Latest News

• 
  PIF-backed firm signs worker accommodation deal

  Administrator

  17 February 2026

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  Saudi Arabia's Smart Accommodation for Residential Complexes Company (Sarcc) has signed an agreement with Riyadh-based Mawref Company to develop a 12,000-bed worker accommodation project in North Riyadh.

  The project will cover about 120,000 square metres (sq m), with a total built-up area of 150,000 sq m.

  The development is expected to cost over SR669m ($178m), with the first phase slated for completion in 2029.

  Sarcc is backed by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the Saudi sovereign wealth vehicle.

  The agreement follows Sarcc signing another agreement in September last year with privately-owned local firm Tamimi Global Company to explore collaboration in developing worker accommodation facilities in the kingdom.

  The PIF launched Sarcc in October 2024 with the aim of developing and operating staff housing and accommodation assets in the kingdom.

  Sarcc will develop and operate the staff accommodation facilities at major construction projects in Saudi Arabia.

  The company will seek opportunities to invest in the sector to strengthen staff housing standards. Sarcc will also look to engage the private sector by enabling investment and partnership opportunities in sectors including construction, catering, transportation and retail.

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  KBR wins 10-year maintenance contract from Petro Rabigh

  Administrator

  17 February 2026

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  Saudi Arabia's Rabigh Refining & Petrochemical Company (Petro Rabigh) has awarded US-based consultant KBR a 10-year contract to provide maintenance services covering the company’s polymer plants in Rabigh, on the kingdom’s Red Sea coast.

  “This [contract award] marks a major step in Petro Rabigh’s transformation journey, supporting safer operations, stronger reliability and long-term improvement across its facilities,” Petro Rabigh said in , without providing further details.

  Work on the operations and maintenance contract will be executed by KBR’s  business line, which operates under the Houston-headquartered firm’s Technology Solutions portfolio, sources told MEED.

  Prior to this contract, in March 2024, Petro Rabigh awarded KBR a similar five-year asset condition monitoring programme contract. As part of that job, KBR is to provide predictive maintenance services at Petro Rabigh’s main plant.

  Petro Rabigh was originally established in 1989 as a basic topping refinery with crude oil processing facilities, located in Rabigh, 165 kilometres to the north of Jeddah in Mecca Province.

  Saudi Aramco and Japan’s Sumitomo Chemical Company formed an equal joint venture in 2005 to transform the Petro Rabigh crude oil refining complex into an integrated refinery and petrochemicals complex, with the strategic objective of expanding Saudi Arabia’s annual production capacity of refined products and petrochemicals.

  Three years after the creation of the Petro Rabigh joint venture, the partners floated 25% of its shares in an initial public offering on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) in 2008, following which Aramco and Sumitomo Chemical each held 37.5% shares in Petro Rabigh, with the remaining shares listing on the Tadawul.

  In October last year, however, Aramco completed the acquisition of an additional 22.5% stake in Petro Rabigh from Sumitomo Chemical. Following the completion of the transaction, valued at $702m or SR7 a share, Aramco became the majority shareholder in Petro Rabigh, with an equity stake of 60%, while Sumitomo retains an interest of 15%. The remaining 25% shares of Petro Rabigh continue to trade on the Tadawul.

  ALSO READ: Petro Rabigh and Indian firm to study joint project investment

  Following the formation of the Petro Rabigh joint venture in 2005, Aramco and Sumitomo Chemical launched the expansion of the refining facility into an integrated refining and petrochemicals complex in 2006, investing $9.8bn in the project, 60% of which was secured through external financing. Engineering, procurement and construction works on phase one were completed in 2009, with the integrated downstream complex entering operations in November of that year.

  The Petro Rabigh downstream complex consists of a topping refinery that has a 340,000 barrel-a-day (b/d) crude distillation unit, a 47,000 b/d hydrotreater, a 12 million cubic-feet-a-day hydrogen plant, a 75,000 b/d naphtha merox unit and a 60,000 b/d kerosene merox unit, along with supporting utilities, product tankage and a marine terminal.

  Aramco and Sumitomo Chemical initiated Petro Rabigh’s phase two expansion project, valued at $8bn, in 2014. The second expansion phase was commissioned in 2018 and added 15 chemicals plants to the Petro Rabigh complex, raising the facility’s total production capacity to 18.4 million tonnes a year (t/y) of petroleum-based products.  

  The expansion also increased Petro Rabigh’s capacity to process an additional 30 million cubic feet a year of ethane into 2.4 million t/y of ethylene and propylene-based derivatives, and achieved a naphtha output of 3 million t/y.

  Expansion of the main existing chemicals plant and the establishment of a clean fuels complex comprising polyether polyols, naphtha treating and sulphur recovery units were also part of the phase two project.

  Photo credit: Petro Rabigh on LinkedIn

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  Indrajit Sen
• 
  Bidders await NWC decision on sewage contract

  Administrator

  17 February 2026

  

   

  Saudi Arabia’s National Water Company (NWC) is evaluating five bids for package 12 of its long-term operations and maintenance (LTOM12) sewage treatment programme.

  Known as the North Western B Cluster, LTOM12 forms part of the second phase of NWC’s rehabilitation of sewage treatment plants programme.

  The contract covers the construction and upgrade of seven sewage treatment plants with a combined capacity of about 162,000 cubic metres a day (cm/d).

  As MEED understands, the companies that have submitted proposals include:

  • Alkhorayef Water & Power Technologies (Saudi Arabia)
  • Civil Works Company (Saudi Arabia)
  • Miahona (Saudi Arabia)
  • Beijing Enterprises Water Group – BEWG (Hong Kong)
  • Al-Yamama (Saudi Arabia)

  Earlier this month, MEED exclusively reported that six contractors are competing for the North Western A Cluster Sewage Treatment Plants Package 11 (LTOM11), which has an estimated value of about $211m.

  The project involves the construction and upgrade of two sewage treatment plants with a combined capacity of about 440,000 cm/d.

  The scheme is being procured on an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) basis with a long-term operations component. 

  It is understood that contracts for LTOM11 and LTOM12 will be awarded in May.

  In January, a consortium of United Water (China), Prosus Energy (UAE) and Armada Holding (Saudi Arabia) won the main contract for the Northern Cluster Sewage Treatment Plants Package 10 (LTOM10).

  This contract was the first to be awarded under the second phase of NWC’s rehabilitation of sewage treatment plants programme.

  NWC previously awarded $2.7bn-worth of contracts for the first phase of its LTOM programme. This comprises nine packages covering the treatment of 4.6 million cm/d of sewage water for the next 15 years.

  

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  Mark Dowdall
• 
  Lamprell wins Dubai’s Margham gas plant expansion contract

  Administrator

  17 February 2026

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  Dubai Petroleum has awarded Lamprell a contract for a project covering the expansion of the Margham gas storage and processing facility, which is operated by state-owned Dubai Supply Authority (Dusup).

  Lamprell’s scope of work on the contract includes engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of civil works, pipe rack structures and associated infrastructure installation. Work on the contract will be delivered by Lamprell’s onshore division.

  The contract awarded to Lamprell by Dubai government-owned Dubai Petroleum forms part of a wider project known as the Sunrise development programme. The aim of the scheme is “to support future capacity enhancements required to meet projected gas demand and the integration of renewable energy sources for end users across the [UAE],” Lamprell said in a statement.

  Lamprell is primarily a contractor and services provider in the offshore oil and gas and wind energy sectors, with its main clients including Saudi Aramco, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and QatarEnergy. The company has operational bases in Dammam and Ras Al-Khair in Saudi Arabia, while its bases in the UAE are in Hamriyah in Sharjah and Jebeli Ali Free Zone in Dubai.

  The company was previously listed on the London Stock Exchange, from where it delisted following a takeover offer from a consortium of Blofeld Investment Management and AlGihaz Holding for its Saudi Arabia business in 2022. AlGihaz Holding later took full ownership of Lamprell.

  “Expanding our onshore EPC capability is a key pillar of Lamprell’s strategy, and this award directly supports that objective,” Ian Prescott, Lamprell’s CEO, said.

  “We appreciate the confidence [Dubai Petroleum] has placed in Lamprell and look forward to working with our long-standing, valued client. Delivering critical energy infrastructure in the UAE strengthens our onshore portfolio, demonstrates local execution capability and positions the business for further growth in this market,” Prescott said.

  The Margham gas field and associated processing plant are located on the Dubai-Hatta road. It is the largest gas field onshore Dubai. The field contains three gas-bearing geological formations more than 10,000 feet below the surface.

  The Margham field came online in 1984 and has been developed with production and injection gas wells that are connected through a gathering system to the processing plant.

  Initially, the gas was processed to remove water for disposal and condensate for sale and the dry gas was reinjected into the reservoir. At present, the dry gas is sent by pipeline to the Dubai gas grid.

  The gas plant separates the heavier hydrocarbons components and formation water from the gas through a series of cooling, pressure reduction and phase separation steps.

  The remaining gas stream, substantially free of liquid components, can be either flowed directly to the Dubai gas grid or compressed to a higher pressure if required.

  The raw condensate is brought to product specification by further removal of water and stabilised by distillation. The stabilised condensate is moved by pipeline to Dubai’s main crude oil refinery at Jebel Ali.

  The Margham field has functioned as a strategic gas storage facility for Dubai since 2008, with the ability to inject gas into the reservoir or produce gas to meet Dubai’s seasonal fuel gas requirements.

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  Indrajit Sen
• 
  Dubai tenders Al-Maktoum airport superstructure

  Administrator

  17 February 2026

  

   

  Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP) has tendered three packages covering superstructure works for the first phase of the expansion of Al-Maktoum International airport.

  Interested bidders have until 23 March to submit their proposals.

  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, 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
• 
  Contractors submit revised prices for Habshan 7 project

  Administrator

  17 February 2026

  

   

  Adnoc Gas has received revised commercial proposals from contractors for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) works on a major project to add a new gas processing train at its Habshan complex in Abu Dhabi.

  Adnoc Gas, the natural gas processing business of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc Group), processes about 10 billion standard cubic feet a day (cf/d) of gas across several sites, including its Asab, Bab, Bu Hasa and Habshan facilities, as well as a natural gas liquids (NGL) fractionation plant at Ruwais.

  The Habshan complex is one of the largest gas processing facilities in the UAE and across the Middle East and North Africa. Its output capacity is 6.1 billion cf/d. The complex comprises five trains and 14 processing units that receive gas feedstock from onshore and offshore fields in Abu Dhabi.

  With Adnoc Group pressing ahead with its P5 programme to raise oil production potential to 5 million barrels a day by 2027, high volumes of associated gas are set to enter the grid.

  The new train at the Habshan complex, which Adnoc Gas expects to commission in 2029, will play a key role in handling these additional gas volumes.

  MEED previously reported that contractors had submitted commercial bids for the new Habshan 7 gas train project to Adnoc Gas by the deadline of 10 December.

  Following an initial evaluation of commercial bids received, Adnoc Gas sought “best offers” from contractors for the project. Bidders submitted their revised prices by 6 February, according to sources.

  The following contractors are understood to be competing for the Habshan 7 project’s main EPC contract, as per sources:

  • Enppi (Egypt) / Petrojet (Egypt)
  • Jereh (China)
  • Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon (India)
  • Petrofac (UK)
  • Sinopec (China)
  • Wison Engineering (China)

  MEED previously reported that contractors submitted technical bids for the project to Adnoc Gas by the deadline of 6 October.

  Adnoc Gas intends to install the Habshan 7 train adjacent to the Habshan 5 train. This will enable the new train to utilise the ullage in the Habshan 5 sulphur recovery and tail gas treatment units and optimise operations.

  The scope of work on the Habshan 7 gas train project covers the EPC of the following units:

  • New high-pressure pipeline from the main Habshan complex to the new gas train
  • Separation and condensate stabiliser unit
  • Acid gas removal unit
  • Mercury removal unit
  • Deep NGL recovery unit
  • Sales gas and residue gas compressor
  • NGL product storage and transfer pump, as well as metering skid
  • Utility units (IA, N2, PW, FW, steam generation, DM)
  • Flare unit, to be located in Habshan 5 on common derrick
  • Flare gas recovery package
  • Water treatment package
  • Non-process buildings, to be located outside the Habshan 5 train
  • Power generation system
  • NGL pipeline from Habshan 5 to Ruwais, based on an existing pipeline assessment
  • Sales gas pipeline from Habshan 5 to sales gas network.

  UK-headquartered Wood Group has performed the concept study and initial engineering design for the project.

  The Habshan 7 gas train project represents the third phase of Adnoc Gas’ Rich Gas Development programme and is estimated to be valued at $3.5bn-$4bn, according to the company’s chief financial officer, Peter Van Driel.

  In a recent call with journalists to discuss Adnoc Gas’ financial results for the full year and fourth quarter of 2025, Van Driel said Adnoc Gas expects to achieve a final investment decision on the Habshan 7 gas train project, which is designed to increase the company’s production of high-value liquids such as liquefied petroleum gas, naphtha and condensates, in the first quarter of 2026.

  Adnoc Gas issued the main EPC tender for the new Habshan 7 gas train project to contractors between 5 and 8 August, MEED previously reported. It later extended the initial technical bid submission deadline from mid‑September to 6 October.

  In April, MEED reported that Adnoc Gas had started an early engagement process with contractors for the EPC tendering phase of the Habshan 7 gas train project.

  Prior to that, Adnoc Gas issued an expression of interest (EoI) document for the project in March, to which contractors submitted responses by 8 April.

  Separately, Adnoc Gas also completed the EoI exercise for early civil and site preparation works on the Habshan 7 project in June, and is understood to have issued the main tender in the third quarter.

  ALSO READ: Adnoc Gas stalls decision on Ruwais NGL project

  

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  Indrajit Sen
• 
  Dubai seeks contractors for Jebel Ali STP expansion

  Administrator

  16 February 2026

  Dubai Municipality has invited contractors to prequalify for a contract covering the expansion of the Jebel Ali sewage treatment plant (STP) phases one and two.

  The upgraded facility will be capable of treating an additional sewage flow of 100,000 cubic metres a day (cm/d).

  The scope includes the design, construction and commissioning of infrastructure and systems required to support the increased capacity.

  The bid submission deadline is 2 April.

  Located on a 670-hectare site in Jebel Ali, the original wastewater facility has a treatment capacity of about 675,000 cm/d following the completion of phase two in 2019, combining approximately 300,000 cm/d from phase one and 375,000 cm/d from phase two.

  As MEED understands, the project is part of long-term plans to treat about 1.05 million cm/d a day once all future phases are completed.

  The main element of the expansion, which is estimated to cost $300m, involves modifications to the secondary treatment process at Jebel Ali STP phase two.

  This includes conversion to Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor or Integrated Fixed-Film Activated Sludge systems.

  The project also includes decommissioning existing surface aerators. New blowers and associated works will be installed as part of the upgrade.

  UK-headquartered KPMG and UAE-based Tribe Infrastructure are serving as financial advisers on the project.

  

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  Mark Dowdall
• 
  AD Ports to develop Douala port in Cameroon

  Administrator

  16 February 2026

  Abu Dhabi’s AD Ports Group and Africa Ports Development (APD) have signed an agreement to design, build and operate a new dry bulk terminal at the Port of Douala in Cameroon.

  AD Ports Group will invest about AED320m ($87m) in the development of the terminal’s first phase, which will comprise two berths and more than 450 metres of quay wall, with an annual handling capacity of about 4 million tonnes of dry bulk cargo.

  Construction is expected to begin this year, and the first phase is slated for completion in 2028.

  The concession period is 30 years.

  AD Ports Group has committed to long-term investments and operations across Africa, including in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola and the Republic of the Congo.

  The latest announcement comes shortly after it signed an agreement with Jordan’s Aqaba Development Corporation (ADC) to manage and operate the Aqaba multipurpose port.

  AD Ports will manage and operate the port under a 30-year concession agreement.

  In December last year, AD Ports Group signed a shareholder agreement with Tajikistan’s private industrial firm Avesto Group to establish a new joint venture that will provide integrated logistics and freight forwarding services across Tajikistan.

  Under the agreement, the joint venture will initially operate as an asset-light freight forwarder. It will have exclusive rights to consolidate and manage all freight and logistics activities across Avesto Group’s subsidiaries, while also offering services to third-party customers in the wider market.

  

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  Yasir Iqbal