Contractors win $500m Roshn Sedra construction deals
17 February 2025

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Saudi Arabian gigaproject developer Roshn has awarded an estimated SR1.9bn ($500m) of contracts to several contractors for construction works on upcoming packages at the Sedra community in Riyadh.
The first contract, valued at SR720m ($192m), was awarded to Beijing-headquartered China Harbour Engineering Company to construct 368 residential units in the Sedra community.
A SR650m ($173m) deal was awarded to Riyadh-based contractor Sarh Attqnia to develop 968 residential units and sports facilities.
Another estimated SR400m ($106m) contract was awarded to Al-Khobar-based Building Construction Company to develop 740 residential units.
Roshn also signed a SR130m ($34m) contract with Riyadh-based Development Works Company to build Sedra’s first retail mall.
The recent agreement signings are in line with Roshn’s strategy to strengthen the kingdom’s construction sector by balancing project demands with long-term sustainability and market growth.
While speaking exclusively with MEED in November last year, Iain McBride, head of commercial, shed light on Roshn’s approach and outlined the firm’s multi-layered tactics, which he says “are as innovative as they are pragmatic”.
McBride said that Roshn is spearheading initiatives to boost local contractor capabilities, such as its supplier development programme that offers support through boot camps and continuous performance feedback, enabling smaller firms to scale up.
An example of Roshn’s localised approach is its collaboration with Beijing-headquartered construction firm China Harbour Engineering Company. The company set up an automated precast factory in Saudi Arabia, significantly increasing production capacity and easing the burden on existing local manufacturers.
In February, China Harbour Engineering Company officially started operations at its modular building factory, located within Roshn’s Sedra project in Riyadh.
Created in 2018, Roshn aims to increase homeownership rates among Saudi citizens to 70% by 2030.
The company plans to develop more than 395,000 residential units in cities within Riyadh, Mecca, Asir and the Eastern Region.
Roshn is developing the Sedra community in northeast Riyadh. It is masterplanned to include 30,000 homes across eight phases.
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Contractors prepare bids for Aramco gas compression project13 November 2025

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Saudi Aramco is making progress with the main contract tendering process for a project to boost gas compression capacity at the Shedgum and Uthmaniya processing plants in the kingdom’s Eastern Province.
The Shedgum and Uthmaniya plants currently receive approximately 870 million cubic feet a day (cf/d) and 1.2 billion cf/d of Khuff raw gas, respectively.
Through this multibillion-dollar project, Aramco aims to increase the compression and processing capacity of the two plants, as well as to construct new pipelines to enhance gas transport.
Contractors are preparing bids for several engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) packages of the Shedgum and Uthmaniya gas compression capacity expansion project. Aramco has set a bid submission deadline of 17 November, according to sources.
The Saudi energy giant is understood to have started the solicitation of interest process for the main EPC contract tendering exercise in the fourth quarter of last year.
Aramco then issued the tenders for the EPC packages of the scheme during the second quarter of this year and set an initial bid submission deadline of 17 August, the sources said.
In line with its aim of increasing gas production and processing capacity by 60% by 2030, with 2021 as its baseline, Aramco is investing significant capital in gas projects in the kingdom this year.
Aramco’s capital expenditure (capex) in the third quarter of 2025 stood at $12.55bn, a marginal year-on-year increase of 2%. For the first nine months of the year, the firm registered capex of $37.41bn, an increase of 3.38% compared to the same period last year.
The company previously announced capital investment guidance in the range of $52bn-$58bn for 2025, excluding around $4bn of project financing.
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Aramco Stadium races towards completion12 November 2025

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The Aramco Stadium in Khobar is moving forward at an impressive pace as the fast-track project races towards completion in 2026.
The 47,000-seat stadium will be the new home for the Aramco-owned Al-Qadsiah Club and a key venue for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup and the 2034 Fifa World Cup.
The project’s progress stems from detailed planning and an accelerated delivery strategy. The project was conceived in May 2023, with the design process, managed by Aramco, commencing shortly thereafter.
“We completed the design within six months,” said Mohammed Subhi, the Aramco Stadium’s project manager.

The project advanced quickly due to thorough planning and a fast-track delivery approach. Initiated in May 2023, the design phase—overseen by Aramco—was completed within six months
An early engagement approach with the main contractor – a joint venture of Besix and Al-Bawani – was instrumental in maintaining momentum. This partnership began early in 2024, allowing for collaborative input on critical construction elements.
This upfront collaboration minimised pre-construction time, ensuring a rapid transition to site work.
Engineering challenges
The stadium’s architectural design, inspired by the natural whirlpools of the Gulf and featuring interwoven transparent sails, presents significant engineering challenges, particularly in the structural steel and façade work. For spectator comfort, the stadium is equipped with full cooling systems and designed to the highest international standards.Logistics management is another crucial facet of the project, which is located in central Khobar. With thousands of workers on site, the movement of materials is tightly controlled to minimise community disruption.
“We control how many trucks can enter the site and at what time. For example, we cannot cast concrete during the day. It has to be after 6pm, up until the early morning,” said Subhi.
A key priority on site is health and safety, an area where the organisation’s legacy from its oil and gas operations is clearly visible. Subhi explains that the principle of health and safety is part of the company’s DNA and is embodied in the deployment of advanced technology and rigorous standards, which have collectively resulted in over 10 million safe working hours to date.
The project employs a sophisticated Smart Safety Command Centre (SCC), which utilises artificial intelligence-based monitoring and 24/7 surveillance. One key feature of the centre is the crane collision prevention system – a key technological advancement in heavy machinery coordination and a first for the region.
“We have tower cranes and crawler cranes talking to each other. The anti-collision system means cranes talk to each other without human interference, and they automatically shut down when they are too close to each other,” said Subhi.

A key technological advancement is the crane collision prevention system, which means the cranes talk to each other and shut down if they become too close
In addition to ground operations, the project is leveraging aerial technology to mitigate risk in high-altitude work.
“We have used drones for the inspection of the cranes and inspection of the steel structure itself to minimise the risk of working at height,” said Subhi.

Drones have been adopted on-site to mitigate the risk of working at height
Worker welfare
The project’s commitment extends beyond mere regulatory compliance to comprehensive worker welfare, establishing a high standard for construction sites in the region.
With current staffing reaching approximately 11,000 direct and indirect workers, welfare provisions are a core priority, linking directly back to Aramco’s corporate standards.
In a region where extreme heat is a constant challenge, the project has implemented advanced heat stress management protocols. This includes the installation of heat sensors with alarm systems, mandatory work stoppage during peak heat hours and regular briefings on heat exhaustion symptoms. Fully air-conditioned rest areas are provided for breaks and meals.
Aramco is also committed to developing national talent. A significant proportion of the staff are young, and about 20% of the team are women.
The relationship with the joint-venture contractor is defined by collaboration rather than traditional client-contractor hierarchy. “We are one team, working together,” said Subhi. This approach has fostered a cooperative environment that is accelerating the on-site progress towards the 2026 completion goal.
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Oman signs PPA for 125MW Dhofar 2 wind project12 November 2025
Singapore's Sembcorp Utilities and local firm OQ Alternative Energy (OQAE) have won a contract to develop the 125MW Dhofar 2 wind independent power project in Oman.
The contract was awarded by state offtaker Nama Power & Water Procurement Company (Nama PWP) under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA).
Under the PPA, Sembcorp and OQAE will form a joint venture to build, own and operate the wind farm, which will supply power to Nama PWP once operational.
The equity split will give Sembcorp 75% and OQAE 25%, a source close to the project told MEED.
Nama PWP said that it will allocate a portion of contracted works for the Dhofar 2 project to Omani small and medium-sized enterprises under its in-country value programme.
The project is expected to begin commercial operations in the third quarter of 2027.
The facility, valued at about OR43m ($112m), will be located on a 12-square-kilometre site in Dhofar Governorate.
The project comprises 20 Windey WD200 turbines, each with a 6.25MW capacity. Each turbine stands 215 metres tall and will be connected to the national grid via a 400kV substation.
The development will provide clean electricity to more than 18,000 homes and will cut carbon dioxide emissions by about 158,000 tonnes a year.
It is also expected to generate about 396,754 megawatt-hours and free up around 76 million cubic metres of natural gas annually.
Sembcorp has over 1.1GW of energy assets in Oman. In September, the firm signed a new 10-year power and water purchase agreement with Nama PWP for its Salalah independent water and power plant.
According to Nama PWP, the offtaker has contracted 26 water and desalination plants, exceeding $11bn in investment, over the past 15 years.
Chief energy transition officer at Nama PWP, Abdullah Bin Rashid Al-Sawafi, said the company "plans to attract a further $5bn over the next five years, mainly in renewable energy and storage technologies".
This includes an extra 9GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030, representing 60% of total contracted capacity.
Oman aims to have 30% of its electricity generation from renewable sources by the same year.
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Hitachi wins Alexandria Raml tram systems deal12 November 2025
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Hitachi Rail has announced that it has won a contract related to the modernisation and upgrade of the Alexandria Raml tram network in Egypt.
Hitachi Rail said it will deliver advanced signalling and communications systems, an operational control centre and supervisory control and data acquisition, security systems with CCTV cameras and access control, passenger information and on-board equipment.
The contract was awarded by a joint venture of Hassan Allam and Arab Contractors.
The project scope includes rehabilitating a 13.2-kilometre tram line, constructing a maintenance depot, developing elevated viaducts and upgrading 24 stations.
The project will reduce journey times from 60 to 35 minutes by increasing the operational speed on the line from 11 kilometres an hour (km/h) to 21km/h. The project will also increase the hourly capacity from 4,700 to 13,800 passengers in each direction.
UK analytics firm GlobalData expects the Egyptian construction industry to grow by 6.5% in real terms in 2025, supported by investments in oil and gas, industrial and housing construction projects. According to the Central Bank of Egypt, the country’s average construction production index grew by 5.8% year-on-year in the first 10 months of 2024.
GlobalData says the construction industry's output is expected to register an annual average growth rate of 8% in 2026-29, supported by investments in commercial, renewable energy and transport infrastructure projects, coupled with the government’s target of developing 10GW of renewable energy projects by 2028 under the Nexus of Water, Food and Energy Programme.
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Contract award nears for Al-Ula tram works12 November 2025

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Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for Al-Ula (RCU) is preparing to award the contract to build infrastructure for the tramway at the Al-Ula development.
MEED understands that bid evaluation has reached advanced stages and the contract award is imminent.
Contractors submitted revised bids for the scheme in August, as MEED reported.
It is understood that consortiums were asked to propose self-funded financing arrangements for the project.
The first phase of the tram scheme is a 22.4-kilometre-long line with 17 stations, operated by 20 trams. It will link Al-Ula International airport to five of the area’s historical regions.
The scope of work includes the design and construction of a tram depot, tram tracks, technical buildings, station buildings and other associated infrastructure.
In June, MEED exclusively reported that the RCU had asked firms to submit their final offers for a contract to build tramway infrastructure at the Al-Ula development.
The RCU issued a request for proposals in June last year and received commercial bids for the project on 10 November.
France’s Systra is the consultant.
In October 2023, the RCU announced that France’s Alstom will supply rolling stock and systems for the Al-Ula tram scheme.
The RCU unveiled an investment plan worth SR57bn ($15bn) to regenerate Al-Ula in April 2021. About $3.2bn has been allocated for infrastructure development, including the tram and renewable power generation.
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