Abu Dhabi Basic Industries Corporation (Adbic) has invited companies to bid by the end of September for the contract to build a $50m seamless copper pipe mill at Abu Dhabi’s proposed metals park at Taweelah.

A source tells MEED that the facility will take 18 months to complete and will have a capacity of between 30,000 to 40,000 tonnes-a-year of copper tube.

“Adbic is the first company the region to issue tenders for a copper pipe mill,” the source says. “When you look at demand [for copper pipes] 30,000 to 40,000-t/y will cover the Middle East and North Africa.”

Demand for copper pipes in the Mena region is high due to the amount of new construction projects that require copper pipe for air conditioning and water systems.

MEED reported in July that Saudi Arabia and Qatar were also considering building a copper pipe mill. Demand in the GCC of between 15,000-20,000-t/y means that just one serving the region is needed.

“Currently the whole region imports copper pipes, mostly from Turkey and Ukraine,” the source says. “So the region needs a copper pipe mill and the metals park at Taweelah looks like being the location where it will be built.”

Adbic currently has three other non-ferrous metal plants planned for the metals park adjacent to the Emirates Aluminium smelter at Taweelah. The company has signed a joint venture agreement with Dubai’s Gulf Extrusions for a $122m aluminium extrusion plant with a capacity of 50,000-t/y and Bahrain’s Midal Cables for a $100m, 150,000-t/y rod and conductor plant.

Adbic is also planning a $1.5bn, 500,000-t/y aluminium rolling mill at Taweelah with an as yet unnamed joint venture partner. No tenders have yet been released for any of three downstream aluminium projects.

Adbic is owned by Abu Dhabi-government owned General Holding Corporation (GHC).