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• 
  Saudi Landbridge finds its moment in Gulf turmoil

  Administrator

  15 April 2026

  Commentary
  Yasir Iqbal
  Construction writer

  The strategic case for the Saudi Landbridge has never been more urgent. SAR’s appointment of Spain’s Typsa as lead design consultant, reported by MEED this week, is more than a procurement milestone. After two decades of delays, it reflects how the long-deferred project has become a strategic necessity.

  The conflict reshaping the Middle East has made that necessity more immediate. Red Sea transits are costly and unpredictable. The Strait of Hormuz carries risk no insurer can fully price. Saudi Arabia’s most valuable exports, including crude oil, refined products, petrochemicals and industrial goods, move almost entirely by sea through routes that are no longer reliably secure.

  The kingdom sits between two coastlines with no rail link connecting them. That gap is now an economic exposure.

  The $27bn project addresses it directly. More than 1,500 kilometres of track, anchored by a 900km railway between Riyadh and Jeddah, will provide direct freight access from King Abdullah Port on the Red Sea, with upgrades to the Riyadh-Dammam line and a new connection to Yanbu.

  Together, they create what Saudi Arabia has never had: a continuous land corridor linking Gulf industrial ports to Red Sea export terminals, entirely within its own borders.

  The commercial implications are substantial. Aramco’s downstream output, Sabic’s chemicals, and the manufacturing clusters of Jubail and Yanbu gain flexible access to both coasts.

  Exporters targeting Europe and the Americas load at Jeddah; those serving Asia pivot east to Dammam by rail, on demand, without Hormuz risk or Red Sea freight surcharges.

  No neighbouring economy has that optionality. The network also underpins a broader economic ambition. Connecting Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Jubail, Yanbu, King Abdullah port and King Khalid airport by rail positions the kingdom as a genuine logistics corridor between East and West. 

  With design now under way and construction tenders expected imminently, the Landbridge is closer to reality than at any point in its troubled history. Regional disruption did not create this project. But it has made the argument for it unanswerable.

  ---

  MEED’s April 2026 report on Saudi Arabia includes:

  > COMMENT: Risk accelerates Saudi spending shift
  > GVT &: ECONOMY: Riyadh navigates a changed landscape
  > BANKING: Testing times for Saudi banks
  > UPSTREAM: Offshore oil and gas projects to dominate Aramco capex in 2026
  > DOWNSTREAM: Saudi downstream projects market enters lean period
  > POWER: Wind power gathers pace in Saudi Arabia
  > WATER: Sharakat plan signals next phase of Saudi water expansion
  > CONSTRUCTION: Saudi construction enters a period of strategic readjustment
  > TRANSPORT: Rail expansion powers Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure push

  To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Indian firm selected for Saudi sewage treatment project

  Administrator

  15 April 2026

  

   

  Saudi Arabia’s National Water Company is understood to have recently selected Indian contractor VA Tech Wabag as its preferred bidder for a contract to expand a sewage treatment plant (STP) in Al-Majmaah in Riyadh Province.

  The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) package for the Al-Majmaah STP has an estimated value of $65m.

  The scope includes the construction of sewage treatment plant units, a pumping station and an effluent surplus line. It also covers the installation of a Scada system, supervisory control systems and associated facilities.

  As MEED understands, six bids were submitted last year, including from local firms Alkhorayef Water & Power Technologies, Al-Rafia Contracting, Civil Works Company, Saudi Sdn Water & Energy and Washnah Trading & Contracting.

  The project forms part of Saudi Arabia’s broader push to expand treatment and reuse infrastructure under Vision 2030, particularly across the Riyadh region.

  MEED recently revealed that NWC had awarded an EPC contract for the latest phase of its long-term operations and maintenance sewage treatment programme.

  The contract to build and upgrade sewage treatment plants with a combined capacity of about 440,000 cubic metres a day was awarded to a consortium led by China’s Jiangsu United Water Technology.

  Elsewhere, a joint venture of Kuwait-based Heavy Engineering Industries & Shipbuilding and Wabag is awaiting the formal contract award for phase two of Kuwait’s Doha seawater desalination plant project.

  The firms submitted the lowest bid of $373.2m for the project last year.

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  Mark Dowdall
• 
  SAR extends phosphate rail track deadline

  Administrator

  15 April 2026

  

   

  Saudi Arabian Railways (SAR) has extended the bid submission deadline to 26 April for a multibillion-riyal tender to double the tracks on the existing phosphate transport railway network connecting the Waad Al-Shamal mines to Ras Al-Khair in the kingdom’s Eastern Province.

  The new tender – covering the second section of the track-doubling works and spanning more than 150 kilometres (km) – was issued on 9 February. The previous bid submission deadline was 15 April.

  The new tender follows SAR receiving bids from contractors on 1 February for the project’s first phase, which spans about 100km from the AZ1/Nariyah Yard to Ras Al-Khair.

  The scope includes track doubling, alignment modifications, new utility bridges, culvert widening and hydrological structures, as well as the conversion of the AZ1 siding into a mainline track. It also includes support for signalling and telecommunications systems.

  The tender notice was issued in late November, with a bid submission deadline of 20 January 2026.

  Switzerland-based engineering firm ARX is the project consultant.

  MEED understands that these two packages are the first of four that SAR is expected to tender for the phosphate railway line. Other packages expected to be tendered shortly include the depot and systems packages.

  In 2023, MEED reported that SAR was planning two projects to increase its freight capacity, including an estimated SR4.2bn ($1.1bn) project to install a second track along the North Train Freight Line and construct three new freight yards.

  Formerly known as the North-South Railway, the North Train is a 1,550km-long freight line running from the phosphate and bauxite mines in the far north of the kingdom to the Al-Baithah junction. There, it diverges into a line southward to Riyadh and a second line running east to downstream fertiliser production and alumina refining facilities at Ras Al-Khair on the Gulf coast.

  Adding a second track and the freight yards will significantly increase the network’s cargo-carrying capacity and facilitate increased industrial production. Project implementation is expected to take four years.

  State-owned SAR is also considering increasing the localisation of railway materials and equipment, including the construction of a cement sleeper manufacturing facility.

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Kuwait awards $565m upstream oil contract

  Administrator

  15 April 2026

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  Kuwait’s Heavy Engineering Industries & Shipbuilding Company (Heisco) has been awarded a contract for flowlines and associated works in North Kuwait by the state-owned upstream operator Kuwait Oil Company (KOC).

  In a statement to Kuwait’s stock exchange, Heisco said it had received a formal contract award letter for the project, valued at KD174.2m ($565m).

  The contract was awarded under Tender No. RFP-2141028 and was approved by Kuwait’s Central Agency for Public Tenders.

  Heisco was the fourth-lowest bidder for the contract.

  In its stock market statement, Heisco said that the financial impact of the contract will be determined at a later stage, with further updates to be provided as the project progresses.

  Heisco has also signed a renewal agreement with a local bank for a KD50m ($165m) loan.

  The company said in a disclosure statement that the loan is intended to finance Heisco’s activities in Kuwait and other countries.

  “Our company has renewed the credit facilities agreement with one of the local banks to finance its activities,” it said.

  Earlier this month, Heisco submitted the lowest bid for a project to upgrade part of the Mina Abdullah refinery’s export infrastructure.

  It submitted a bid of KD11,919,652 ($38.6m) for the project to implement renovation works on the artificial island that forms part of the port at the refinery.

  The only other bidder was Kuwait’s International Marine Construction Company (IMCC), which submitted a bid of KD12,480,113 ($40.4m).

  Kuwait is currently seeing significant disruption to its oil and gas sector due to fallout from the US and Israel’s war with Iran.

  The Mina Abdullah refinery was integrated with the Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery as part of the $16bn Clean Fuels Project, which came online in 2021.

  Several units at the Mina Al-Ahmadi Refinery were shut down after the refinery was hit by drone attacks last month.

  ---

  READ THE APRIL 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

  Economic shock threatens long-term outlook; Riyadh adjusts to fiscal and geopolitical risk; GCC contractor ranking reflects gigaprojects slowdown.

  Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the April 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

  > AGENDA: Gulf economies under fire > GCC CONTRACTOR RANKING: Construction guard undergoes a shift > MARKET FOCUS: Risk accelerates Saudi spending shift > LEGAL: Redefining the region’s arbitration landscape > QATAR LNG: Qatar’s new $8bn investment heats up global LNG race > INTERVIEW: Leyla Abdimomunova, National Development Division, PIF > LEADERSHIP: Shaping the future of passenger rail in the Middle East

  To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here

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  Wil Crisp
• 
  Sirte oil projects expected to progress in Libya

  Administrator

  15 April 2026

  

   

  Three oil projects located in Libya’s Sirte basin are expected to be prioritised in the wake of Libya’s recent budget deal, according to industry sources.

  The projects are being developed by Libya’s Waha Oil Company, a subsidiary of the state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC).

  All three projects will develop Libyan reservoirs that have not yet been tapped.

  The projects are known as:

  • NC98
  • Gialo 3
  • 6J North Gialo

  Together, the projects are expected to double Waha’s production from around 300,000 barrels of oil a day (b/d) to 600,000 b/d.

  The Waha concession covers 13 million acres.

  The stakeholders in Libya’s Waha concessions include France’s TotalEnergies, which has a 20.41% stake, and US-based ConocoPhillips.

  In March, MEED revealed that South Korea’s Daewoo had pulled out of the tender process for Libya’s 6J North Gialo oil field development project.

  Daewoo had formed a partnership with Egypt’s Petrojet to participate in the tender process.

  The only other company to submit a bid for the project was UK-based Petrofac, which filed for administration in October last year.

  In September last year, MEED reported that two bids had been submitted for the project and were under evaluation.

  The 6J North Gialo project was the first to be tendered; it was expected to be followed by NC98, with the Gialo 3 project likely to be tendered last.

  The NC98 field is located in the southeast area of Libya’s Sirte basin. Waha Oil Company ran a technical workshop for the NC98 project in June 2023.

  The workshop included a presentation of a study conducted by TotalEnergies that considered different development options for injecting gas and water, as well as exporting gas.

  At the time, Waha Oil said that the project to develop NC98 was one of its “major strategic projects” and by implementing it, it hoped to raise production by an average of 60,000 b/d.

  The Gialo 3 project scope includes installing surface facilities to channel output to a new production unit. Three existing production units will also be upgraded as part of the project.

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  Wil Crisp
• 
  EtihadWE tenders feasibility study for UAE-India power link

  Administrator

  14 April 2026

  

   

  Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

  Etihad Water & Electricity (EtihadWE) has tendered a contract for a techno-economic feasibility study of a proposed UAE-India undersea power interconnector.

  The study aims to assess the long-term technical, economic and market viability of a power exchange between the UAE and India.

  The deadline for interested firms to purchase tender documents is 23 April.

  The proposed scheme would be the UAE’s first direct subsea cross-border electricity interconnector and the first direct power link between the UAE and India.

  In January, MEED exclusively reported that the utility was seeking consultants to register their interest in participating in the tender process.

  It is understood that firms may bid as single entities or as part of a consortium.

  According to the utility, the scope of work includes developing feasible interconnection options and defining design parameters and capacity.

  It will cover preliminary and survey-supported routing for the subsea cables and the identification of landing points and onshore transmission links.

  The study will also provide refined cost estimates, supply-chain and execution timelines, legal and regulatory reviews, commercial frameworks, risk identification, and support for the preparation of draft tender documents and technical specifications.

  In addition, it will outline bankable financing, ownership and operational structures as well as an implementation and operations schedule.

  Furthermore, the consultant will be required to assess the project’s impact on the grid and optimise interconnector capacity through sensitivity studies.

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  Mark Dowdall
• 
  Malaysian contractor wins $299m Burj Azizi deal

  Administrator

  14 April 2026

  Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

  Malaysia’s Eversendai Corporation has secured a AED1.1bn ($299m) contract to carry out steel structure works on the Burj Azizi tower on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai.

  The contract was awarded by local real estate developer Azizi Developments.

  The main construction works on the tower are being carried out by Gardinia Contracting, a subsidiary of Azizi Developments.

  Construction of the 131-storey tower is under way and is expected to be completed by 2029.

  Azizi has appointed France’s Soletanche Bachy to perform the foundation works.

  MEED reported in July 2023 that Azizi Developments had announced plans to construct the Burj Azizi in Dubai.

  Previously, another Dubai-based developer, Meydan, had planned to build the 100-storey Meydan Tower on the same site, but the project was put on hold shortly after initial works began in 2017.

  In September 2022, Azizi Developments purchased a plot of land from Meydan on Sheikh Zayed Road next to World Trade Centre Metro Station 2. No further details were officially released at the time, although the developer said it was working on the design for a large, iconic development on the plot.

  In June 2023, Azizi Developments announced it would build what it called “Dubai’s newest seven-star hotel”.

  ---

  READ THE APRIL 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

  Economic shock threatens long-term outlook; Riyadh adjusts to fiscal and geopolitical risk; GCC contractor ranking reflects gigaprojects slowdown.

  Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the April 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

  > AGENDA: Gulf economies under fire > GCC CONTRACTOR RANKING: Construction guard undergoes a shift > MARKET FOCUS: Risk accelerates Saudi spending shift > LEGAL: Redefining the region’s arbitration landscape > QATAR LNG: Qatar’s new $8bn investment heats up global LNG race > INTERVIEW: Leyla Abdimomunova, National Development Division, PIF > LEADERSHIP: Shaping the future of passenger rail in the Middle East

  To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16384636/main.jpeg

  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Local firm executing Yasref tail gas treatment project

  Administrator

  14 April 2026

  

   

  Yanbu Aramco Sinopec Refining Company (Yasref) is overseeing progress on a key project to build a tail gas treatment unit (TGTU) at its crude refinery complex, located in Yanbu on the west coast of Saudi Arabia.

  Yasref is a joint venture in which Saudi Aramco owns the majority 62.5% stake and China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) owns the other 37.5%. The Yasref refinery was commissioned in 2015 and has a crude oil refining capacity of 400,000 barrels a day (b/d).

  The aim of the project, which Yasref calls the tail gas synergy project, is to significantly reduce emissions of sulphur dioxide (SO₂) and hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) from its production complex. The 'synergy' comes from integrating primary treatment (such as the Claus process, which typically recovers about 95-97% of sulphur) with advanced secondary treatment in a TGTU, to achieve overall sulphur recovery of nearly 99.9%.

  Yasref awarded the main contract for the tail gas synergy project to Jeddah-based contractor Carlo Gavazzi Arabia earlier this year, according to information obtained by MEED Projects, with the contract estimated at $80m.

  The local branch of London-headquartered Berkeley Engineering Consultants is acting as the project’s main consultant, according to MEED Projects.

  The scope of work on Yasref’s tail gas synergy project includes the following:

  • Construction of downstream TGTU with catalytic hydrogenation reactor and amine absorber train
  • Modification of existing sulphur recovery units
  • Construction of acid gas removal units employing amine solvent systems
  • Construction of desulphurisation units including carbonyl sulphide hydrolysis
  • Construction of associated utilities and auxiliary infrastructure: thermal exchangers, power and steam supplies, flare knockout drums
  • Installation of safety and security systems hydrogen sulphide detection, overpressure relief, firewater deluge, access control, safety instrumented systems
  • Integration of emission monitoring and process control instrumentation.

  In April last year, Aramco, Sinopec and Yasref signed a venture framework agreement for a potential petrochemicals expansion of the Yasref refinery complex into a major integrated petrochemicals facility. The project would include a large-scale mixed-feed steam cracker with a capacity of 1.8 million tonnes a year (t/y) and a 1.5 million-t/y aromatics complex, along with associated downstream derivatives.

  MEED understands that the Yasref petrochemicals expansion project, which is also referred to as Yasref+, is part of Aramco’s $100bn liquids-to-chemicals programme.

  The central ambition of the strategic programme is to derive greater economic value from every barrel of crude produced in Saudi Arabia by converting 4 million b/d of Aramco’s oil production into high-value petrochemicals and chemicals feedstocks by 2030.

  ALSO READ: Saudi downstream projects market enters lean period

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  Indrajit Sen