Agreement signed for establishment of Indian steel pipes factory

AMMAN — Water Minister Hazem Al Nasser has signed an agreement with the Indian group Jindal SAW to establish a factory for the production of steel pipes in southern Jordan, which will be used in the implementation of water projects and for export purposes, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Sunday. 

Al Nasser stressed that this project, the “first of its kind” in Jordan and the region, will see investments exceeding $100 million during the first implementation phase and put Jordan on the list of major industrial nations. 

The project is part of the pioneering investment projects implemented within the government’s plans to expand the construction of advanced industries, attract international investments, and create new job opportunities for youth and Jordanians working in the engineering and technical fields. 

Al Nasser added that it will increase revenues through the exports of surplus production to countries in the region and develop Jordanian technical and industrial expertise.

The minister said that Jordan is one of the first countries regionally and globally to adopt plans and implement strategic water projects aimed at securing additional water quantities, highlighting that the construction of the factory will be a “solid foundation” to create regional cooperation on cross-border water projects.

The minister noted that Jindal SAW group, which is the fifth largest producer of steel pipes in the world, counts a number of factories in Italy, the US and the UAE, among others, according to Petra.

The group’s CEO Neeraj Kumar, who signed the agreement on behalf of the Indian party, expressed his appreciation of Jordan’s efforts in the water sector, as well as its work in the areas of development, construction and humanitarian work.

He stressed that Jordan has an attractive investment environment for large global industries and noted that this project will be the basis for developing industrial solutions to developmental challenges in Jordan and the region.