Latest News

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  Consortium signs PPA for Taweelah C power plant

  Administrator

  3 June 2026

  Emirates Water & Electricity Company (Ewec) has confirmed it has signed a power-purchase agreement (PPA) with a developer consortium for the Taweelah C independent power producer (IPP) project.

  The agreement, which will run through to 2050, was signed with Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa), Al-Jomaih Energy & Water Company (Saudi Arabia) and Sembcorp Industries (Singapore), the utility said in a statement.

  Taqa will own a 60% stake in the project, with the international consortium holding 40%. The ADX-listed company will also own 40% of the project’s operations and maintenance company, while the international consortium will own 60%.

  Last month, MEED exclusively revealed that the winning consortium had been selected for the project, with the PPA initially expected to be signed in mid-May.

  It is understood that China Energy Engineering Corporation (CEEC) will be the engineering, procurement and construction contractor.

  The combined-cycle gas turbine plant will have a capacity of about 2.5GW. It will be located at the Al-Taweelah power and desalination complex, about 50 kilometres northeast of Abu Dhabi city.

  Taweelah C is part of Ewec’s wider programme to support the UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative and the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy’s Clean Energy Strategic Target 2035.

  Ewec plans to raise solar power capacity to 18GW and wind capacity to 2.6GW by 2035, while reducing the carbon intensity of its power generation by more than half compared with 2019.

  The Taweelah C IPP is now expected to start commercial operations in 2029. The facility had previously been scheduled to begin commercial operations in the fourth quarter of 2028.

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  Mark Dowdall
• 
  Local contractor wins Oman water transmission contract

  Administrator

  3 June 2026

  

   

  Local contractor Al-Jesr United has won the main engineering, procurement and construction contract to reinforce Oman’s Sur water transmission system.

  The contract, awarded by state-owned utility Nama Water Services (NWS), forms part of a project to improve the reliability of potable water supply to Sur, a coastal city about 200 kilometres southeast of Muscat.

  The scheme, estimated to cost $80m, is designed to strengthen the network’s resilience during peak-demand periods and emergencies.

  The scope of work includes upgrading the pumps at the Sur DP Pump Station with variable frequency drive units and replacing ductile iron pipes and fittings within the facility. It also covers about 17km of new transmission pipelines.

  According to regional projects tracker MEED Projects, at least five local firms submitted commercial bids for the contract, which was tendered in August 2025.

  These include:

  • Al-Jesr United
  • Al-Rafaa Trading & Contracting
  • Gulf Petrochemical Services & Trading
  • Professionals Trading
  • Sarooj Construction Company

  In June 2024, NWS awarded a $1.3m contract for the project’s design and construction supervision to Muscat-headquartered Ibn Khaldun Almadaen Engineering Consultants.

  Sur is home to one of the sultanate’s key desalination plants, which supplies potable water to communities across eastern Oman. 

  The water transmission project will support network expansion in areas such as Al-Aigah and Ahiae, as the existing ductile iron pipeline serving Wilayat Sur is no longer sufficient to meet current and future demand.

  Construction is expected to start in the third quarter of 2026 and take about two years to complete.

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  Mark Dowdall
• 
  Syria to tender gas plant contract

  Administrator

  3 June 2026

  

   

  Syria is preparing to tender a project to rehabilitate the Conoco gas plant in Deir ez-Zor province in the east of the country within the next 10 weeks, according to a document published by the US-Syria Business Council.

  The gas plant was reclaimed by Syria’s military during an offensive in January this year.

  It is Syria’s largest gas plant, but is severely damaged and cannot be operated in its current condition.

  Before the country’s civil war, it processed 13 million cubic metres of gas a day.

  The US-based companies ConocoPhillips and Novaterra signed a memorandum of understanding with the state-owned Syria Petroleum Company (SPC) to restore the facility in November last year.

  Syria is currently in the midst of a push to ramp up oil and gas production and establish itself as a regional energy hub.

  Earlier this year, Yousef Qiblawy, chief executive of SPC, said that his organisation was aiming to double national oil production before 2027 and boost output to 800,000 barrels a day by the end of 2029, not including offshore production.

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  Wil Crisp
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  AD Ports enters South America with $835m Brazil deal

  Administrator

  3 June 2026

  Abu Dhabi-listed AD Ports Group has entered the South American market by agreeing to acquire a majority stake in Corredor Logística e Infraestrutura (CLI), Brazil’s leading independent agri-bulk port terminal operator, for an enterprise value of $835m.

  The transaction represents AD Ports’ largest acquisition to date, surpassing its $720m purchase of Spain’s Noatum in 2023, and its $510m purchase of a 51% stake in Dubai-based Global Feeder Shipping in early 2024.

  Under the terms of the agreement, AD Ports will acquire CLI from joint owners Macquarie Asset Management and IG4 Capital. CLI operates two major agri-bulk export terminals under long-term concessions: CLI Norte at the Port of Itaqui, which is 100% owned by CLI, and CLI Sul at the Port of Santos, which is 80% owned. In 2025, CLI handled 17 million tonnes of cargo, generating $178m in revenue and profits of $98m.

  The deal, expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals, aligns with AD Ports’ strategy to expand its agrifood vertical. The group has recently secured similar international assets, including a 30-year concession at Jordan’s Aqaba multipurpose port, a $30m investment in Kazakhstan’s Sarzha Grain Terminal, and a clean bulk facility development at Pakistan’s Karachi Port.

  The acquisition also reflects broader economic ties between the UAE and Brazil, where UAE investments total about $5bn. The UAE is currently negotiating a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the Mercosur trading bloc, which includes Brazil.

  The major capital deployment follows a period of significant financial growth and international expansion for the Abu Dhabi operator, which is 75.42% owned by sovereign wealth fund ADQ. AD Ports reported record results for 2025, with revenue rising 20% year-on-year to AED20.77bn ($5.66bn) and net profit increasing 16% to AED2.07bn.

  According to its 2025 annual report, the group plans to invest AED2.45bn in port infrastructure development during 2026 alone, alongside AED1.3bn for liquefied petroleum gas and liquefied natural gas storage terminals between 2026 and 2028. To fund higher-return projects and optimise its balance sheet, AD Ports launched an asset monetisation programme in late 2025 targeting the recycling of AED4.6bn of capital.

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  Colin Foreman
• 
  Chinese firm breaks ground on $1.1bn Oman battery plant

  Administrator

  3 June 2026

  Chinese battery materials manufacturer Hunan Zhongke Electric Company has broken ground on an estimated $1.1bn project to establish Oman’s first lithium-ion battery anode materials plant at Sohar Port and Freezone.

  The complex will have a total production capacity of 200,000 tonnes a year (t/y) of anode materials, a key component in batteries used by the electric vehicle (EV) industry.

  The project will be developed in two phases over six years, with each phase delivering 100,000 t/y of production capacity, according to Hunan Zhongke Electric.

  China National Chemical Engineering Group Corporation (CNCEC) is carrying out the main engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) works.

  Construction of the first phase began on 8 May and commercial operations are expected to start in 2027.

  Hunan Zhongke Electric is investing in the project through its wholly owned subsidiary, Zhongke Shinzoom Holdings (Hong Kong), which operates under the holding company Hunan Zhongke Shinzoom Graphite Company.

  Another China-based battery manufacturer, JA Solar OM, signed a land lease agreement with Sohar Port and Freezone in May last year to build a manufacturing facility that will produce solar cells and modules.

  JA Solar OM plans to invest $565m in the project, which will be located in the second phase of Sohar Port and Freezone and occupy a 32.5-hectare site.

  The plant will have a production capacity of 6GW of solar cells and 3GW of solar modules, with operations expected to commence this year.

  ALSO READ: India’s Jindal Steel to build $390m facility in Oman

  Sohar Port and Freezone is the largest industrial free zone in the sultanate. The company has leased about 85% of the first phase of the free zone area.

  The second phase of Sohar Port and Freezone spans 675 hectares.

  Separately, Sohar Port and Freezone will also house the upcoming Marsa liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering and export terminal. France’s TotalEnergies and OQ Exploration & Production (OQEP), a subsidiary of Omani state energy conglomerate OQ Group, broke ground on the project on 1 May, 2025.

  TotalEnergies is the majority stakeholder in the Marsa LNG project, holding an 80% interest, with OQ Group, through OQEP, holding the remaining 20% stake. The estimated $1.6bn LNG project will have a production capacity of 1 million tonnes a year (t/y). Paris-based Technip Energies is performing the main EPC works on the project.

  As the host of the Marsa LNG terminal project, Sohar Port and Freezone has awarded three contracts covering infrastructure and other services related to the project.

  WSP International’s Oman branch was awarded a consultancy services contract to provide project management, back-office support, design review, site supervision and contract management services, with the contract running from November 2024 to November 2028.

  The second contract was signed with the Netherlands-headquartered Boskalis International’s Oman branch for dredging works. The work involves removing approximately 3.8 million cubic metres of material to develop the access channel, berth pocket and turning circle, with completion expected in September.

  Sohar Port and Freezone announced the completion of dredging works on the Marsa LNG project in April.

  The third contract was awarded to Six Construct’s Oman branch, covering the construction of the LNG jetty, shore protection and drainage systems, with a duration of 16 months.

  Separately, Technip Energies, in its capacity as the main EPC contractor, has awarded a number of sub-contracts on the project.

  China National Chemical Construction Corporation (CNCCC) won a sub-contract to perform general civil construction works. Omani firm Sarooj Construction Company won a sub-contract for temporary construction facilities at the project site, while locally based Industrial Technology Services (Intecs) was selected by Technip Energies to perform civil works and construct utility buildings.

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  Indrajit Sen
• 
  Kuwait receives bids for Al-Khairan phase one IWPP

  Administrator

  2 June 2026

  

   

  Two developer consortiums have submitted bids for the first phase of Kuwait’s Al-Khairan independent water and power producer (IWPP) project, according to a source.

  Bids were received by the Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects (Kapp) on 1 June.

  The facility will have a capacity of 1,800MW and 150,000 cubic metres a day of desalinated water. It will be located in Al-Khairan, adjacent to the Al-Zour South thermal plant. 

  The bidders include:

  • Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) / A H Al-Sagar & Brothers (Saudi Arabia) 
  • Acwa (Saudi Arabia) / Gulf Investment Corporation (Kuwait)

  The Al-Khairan IWPP is being procured by Kapp in partnership with the Ministry of Electricity, Water & Renewable Energy (MEWRE).

  The main contract was tendered last September. Three consortiums and two individual companies were previously prequalified to participate in the tender.

  Ernst & Young, BNP Paribas, AtkinsRealis and Addleshaw Goddard are financial advisers on the project. Chadbourne & Parke is acting as legal adviser.

  The winning bidder will sign a set of public-private partnership agreements covering financing, design, construction, operation and transfer of the project. The energy conversion and water-purchase agreement is expected to cover a 25-year supply period.

  Future phases

  The Al-Khairan IWPP project is expected to run on low-sulphur fuel oil as the primary fuel and to accommodate crude oil, gas oil and natural gas as backup fuels. Future phases will further expand capacity.

  It is understood that the estimated $750m second phase of the Al-Khairan IWPP project will add a further 1,800MW of generation capacity through a combined-cycle gas-fired power plant.

  The project, first mooted over a decade ago, remains in the early development stages, with no plans currently to advance to procurement in 2026, a source said.

  According to the source, the immediate focus is on advancing plans for the 3,600MW Nuwaiseeb power and water desalination IWPP project.

  The Nuwaiseeb IWPP plant will have a desalination capacity of 75 million imperial gallons a day.

  Kapp plans to release a transaction advisory tender for the project by the end of the year.

  ---

  > Be recognised among the best in the industry at the MEED Projects Awards 2026 …

  

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  Mark Dowdall
• 
  Doosan confirms Saudi Jafurah 2 cogen contract

  Administrator

  2 June 2026

  South Korea’s Doosan Enerbility has confirmed it has signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract worth about $556m for the second phase of the Jafurah combined heat and power (CHP) plant in Saudi Arabia.

  The project is being developed by Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco) in partnership with Saudi Aramco.

  Doosan said the contract covers design, equipment supply, installation, construction and commissioning of the facility.

  The Jafurah CHP phase 2 project will be built near the Jafurah gas field, about 400 kilometres east of Riyadh. Once operational, it will generate 330MW of electricity and produce 465 tonnes of steam an hour for the nearby gas field.

  According to the firm, the project’s main steam turbine will be supplied by Doosan Skoda Power, a subsidiary of Doosan Enerbility.

  WSP is acting as the project management consultant for the project, which is scheduled for completion in 2029.

  The Jafurah gas development is part of Aramco’s $3.2bn unconventional resources programme, which aims to develop shale gas in three areas. Jafurah lies southeast of Ghawar, the world’s largest conventional oil field.

  The programme is part of Riyadh’s plans under Vision 20230 to ensure the kingdom remains self-sufficient in gas supply amid rising demand from the residential and industrial power sectors.

  Jafurah phase one

  In February 2025, MEED exclusively reported that talks were under way to expand the capacity of the $500m Jafurah cogeneration independent steam and power plant (ISPP).

  Construction works were completed on the facility last November.

  At the time of its procurement, the plant’s first phase was to have a power capacity of 270-320MW, and a low-pressure (LP) steam demand of 77-166 thousand pounds an hour (klb/hr) and high-pressure (HP) steam demand of 29-126 klb/hour by 2023.

  The LP and HP steam demand will increase to 283-373 klb/hr and 66-321 klb/hr by 2027, respectively.

  The oil giant issued the letter of award to Kepco for the contract to develop the Jafurah ISPP scheme in July 2022.

  Kepco subsequently awarded South Korea’s Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction the project’s EPC contract.

  US/India-based Synergy Consulting provided financial advisory services to Kepco on its bid.

  Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) served as the client’s financial adviser for the project. Germany’s Fichtner Consulting Engineers is technical consultant, while the UK’s Wood Group is project management consultant.

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  Mark Dowdall
• 
  Al-Mabanee submits lowest bids for Kuwait infrastructure

  Administrator

  2 June 2026

  Kuwait’s Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) has opened commercial bids for two major infrastructure and public buildings packages at South Al-Mutlaa Residential City.

  Local firm Al-Mabanee United Company has emerged as the lowest bidder for both contracts, submitting combined offers worth KD44m. Both packages entail the construction, completion and maintenance of services, infrastructure works and public buildings for different district centres within the city.

  The first contract covers the infrastructure and public buildings for the N3 District Centre. PAHW received proposals from eight bidders, with Al-Mabanee United Company submitting the lowest price at KD20.9m. The second-lowest offer was submitted by The Contractor General Trading & Contracting Company at KD22.4m, followed by Golden Engineering Group for General Trading & Contracting at KD22.7m, though Golden Engineering Group was flagged for not providing a bid bond.

  Al-Khonaini General Trading & Contracting Company, operating as Inshat Al-Khonaini, ranked fourth with a bid of KD22.7m, followed closely by Kuwait Industrial Centre Company at KD22.8m. Combined Group Contracting Company submitted a bid of KD23.8m, Al-Dar Engineering & Construction Company bid KD25.7m, and China’s Sichuan Road & Bridge Group Corporation submitted the highest active proposal at KD29m. 

  The second contract is for identical infrastructure and public building works at the N1 District Centre. Al-Mabanee United Company submitted the lowest bid of KD22.8m. Its closest competitor was The Contractor General Trading & Contracting Company, which submitted an offer of KD23.9m.

  Al-Khonaini General Trading & Contracting Company came in third with a bid of KD24.2m, followed by Kuwait Industrial Centre Company at KD24.4m and Golden Engineering Group for General Trading & Contracting at KD24.4m. Combined Group Contracting Company placed a bid of KD26m, Al-Dar Engineering & Construction Company bid KD26.5m, and United Construction Company, known as Al-Inshat Al-Muttahida, submitted an offer of KD 30.9m. Al-Ghanim International General Trading & Contracting filed the highest bid at KD344m and was also noted for lacking a bid bond.

  South Mutlaa Residential City is a large-scale planned development designed to accommodate around 400,000 residents in a modern, fully serviced urban environment. Once completed, it will offer contemporary housing alongside extensive logistical services and a wide range of public and commercial areas, including hospitals, schools and other social services.

  The project also includes major infrastructure works such as approximately 150 kilometres of roads and related structures, lighting and other public works, as well as integrated systems for water distribution, rainwater collection and sewage. In addition, it will provide the civil infrastructure needed for electricity distribution, telecommunications networks and traffic control to support a well-connected, functional city.

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  Colin Foreman