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  Saudi Arabia approves revival of Iraq oil pipeline

  Administrator

  11 November 2026

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  Iraq and Saudi Arabia are considering reviving an old pipeline route between the Zubair oil field in Basra and Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea port of Yanbu.

  Operations of this 1,568-kilometre (km) pipeline were halted in August 1990 following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait and the onset of the Gulf War.

  At the end of last month, Saudi Arabia granted preliminary approval to revive the joint oil export pipeline, according to a report published by Saudi Arabia’s Shafaq News that cited anonymous sources.

  If the pipeline is reinstated, it could allow Iraq to export oil via the Red Sea, reducing its reliance on the Strait of Hormuz.

  The pipeline was originally built at a cost of more than $2.6bn and featured a large network of storage tanks and offshore loading terminals.

  Under current discussions, Iraq will be required to fund the restoration of its own section of the pipeline.

  The Middle East and North Africa region is currently experiencing a boom in pipeline project activity due to disruption to shipping as a result of the war that started when the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February 2026.

  As a result of the conflict, the shipping of gas, chemicals, oil and refined products has been disrupted in both the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab Al-Mandab Strait.

  Many countries, including Saudi Arabia and Iraq, see pipelines as a key way of diversifying export routes so that they are less reliant on shipping through these two waterways.

  ---

  MEED’s October 2026 report on Saudi Arabia includes:

  > COMMENT: Saudi projects hold steady
  > GOVERNMENT: Riyadh looks to reset its regional defence outlook
  > ECONOMY: Conflict bolsters case for Saudi economic diversification
  > BANKING: Saudi lenders readjust to lower lending and deposit climate
  > UPSTREAM: Aramco upstream spending gathers pace
  > DOWNSTREAM: Sabic steps up Saudi petchems investment
  > POWER: Saudi Arabia’s power award activity slows
  > WATER: Saudi water sector hits sharp slowdown
  > CONSTRUCTION: Saudi construction defies the headwinds
  > TRANSPORT: Saudi infrastructure pushes forward amid conflict
  > DATABANK: Saudi data indicates project spending shift

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

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  Wil Crisp
• 
  Dubai approves metro extension to Al-Maktoum airport

  Administrator

  10 November 2026

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  Dubai’s Executive Council has approved a project to extend the Dubai Metro’s Route 2020 to Al-Maktoum International Airport City, with passenger services scheduled to begin operations in 2031.

  Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, announced the decision following a council meeting held during the UAE Government Annual Meetings 2026.

  The rail project forms part of a package of strategic schemes worth over AED11bn ($3bn) approved by the council.

  The wider approvals include a comprehensive framework to upgrade community facilities and public services by 2040, with priority given to residential communities for UAE citizens.

  حمدان بن محمد يترأس اجتماع المجلس التنفيذي لإمارة دبي ضمن الاجتماعات السنوية لحكومة دولة الإمارات، ويعتمد خلاله موازنة بقيمة أكثر من 11 مليار درهم لمشاريع استراتيجية جديدة في دبي، وخطة شاملة لتطوير الخدمات والمرافق المجتمعية، ومشروع امتداد مترو دبي إلى مطار آل مكتوم الدولي، كما أعتمد سموه خلال الاجتماع نتائج دراسة مستقبل السوق العقاري في دبي.

  — Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) November 10, 2026

  The project approval follows the procurement of detailed design work for the rail link. MEED exclusively reported in September that Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) had awarded US-based engineering consultancy Aecom the design contract for the Route 2020 extension.

  The planned extension will run for about 3 kilometres from the existing Expo 2020 terminus station to connect directly with the West Terminal of Al-Maktoum International airport. The scheme will add two new stations to the network.

  The existing Route 2020 corridor is a 15km spur that branches off the Dubai Metro Red Line at Jebel Ali station. It comprises 11.8km of elevated viaduct and 3.2km of underground track, serving five elevated and two underground stations.

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Bahrain tenders 100MW Bilaj Al-Jazayer solar project

  Administrator

  10 November 2026

  

   

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  Bahrain’s Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) has issued a tender for the Bilaj Al-Jazayer independent power project (BAJ solar IPP), a utility-scale solar scheme with a planned capacity of at least 100MW.

  The project will be procured on a public-private partnership basis using a build-own-operate (BOO) model.

  The selected developer will develop, finance, design, construct, operate, maintain, decommission and restore the project site over a 25-year contract period.

  EWA has set a target commercial operation date of 31 December 2028.

  The scope includes photovoltaic generation facilities, utility-scale inverters, access roads and internal roads. The plant will use proven photovoltaic modules and inverters designed for Bahrain’s local operating conditions.

  The tender was published on 8 November. Companies have until 20 December to submit bids, with bid opening scheduled for 21 December.

  The tender requires an initial bond of BD300,000 ($796,000).

  The project will be awarded through a single-stage request-for-proposals process.

  Bidders will first be assessed against minimum eligibility requirements covering financial strength, project-financing capability and experience in large-scale solar developments before their technical and financial proposals are evaluated.

  A single bidder must demonstrate tangible net worth of at least $50m.

  In a consortium, each member must demonstrate net worth equivalent to its proposed shareholding in the $50m threshold, while the managing member must have a tangible net worth of at least $20m.

  The managing member must also have secured at least $150m of limited-recourse financing across three or more infrastructure projects during the past 10 years. It must hold at least a 15% equity stake in each reference project.

  Bidders or their engineering, procurement and construction contractors must demonstrate experience delivering either three grid-connected ground-mounted solar projects of at least 100MWac each globally, or two projects of at least 70MWac each in the GCC. The reference projects must be connected to the grid at 66kV or above.

  The BAJ solar IPP supports Bahrain’s target of sourcing 20% of its energy from renewable sources by 2035.

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Royal Commission tenders Riyadh airport road upgrade

  Administrator

  10 November 2026

  

   

  The Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) has invited contractors to bid by 21 December for an airport road upgrade to improve traffic flow around King Khalid International airport.

  The 8-kilometre Airport Road contract entails adding five main lanes and four service lanes in each direction, constructing an underpass interchange at Expo Road, building a bridge linking the Expo site with Roshn’s Sedra development, and installing elevated ramps to serve Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University.

  The project forms part of the commission’s programme to develop the capital’s ring road and arterial corridors. Earlier this month, MEED exclusively reported that RCRC had invited bids for a road package surrounding the Riyadh Expo 2030 site.

  Both tenders are key components of RCRC’s 189km northern road upgrade programme, designed to restructure transport infrastructure across northern Riyadh. The wider initiative comprises 19 road schemes and 33 interchanges serving the airport and 16 surrounding developments, including the Expo 2030 grounds, Roshn’s Sedra and Plot 1 masterplans, and King Salman Stadium. Once completed, the upgraded road network will accommodate up to 4.2 million trips daily.

  Fifteen of the links, totalling 162km, will be funded via the Riyadh City Strategy budget and procured across three phases and five contract packages. The remaining four links, covering 27km within and around the airport perimeter, will be delivered by King Salman International Airport (KSIA).

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Egypt seeks to accelerate gas pipeline project with Libya

  Administrator

  10 November 2026

  Egypt aims to accelerate a range of energy projects with Libya, including gas pipeline links, according to a statement from the Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.

  Other projects include a scheme to refine Libyan crude in Egypt and an electricity interconnection.

  Abdelatty’s comments came in a ministry statement after a meeting with Libya’s acting oil and gas minister, Khalifa Abdulsadek, in the Libyan capital of Tripoli.

  Egypt is currently trying to address an energy squeeze that has escalated ​due to elevated global liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices since the ​start of the US-Israeli war on Iran in February of this year.

  In his statement, Abdelatty called ‌for ⁠cooperation on petroleum products and the completion of projects to refine Libyan oil in Egypt and re-export ​it.

  He also said that Abdulsadek would ​visit ⁠Cairo soon to continue technical talks with Egypt’s petroleum and electricity ministers.

  The ⁠statement ​did not provide ​details on costs or the status of the projects.

  Plans for new gas pipeline links with Libya are just one of several ambitious gas pipeline plans Egypt is pursuing.

  In October, the Italian oil and gas company Eni signed the main engineering, procurement, construction and drilling contracts for a project to export gas from reserves in Cyprus using a major pipeline to Egypt.

  The project includes contracts with several companies that will develop infrastructure in both Egypt and Cyprus.

  The awards included a $170m contract won by Egypt’s Petrojet for a new onshore gas pipeline in Egypt that will help transport gas to Egypt’s Damietta LNG facility.

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  Wil Crisp
• 
  Omani company signs Kuwait drilling contract

  Administrator

  10 November 2026

  Oman’s MBPS has signed a drilling rig contract worth $127.3m with state-owned upstream operator Kuwait Oil Company (KOC).

  Under the terms of the deal, MBPS will supply and operate three newly built 1,000-horsepower land rigs for drilling and workover operations, according to a company statement.

  The UAE-based oil field services company Adnoc Drilling is a majority shareholder in MBPS.

  The chief executive of MBPS, Salim Al-Harthy, said: “This is another important milestone for MBPS and a strong reflection of KOC’s confidence in our capabilities.

  “It further strengthens our presence in Kuwait and our commitment to delivering safe, reliable and efficient drilling and workover services across the region.”

  He : “My sincere appreciation to KOC for their continued trust, and to our MBPS team for their hard work and dedication in making this possible.”

  In October last year, KOC said it planned to spend KD1.2bn ($3.92bn) on its exploration drilling programme through 2030.

  The spending was part of a KD9.8bn budget, the company’s biggest ever, allocated for drilling and maintenance of up to 6,193 wells by the end of this decade.

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  Wil Crisp
• 
  Adnoc Drilling wins $315m Kuwait offshore rig deals

  Administrator

  10 November 2026

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  Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc Group) subsidiary, Adnoc Drilling, has been selected for two offshore drilling rig contracts in Kuwait with a combined maximum value of KD96.55m ($315m), according to documents published by Kuwait’s Official Gazette.

  The Higher Purchasing Committee of state-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) has given approval for its subsidiary Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) to award the contracts to the Abu Dhabi-listed drilling contractor after Adnoc Drilling submitted the lowest compliant bids.

  While the maximum combined contract value has been confirmed as KD96.55m ($315m), the individual contract values, rig identities, durations and expected commencement dates have not been disclosed.

  The approval comes as Kuwait moves to expand offshore exploration and development following a series of discoveries in its territorial waters.

  It is currently unclear how Kuwait will provide security for its planned offshore oil and gas projects in the Gulf, adding uncertainty to the outlook for these plans.

  On 5 October, KPC chief executive Shaikh Nawaf Al-Sabah reiterated the company’s commitment to developing three major offshore oil discoveries in the region.

  KPC initially launched the Al-Seef project to develop the three fields in February, just weeks before the US and Israel attacked Iran, triggering a regional war that has sparked a crisis in Kuwait’s oil and gas sector.

  The regional conflict has seriously disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key export route for Kuwaiti oil.

  The war has also led to dozens of attacks on Kuwaiti oil and gas infrastructure, with at least one causing damage to a Kuwaiti offshore platform.

  This attack took place on 12 July, when a drone struck a KOC offshore drilling platform in Kuwaiti territorial waters, causing damage to the platform and injuring one worker.

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  Wil Crisp
• 
  Frontrunner emerges for key Aramco offshore tender

  Administrator

  9 November 2026

  

   

  Italian contractor Saipem has emerged as the frontrunner to win an engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) tender for offshore infrastructure at Saudi Aramco’s Marjan and Safaniya fields.

  Designated as Contract Release and Purchase Order (CRPO) 163 under Aramco’s offshore procurement programme, the scope of work covers the replacement of seven rigid pipelines spanning a combined length of 26.93 kilometres, as well as topsides modification works.

  Aramco issued the tender for CRPO 163 alongside CRPOs 162 and 164 last year. Contractors prequalified under Aramco’s Long-Term Agreement (LTA) pool submitted technical bids by 16 July and commercial bids by 29 July, MEED previously reported.

  Saipem was awarded CRPO 162 in December 2025 under a 32-month contract. That scope encompasses EPCI works for two rigid pipelines – a 30-inch line measuring 23.98km and a 20-inch line measuring 10.23km – alongside the replacement of a 5.1km, 10-inch flexible pipeline and topsides modifications at the Berri and Abu Safah fields.

  Meanwhile, Aramco has cancelled the tender for CRPO 164, according to sources. That package entailed the installation of an approximately 45km, 15kV submarine composite power cable serving the Karan gas field.

  Aramco has committed capex of $50bn-$55bn in 2026, with about 65%-70% of the budget earmarked for upstream oil and gas projects. The company has awarded an estimated $15bn so far this year, data from MEED and regional project tracker MEED Projects shows.

  Offshore developments represent a substantial portion of this outlay, accounting for approximately $3.5bn-$4bn in EPCI awards year-to-date. Aramco recently awarded five offshore EPCI packages – CRPOs 167 through 171 – with a combined estimated value of $2bn. Abu Dhabi-based NMDC Energy secured CRPOs 167, 169 and 171, while Saipem picked up CRPOs 168 and 170.

  ALSO READ: Aramco Q3 profit rises 9% despite attacks on facilities

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  Indrajit Sen