The Managing Director of the Saudi STEEL PIPE COMPANY (SP), Riyad Al-Rabee'a believes that the demand for steel pipes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia exceeds 1.7 million tons per year. He noted that the specialized kinds of pipes are imported from abroad to meet the Kingdom'S requirements at the gigantic oil projects and for implementing expansion of water and electricity networks. In a statement to The Saudi Press Agency, he said the wheel of development in the Kingdom has enabled the steel pipes industry to attain a remarkable success. SP, since its establishment in 1980, has been working to meet the increasing demand for pipes through production in line with the best international standards. He pointed that arrangements are underway to establish a factory for the production of pipes in cooperation with a German company and Saudi investors at a total cost of about SR 485 million, and the factory is expected to be on stream by 2012. The Al-Jubail-based factory which will produce pipes with large diameters will export to the gulf and regional markets in the Middle East and North Africa. It is expected to produce annually about 200,000 tons of pipes, he noted. Al-Rabee'a said the factory will produce pipes in line with standards of the American Petroleum Institute, Shell, Saudi Aramco and other international standards. Al-Rabee'a said the SP is steadily working to meet the requirements of the various sectors and to enhance its position as a pioneering company in the manufacturing of pipes capable of bearing high pressure and difficult circumstances.