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• 
  Contractors submit Al-Maktoum airport superstructure bids

  Administrator

  1 April 2026

  

   

  Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP) received proposals on 31 March from contractors for three packages covering superstructure works for the first phase of the expansion of Al-Maktoum International airport.

  MEED understands that the selected contractor will undertake superstructure works on three packages:

  • West Terminal and concourse one
  • Concourse two
  • Concourse three

  Construction on these packages began in November last year, when DAEP formally selected a contractor to deliver the substructure works.

  According to an official description on DAEP’s website, the expanded airport’s West Terminal will be a seven-level, 800,000-square-metre facility with an annual capacity of 45 million passengers.

  It will be the second of three terminals at Al-Maktoum International airport, linked to the airside by a 14-station automated people-mover (APM) system.

  In August last year, MEED exclusively reported that DAEP had received bids from firms to build the APM at the airport. 

  The system will run under the apron of the entire airfield and the airport’s terminals. It will consist of several tracks, taking passengers from the terminals to the concourses.

  Four underground stations will be built as part of the first phase. The overall plan includes 14 stations across the airport.

  The airport’s construction is planned to be undertaken in three phases. The airport will cover an area of 70 square kilometres (sq km) south of Dubai and will have five parallel runways, five terminal buildings and 400 aircraft gates.

  It will be five times the size of the existing Dubai International airport and will have the world’s largest passenger-handling capacity of 260 million passengers a year. For cargo, it will have the capacity to handle 12 million tonnes a year.

  Construction progress

  Construction on the first phase has already begun. In May last year, MEED exclusively reported that DAEP had awarded a AED1bn ($272m) deal to UAE firm Binladin Contracting Group to construct the second runway at the airport.

  The enabling works on the terminal are also ongoing and are being undertaken by Abu Dhabi-based Tristar E&C.

  Construction on the project’s first phase is expected to be completed by 2032.

  The government approved the updated designs and timelines for its largest construction project in April 2024.

  In a statement, the authorities said the plan is for all operations from Dubai International airport to be transferred to Al-Maktoum International within 10 years.

  The statement added that the project will create housing demand for 1 million people around the airport.

  In September 2024, MEED exclusively reported that a team comprising Austria’s Coop Himmelb(l)au and Lebanon’s Dar Al-Handasah had been confirmed as the lead masterplanning and design consultants on the expansion of Al-Maktoum airport.

  Project history

  The expansion of Al-Maktoum International, also known as Dubai World Central (DWC), is a long-standing project. It was officially launched in 2014, with a different design from the one approved in April 2024. At that time, it involved building the biggest airport in the world by 2050, with the capacity to handle 255 million passengers a year.

  An initial phase, due to be completed in 2030, involved increasing the airport’s capacity to 130 million passengers a year. The development was to cover an area of 56 sq km.

  Progress on the project slipped as the region grappled with the impact of lower oil prices and Dubai focused on developing the Expo 2020 site. Tendering for work on the project then stalled with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020.

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Drone strikes Kuwait International airport

  Administrator

  1 April 2026

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  Kuwait International airport was hit by further drone attacks on Wednesday, with strikes on fuel tanks sparking a major fire.

  Kuwait’s state news agency Kuna said the attack caused significant damage to fuel tanks belonging to Kuwait Aviation Fuelling Company. No casualties were reported.

  This was the second reported incident at the airport in recent days. Local media reported that the airport was attacked on 28 March by multiple drones, causing significant damage to its radar system.

  The airport is currently undergoing expansion works that are expected to be completed by 2027, as MEED reported previously.

  Project execution of the second terminal began in 2017, with the completion date pushed back from the original 2022 target.

  The second terminal project consists of three packages.

  These are:

  • Package 1: Main works – $4,329m
  • Package 2: Multistorey car park building, connection roads, bridges and landscaping works – $550m
  • Package 3: Aircraft parking, runways and service buildings – $950m

  Turkiye’s Limak Holding is executing the main works.

  The terminal building was designed by Foster+Partners and Gulf Consult.

  Spanish firm Ineco is providing the project management services for the new terminal building and the airfield.

  The scope of the main package includes the new terminal building, a building for cooling and electricity supply facilities, and a building for the water supply and the future Automatic People Mover (APM) connection to the satellite building.

  The terminal building will be three times the size of the original building and will have 36 boarding gates.

  The building will cover more than 700,000 square metres and have five floors, one of which will be underground.

  It will have the capacity, at maximum service level, for 25 million passengers a year once the first phase has been completed and up to 50 million passengers after further phases are completed.

  The second package of works includes a new car park with approximately 5,000 parking spaces, connected to the new passenger terminal.

  It also includes all new access roads to the airport and landscaping.

  The scope of the third package comprises the main platform, new taxiways and several tunnels, including one under the platform between the terminal building and the future cargo area of the airport.

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Saudi Arabia’s Sadara halts chemical production

  Administrator

  1 April 2026

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  Sadara Chemical Company (Sadara), the Saudi Aramco-Dow Chemical joint venture producing petrochemicals and specialty chemicals, has announced a temporary shutdown of production, citing ongoing supply chain disruptions.

  Sadara operates a sprawling chemical production complex in Jubail in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, with a total output capacity of more than 3 million metric tonnes a year. Aramco and Dow established the Sadara petrochemicals complex – estimated to have cost $13bn – in 2016.

  The suspension was announced in a filing on the Saudi Exchange (Tadawul) by Sadara Basic ​Services, which issues sukuk, or Islamic bonds, ​for its parent. “The shutdown was successfully completed in accordance with Sadara’s high safety standards and in a manner that safeguards operations and reduces risk,” the entity said in its filing on 31 March. 

  “Sadara cannot provide, at the present ‌time, ⁠an estimate for the return to production, as this is contingent on domestic and international factors,” it said, ​adding ​the shutdown ⁠is expected to impact this year’s financial results.

  The month-long war between Israel, the US and Iran has spread across the Middle East, disrupting energy supplies and threatening the global economy, as Tehran has responded to US and Israeli attacks by targeting regional energy and industrial infrastructure, as well as shipping.

  ALSO READ: Sultan Al-Jaber calls Strait of Hormuz blockade “economic terrorism”

  Separately, Sadara, in another Tadawul filing on 31 March, announced a net loss of SR5,793bn ($1.54bn) for the full year 2025, a further decline of about 40% compared to 2024. The company’s revenue in 2025 fell by about 15% year-on-year to $2.63bn.

  The chemicals producer attributed the deepening of its losses in 2025 to a reduction in sales volumes, “which resulted from unplanned operational events and extended maintenance activities that temporarily impacted production availability”.

  Sadara also pinned its augmented losses to “margin compression, and higher fixed costs associated with unplanned operational events and extended maintenance activities.

  “In addition, the company experienced lower average selling prices across certain portfolio lines, which further contributed to the overall decrease in revenue,” Sadara said in the disclosure.

  In addition, “the net loss for 2025 increased compared to 2024, mainly due to an accounting adjustment related to a debt modification that had a favourable impact on the prior year’s results,” the company added.

  ALSO READ: Sabic registers $6.87bn net loss in 2025

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  Indrajit Sen
• 
  AD Ports earmarks $667m for port infrastructure in 2026

  Administrator

  1 April 2026

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  Abu Dhabi’s AD Ports Group plans to invest AED2.45bn ($667m) in port infrastructure development in 2026, according to its 2025 annual report.

  It has also earmarked AED1.3bn ($345m) in capital expenditure for the development of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage terminals in 2026-28.

  The group said 2025 was a year of record revenue and profits. It posted revenue of AED20.77bn and net profit of AED2.07bn, up 20% and 16%, respectively, from 2024.

  Its ports, economic cities and free zones, and maritime and shipping clusters were the key drivers of growth.

  AD Ports Group also acquired long-term, profit-generating assets through stakes in container terminal operators in Egypt and Syria.

  The company launched an asset monetisation programme in Q3 2025 to deleverage and optimise its balance sheet over the medium term.

  The programme targets debt reduction and is intended to enable the recycling of AED4.6bn ($1.3bn) of capital in 2025 into higher-return projects aligned with its core business.

  Separately, AD Ports Group said operations across its clusters continue as normal amid current regional developments.

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  BP advances Egypt offshore gas plans

  Administrator

  1 April 2026

  London-headquartered BP is making progress on its campaign to drill five wells in Egypt’s portion of the Mediterranean, according to a statement from the North African country’s oil and gas ministry.

  The Fayoum 4 well is scheduled to start production in July, with an estimated output of around 100 million cubic feet of gas a day, according to the ministry.

  It said it expected the well to bolster domestic supply during the summer, helping meet demand from power stations and reducing Egypt’s import bill.

  BP is planning to invest about $1.5bn in exploration and field development in Egypt during the 2026/27 fiscal year.

  Karim Badawi, minister of petroleum and mineral resources, said that intensifying drilling for new wells is a top priority for the ministry, both to unlock fresh exploration opportunities and to increase output from existing fields.

  Egypt is currently a net importer of natural gas, and due to this, its economy is expected to be severely impacted by the recent spike in global gas prices as a result of the US and Israel’s war with Iran.

  ---

  MEED’s March 2026 report on Egypt includes:

  > COMMENT: Egypt’s crisis mode gives way to cautious revival
  > GOVERNMENT: Egypt adapts its foreign policy approach
  > ECONOMY & BANKING: Egypt nears return to economic stability
  > OIL & GAS: Egypt’s oil and gas sector shows bright spots
  > POWER & WATER: Egypt utility contracts hit $5bn decade peak
  > CONSTRUCTION: Coastal destinations are a boon to Egyptian construction

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

   

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  Wil Crisp
• 
  Algerian chemicals project faces delays

  Administrator

  1 April 2026

  

   

  The $1.1bn project to develop a linear alkyl benzene (LAB) plant in Algeria’s Skikda region is facing delays, according to industry sources.

  Under the terms of the original contract, it was expected to be completed over 44 months, with project execution starting in March 2024.

  One source said: “There have been some issues with the project and it is not currently progressing in line with the original schedule that was set out.”

  If the project had kept to the original schedule, it would have been completed in November 2027.

  The project client is Algeria’s national oil and gas company Sonatrach.

  When asked to comment on the delay, a spokesperson for Sonatrach said: “Please be informed that we do not confirm, deny or comment on rumours, speculation or any non-public information regarding project schedules, progress or commercial matters.”

  The main contract for the LAB project was awarded to Tecnimont, a subsidiary of Italy’s Maire, in March 2024.

  The contract it won uses the engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) contract model.

  It was originally tendered by Sonatrach with a technical bid submission deadline of 3 March 2023, which was then extended several times.

  The scope of the project entails the implementation of a new LAB plant with an annual production capacity of 100,000 tonnes, and the associated utilities, offsites and interconnections with the existing facilities.

  In December, China’s Jilin Chemical Construction (JCC) won a contract worth more than $100m to work on the project.

  Its contract is expected to be completed over 17 months after activation in March this year.

  JCC has said that its project scope includes engineering work “involving all disciplines”.

  JCC is wholly owned by China Huanqiu Contracting & Engineering and is affiliated to China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).

  Linear alkyl benzene

  LABs are a family of organic compounds mainly produced as intermediaries in the production of surfactants. Since the 1960s, LAB has emerged as the dominant precursor of biodegradable detergents.

  Hydrotreated kerosene is a typical feedstock for high-purity linear paraffins, which are subsequently dehydrogenated to linear olefins.

  Alternatively, ethylene can be oligomerised to produce linear alkenes. The resulting linear mono-olefins react with benzene in the presence of a catalyst to produce the LABs.

  Sonatrach has been planning to develop a large LAB project for at least a decade.

  In 2016, the energy major said it was planning a LAB project with a capacity of 100,000 tonnes a year (t/y) and that it would be developed in either Skikda or Arzew.

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  Wil Crisp
• 
  Frontrunner emerges for Safaniya field expansion tenders

  Administrator

  1 April 2026

  

   

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  Saudi Aramco is understood to be nearing a decision on contract awards for two key tenders that represent the next expansion phase of the Safaniya offshore oil field development.

  Italian contractor Saipem is said to have emerged as the frontrunner to win the two tenders – numbers 154 and 155 on Aramco’s Contract Release and Purchase Order System (CRPO) – according to sources.

  The combined contract value for CRPOs 154 and 155 is estimated at $600m, sources told MEED.

  Saipem has already secured the contract for CRPO 156, valued at about $500m, which forms the third package in Aramco’s latest Safaniya expansion phase.

  Aramco issued the three CRPOs to its Long-Term Agreement (LTA) pool of offshore contractors in February last year, with an initial bid submission deadline of 31 July. Aramco later extended the deadline to 28 August and then again to 31 August, with LTA contractors submitting bids on that date.

  The brief scope of engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) work on the three tenders is as follows:

  CRPO 154:

  EPCI of a water injection tie-in platform; two production deck modules (PDMs)/wellhead platforms; associated pipelines; hook-ups; and subsea valve skids

  CRPO 155:

  EPCI of four PDMs; intra-field and main trunklines to shore; and jackets

  CRPO 156:

  EPCI of a 48-inch trunkline, covering a distance of roughly 65 kilometres offshore and 12km onshore, from the Safaniya offshore oil field to the onshore processing facility; plus associated structures such as subsea hook-ups.

  The Safaniya field is the world’s largest offshore oil field, with a production capacity of nearly 1.2 million barrels a day (b/d). Discovered in 1951, the field is located in the Gulf waters, approximately 265 kilometres north of Aramco’s headquarters in Dhahran.

  Offshore contract awards galore

  Aramco spent almost $11bn on offshore EPCI contracts last year, which is more than double its capital expenditure on offshore projects in 2024, marking yet another year of robust upstream project spending in Saudi Arabia.

  In July, Aramco selected contractors for five CRPOs – numbers 150, 157, 158, 159 and 160 – worth over $3bn. These involve EPCI work and infrastructure upgrades at the Abu Safah, Berri, Manifa, Marjan and Zuluf offshore fields.

  The Saudi energy giant then picked contractors for four more CRPOs that are part of the large-scale project to expand infrastructure at the Zuluf offshore field development. The tenders are CRPOs 145, 146, 147 and 148, and their combined value is estimated to be almost $6bn.

  In late December last year, Saipem announced securing contracts for CRPOs 162 and 165. The scope of work on CRPO 162 covers the EPCI of two rigid pipelines – a 30-inch pipeline stretching 23.98km, and a 20-inch pipeline, 10.23km-long; replacement of a flexible 10-inch pipeline that spans 5.1km; along with modification work on topsides at the Berri and Abu Safah field developments. The duration of this contract is 32 months, Saipem said.

  The scope of work on CRPO 165, lasting 12 months, includes subsea interventions at the Marjan field development and the EPCI of 300 metres of onshore pipeline and associated tie-ins.

  MEED reported in early January this year that Aramco had selected US-based McDermott International for CRPO 166. The scope of work is understood to have been carved out of the major $15bn Marjan offshore field development project, as part of which Aramco issued contracts for 20 EPCI packages in 2019. McDermott won the largest share of work on the project, with an estimated $4.5bn-worth of contracts secured for two packages.

  The contract for CRPO 166 was single-sourced to McDermott without a competitive tendering process, and issued as a change order, sources told MEED.

  The contract award for CRPO 156 to Saipem was Aramco’s second offshore contract of this year.

  Healthy contract award pipeline

  Looking ahead, Aramco is evaluating bids it received from its offshore LTA contractors in July and August for at least three more tenders.

  These tenders are CRPO 161, which covers the EPCI of four gas jackets at the Arabiyah, Hasbah and Karan fields; and CRPOs 163 and 164, relating to the EPCI of key infrastructure at the Abu Safah, Berri, Karan, Marjan and Safaniya fields.

  MEED reported in January that Aramco had issued a new batch of five offshore tenders covering the EPCI of key structures at the Abu Safah, Berri, Manifa, Marjan and Zuluf fields, which are CRPOs 167, 168, 169, 170 and 171.

  Aramco issued the five CRPOs to its offshore LTA contractors in December, initially setting a bid submission deadline of 3 February, which it later extended until 31 March, and then further until 1 June.

  Aramco’s LTA pool of offshore service providers comprises the following entities:

  • Saipem (Italy)
  • McDermott International (US)
  • Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon (LTEH, India) / Subsea7 (UK)
  • NMDC Energy (UAE)
  • Lamprell (UAE/Saudi Arabia)
  • China Offshore Oil Engineering Company (China)
  • Dynamic Industries (US)
  • Sapura Energy (Malaysia)
  • TechnipFMC (France) / MMHE (Malaysia)
  • Hyundai Heavy Industries (South Korea)

  Aramco renewed its LTAs last April with the following contractors, whose contracts had either lapsed or were close to expiry:

  • Saipem
  • McDermott International
  • Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon / Subsea7
  • NMDC Energy
  • Lamprell
  • China Offshore Oil Engineering Company

  ALSO READ: Contractors submit bids for Safaniya onshore facilities project

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  Indrajit Sen
• 
  Bidders await Saudi transmission contracts

  Administrator

  31 March 2026

  

   

  Bidders are awaiting contract awards for several upcoming power transmission projects in Saudi Arabia as part of the kingdom’s push to upgrade its electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure.

  Of the $2.5bn-worth of transmission projects in the bid evaluation stage, several substation packages are expected to be awarded in the near term by Saudi Energy, formerly Saudi Electricity Company (SEC).

  The packages cover projects in Al-Jouf, Medina, Tabuk and the Eastern Province. 

  The first project includes the construction of a 132/33kV substation in Al-Jouf, for which nine bids were submitted last year.

  It is understood that all bidders are locally based, with Trading & Development Partnership submitting the lowest bid.

  The other bidders include:

  • PA Cost International 
  • Tareg Al-Jaafari Contracting 
  • Alfanar Projects 
  • Haif Company 
  • Al-Haider Company 
  • Al-Babtain Contracting
  • Mohammed Al-Ojaimi Group 
  • Nesma Infrastructure & Technology 

  The second project covers a contract to integrate the 380/110/13.8kV Medina Centre Bulk Supply Point (BSP) with the 110kV Medina network.

  The scope includes the installation of new 110kV underground cable circuits, diversion of existing lines, substation and protection modification works, and associated facilities.

  It is understood that local firm Al-Mayal Company has submitted the lowest-priced bid at $37.4m.

  The other bids include:

  • Keir International ($41.3m)
  • National Power Company ($42.5m)
  • Al-Gihaz Holding ($42.9m)
  • Alfanar Projects ($45.8m)
  • Awad Bin Zafrah Contracting Company ($47.7m) 
  • Nesma Infrastructure & Technology ($51.7m) 
  • Cepco ($53.25m) 
  • Al-Sharif Contracting & Commercial Development Company ($65.2m)

  Elsewhere, bidders are also awaiting the award of the construction contract for a new substation in Tabuk, northwestern Saudi Arabia. The 132/33/13.8kV substation will replace the existing Tabuk substation 2.

  The works include the construction of a new substation, along with GIS, transformers, switchgear, capacitor banks, MV/LV cable systems and protection infrastructure.

  According to MEED Projects, Saudi Arabia received 10 bids for the project towards the end of last year, with Al-Gihaz Holding emerging as the lowest bidder.

  Separately, for a $60m Taybah 115/13.8kV substation and connection project in the Eastern Province, MEED understands that Tareg Al-Jaafari Contracting has submitted the lowest of 10 bids for the project.

  The project includes the construction of a 115/13.8kV substation and its connection, together with cable, switchgear and conductor installation works.

  Other projects

  In March, MEED exclusively revealed that Saudi Energy had pushed back bid submission deadlines for  $130m-worth of substation and cable projects in Riyadh Province.

  This includes the deadline for the estimated $50m King Khalid International airport 132/13.8kV substation project, which was moved to 9 April.

  Saudi Energy has made several contract awards in recent weeks, however, including one for the 132/33kV Rafaya substation in Dawadmi and another for a substation in Medina made through its subsidiary National Grid SA.

  The utility is also undertaking the construction of a 500kV overhead transmission line (OHTL), approximately 508km long, that will connect the Nariyah IPP in the eastern region to a high-voltage substation in the central region.

  Phase 2 of the project involves overhead transmission lines 466km in length. Both projects are estimated to cost $500m.

  It is understood that bids for both phases have been submitted and contract awards will be made later this year.

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  Mark Dowdall