Related Articles

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  Dubai tenders Warsan waste-to-energy consultancy contract

  16 February 2026

  Dubai Municipality has issued a tender for consultancy services on the second phase of the Warsan waste-to-energy (WTE) plant.

  The tender covers feasibility, procurement and construction supervision services for the project.

  The bid submission deadline is 25 February.

  The project relates to the planned expansion of the Warsan WTE plant in Dubai. The scheme has an estimated budget of $500m.

  The facility will be located in Warsan 2, next to the Al-Aweer sewage treatment plant.  As MEED understands, it will use treated wastewater from that facility.

  The project scope includes construction of treatment lines, a boiler hall, waste bunkers, a flue gas treatment system, a main electrical station and associated infrastructure.

  The contract duration is six years

  Expansion strategy

  The original Warsan WTE plant, Dubai’s first major WTE public-private partnership (PPP) project, reached full commercial operations in 2024.

  Located in the Warsan area, the AED4bn ($1.1bn) facility treats 1.9 million tonnes of municipal solid waste annually, generating up to 220MW of thermal energy that is fed into the local grid.

  In February 2023, state utility Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (Dewa) and Dubai Waste Management Company signed the power-purchase agreement (PPA) for the project.

  Dubai Waste Management Company, the special-purpose vehicle implementing the scheme, reached financial close in June 2021 for the project.

  The main contractor was a consortium of Belgium’s Besix Group and Hitachi Zosen Inova of Switzerland.

  The expansion aligns with Dubai’s long-term waste strategy. In February 2022, the emirate approved a AED74.5bn budget covering waste management initiatives from 2021 to 2041.

  The strategy promotes innovation in waste management, recycling and energy conservation. It anticipates private sector contributions of AED70.5bn, equivalent to about 95% of the total planned investment.

  

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  Mark Dowdall
• 
  Saudi Arabia wastewater plant reaches financial close

  16 February 2026

  

   

  The planned $500m industrial wastewater treatment plant (IWWTP) in Jubail in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province has reached financial close, sources have confirmed to MEED.

  Located in Jubail Second Industrial City, the facility will treat and recycle wastewater from Satorp’s under-construction Amiral chemical derivatives complex, also in Jubail.

  The project reached financial close after hedging arrangements were completed on 12 February, sources said.

  A consortium of Saudi utilities provider Marafiq, the regional business of France’s Veolia and Bahrain/Saudi Arabia-based Lamar Holding is developing the project under a 30-year concession agreement.

  Saudi Aramco Total Refining & Petrochemical Company (Satorp), a joint venture of Saudi Aramco and France’s TotalEnergies, awarded the contract last September.

  As MEED exclusively reported, Egypt’s Orascom Construction is the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the project, which is expected to be commissioned in 2028.

  Marafiq, formally Power & Water Utility Company for Jubail and Yanbu, will own a 40% stake in the dedicated project company. Veolia Middle East will hold a 35% stake, and Lamar Holding’s Lamar Arabia for Energy will hold the other 25%.

  The planned IWWTP, which will primarily serve the $11bn sprawling Amiral chemicals zone, will implement advanced water treatment and recovery technologies to process complex industrial effluents, including spent caustic streams. Treated water will be reintegrated into the industrial processes, supporting closed-loop reuse and energy efficiency.

  As of February, more than 50% of construction on Satorp’s Amiral facility has been completed. Commissioning is targeted for the end of 2027.

  Construction is also ongoing on a separate industrial wastewater treatment plant (IWTP8) in Jubail. Saudi Services for Electro Mechanic Works is the contractor for the development’s fourth expansion phase.

  The Marafiq-owned project is scheduled to be completed by the end of the quarter.

  

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  Mark Dowdall
• 
  Riyadh tenders Expo 2030 site offices contract

  16 February 2026

  

   

  Saudi Arabia’s Expo 2030 Riyadh Company (ERC), tasked with delivering the Expo 2030 Riyadh venue, has tendered a contract that includes the construction of site offices required for the initial construction works.

  MEED understands that the package was retendered in early February, with a bid submission deadline of 26 February.

  The contract was first tendered in May last year, with bids submitted in July, as MEED reported.

  The tendering activity follows the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) issuing a design-and-build tender for the construction of a new metro station serving the Expo 2030 site.

  The new metro station will be located on Line 4 (Yellow Line) of the Riyadh Metro network.

  MEED understands that the tender was floated in early February, with a bid submission deadline of 3 May.

  Construction work on the Expo 2030 Riyadh site is progressing at an accelerated pace. In January, ERC awarded an estimated SR1bn ($267m) contract to deliver the initial infrastructure works at the site.

  The contract was awarded to the local firm Nesma & Partners.

  The scope of work covers about 50 kilometres (km) of integrated infrastructure networks, including internal roads and essential utilities such as water, sewage, electrical and communication systems, and electric vehicle charging stations.

  Contractors are also bidding for infrastructure lots two and three. In December, MEED reported that ERC had floated another tender for the project’s initial infrastructure works.

  The masterplan encompasses an area of 6 square kilometres, making it one of the largest sites designated for a World Expo event. Situated to the north of the Saudi capital, the site will be located near the future King Salman International airport, providing direct access to various landmarks within Riyadh.

  Countries participating in Expo 2030 Riyadh will have the option to construct permanent pavilions. This initiative is expected to create opportunities for business and investment growth in the region.

  The expo is forecast to attract more than 40 million visitors.

  In a statement, the Public Investment Fund said: “During its construction phases, Expo 2030 Riyadh and its legacy are projected to contribute around $64bn to Saudi GDP and generate approximately 171,000 direct and indirect jobs. Once operational, it is expected to contribute approximately $5.6bn to GDP.”

  

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  SWPC rebrands as Sharakat to reinforce PPP focus

  13 February 2026

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  Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC) has unveiled a new corporate identity as part of a strategy to reinforce the role of public-private partnerships (PPPs).

  At a ceremony in Riyadh, the company said it will operate under the name Sharakat, reflecting its “evolution and expanding mandate in the kingdom’s water sector”.

  The new identity comes as Saudi Arabia expands the use of PPPs to deliver infrastructure projects.

  In January, the government launched a National Privatisation Strategy targeting more than 220 PPP contracts by 2030, including projects in the water sector.

  The government is targeting over $64bn (SR240bn) in private capital investments in this period, which it said would be “a new phase focused on execution and accelerating delivery”.

  Previously, the 2018 privatisation programme had focused on the ‘foundational phase’.

  SWPC has served as the principal offtaker of all water in Saudi Arabia since 2017. Its mandate covers desalinated water, transmission and treatment projects. It also includes small-scale plants, collection networks and strategic water reservoirs.

  The total investment value of its current projects exceeds SR56bn ($14.9bn), the offtaker said.

  According to MEED Projects, SWPC has over $11bn-worth of PPP projects in the pipeline, with two projects ($2.10bn) currently under bid evaluation.

  In December, local firm Vision Invest was named as the preferred bidder to develop and operate the 859-kilometre Riyadh-Qassim independent water transmission pipeline project. 

  The consortium of Miahona (Saudi Arabia), Marafiq Company and Buhur for Investment was also named as the preferred bidder for the Arana independent sewage treatment plant (ISTP).

  Financial close for both projects is expected in 2026.

  Meanwhile, SWPC has issued a request for proposals for the $150m Riyadh East ISTP, which will have a treatment capacity of 200,000 cubic metres a day (cm/d), expandable to 400,000 cm/day in the second phase.

  The bid submission deadline is 2 April. 

  

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  Mark Dowdall
• 
  Solar deals signal Saudi Arabia’s energy ambitions

  13 February 2026

  Commentary
  Mark Dowdall
  Power & water editor

  Saudi Arabia’s recent agreement to build $2bn-worth of solar power plants in Turkiye is the latest sign that the kingdom’s energy influence is changing.

  Historically, this was measured in oil barrels and export volumes. Increasingly, this is extending to capital, structuring expertise and the ability to deliver record-low tariffs in competitive markets.

  Announcing the deal, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said tariffs for the plants would be the country’s lowest on record, with electricity purchased under 25-year power purchase agreements.

  It followed another announcement, in January, that Acwa is investing $200m to build a large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in the Philippines.

  Whether Saudi-backed companies ultimately retain long-term stakes or primarily develop and build the assets, their role at the front end is significant.

  Sponsors that bring sovereign backing, clear procurement processes and access to low-cost financing can influence tariffs and contract terms from the outset.

  There is also a geopolitical layer. Investing in Turkiye, or anywhere for that matter, strengthens political and economic ties at a time when regional alignments are shifting.

  Energy infrastructure is also long-term by its nature. It connects ministries, regulators, lenders and operators in relationships that often extend well beyond a single transaction.

  Saudi Arabia has spent the past few years refining its approach to pricing, structuring and financing large-scale renewables at home.

  Exporting that expertise may not rival oil in scale or visibility, but it does signal that Saudi Arabia is becoming more than just an energy supplier.

  Increasingly, it is becoming a participant in how other countries design and finance their energy transitions. That influence is still significant.

  

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  Mark Dowdall