Saudi Arabian steelmaker Al-Tuwairqi Group is nearing full capacity for the first of two relocated direct-reduced iron (DRI) pellet plants at Dammam, Saudi Arabia. DRI is baked and deoxidized iron used as a scrap supplement in electric-arc steelmaking furnaces.

The two Saudi units, each initially designed to produce 400,000 metric tons/year of DRI, were acquired from Corus Group in late 2004 and relocated from Mobile, Ala. They have since been rebuilt to produce 500,000 metric tons/year each. Midrex of North Carolina is supplying technology for both projects. Al-Tuwairqi also says it soon will start building a Midrex DRI plant in Karachi, Pakistan, and plans to build another unit in Bahrain—but did not give details on capacity or a projected startup dates.