India, RAK Mull Long Term Deal For Limestone And Green Steel

03 Jul 2025 CW Team

Union Steel Minister H D Kumaraswamy met Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) ruler Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi in Dubai to discuss securing long term access to low silica limestone from the UAE and collaborating on green steel production. The talks coincided with the Minister’s inauguration of new overseas offices for state owned engineering firm MECON and miner NMDC.

Both sides examined opportunities in green hydrogen, value added steel exports from India, and setting up calcined lime plants in RAK that would use the emirate’s limestone and natural gas. Kumaraswamy invited RAK to join Indian ventures in infrastructure, energy components and raw material supply chains, calling steel “the backbone of our infrastructure, mobility, energy and manufacturing sectors”. RAK’s mineral resources and focus on clean energy, he said, make it a natural partner for India’s next generation steel strategy.

NMDC’s Dubai base will hunt for mineral asset acquisitions, joint venture partners, and diversified supplies of steel grade limestone, dolomite and other critical minerals for India’s clean energy transition. Dubai’s location at the junction of Asia, Africa and Europe positions the office as a hub for building international supply chains that feed Indian industry.

MECON’s new branch will lead on industrial project execution, oil and gas infrastructure design, steel plant expansion consultancy, green steel decarbonisation plans and digital twin technologies.

SAIL, India’s largest steelmaker, already imports about 2.5 million tonnes of limestone a year from RAK based Stevin Rock and plans to raise volumes as it increases capacity from 20 to 35 million tonnes per annum.

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