 2022. During this period, the technology accounted for about 80% of global DRI production. At least 9 plants set new annual records and another 9 set monthly records.