Saudi Arabia is investing nearly $12 billion in steel projects to boost its production of the metal to face a large increase in domestic demand, a senior official has said.

Demand for steel, a pillar of construction activity, is already strong due to massive projects under way as part of the Gulf Kingdom’s Vision 2030 economic diversification scheme, said Khalid Al-Mudaifer, Deputy Industry and Mineral Resources Minister.

Mudaifer, quoted by the Saudi daily Al-Madina on Friday, said mega projects launched in the world’s largest oil exporter over the past few years have a value of more than 5 trillion riyals ($1.33 trillion) and that more such projects are in the pipeline.

“These projects have largely boosted demand for steel… we expect this demand to surge by at least 150 percent in the next few years thanks to these projects,” he said.

“To face this increase, there are steel projects in the Kingdom worth nearly $12 billion while total investments in metals exceed 120 billion riyals ($32 billion).”

(Writing by Nadim Kawach; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(anoop.menon@lseg.com)

Subscribe to our Projects' PULSE newsletter that brings you trustworthy news, updates and insights on project activities, developments, and partnerships across sectors in the Middle East and Africa.