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  Dubai announces new 80km highway corridor

  16 September 2026

  Dubai has approved the construction of the new fourth corridor, a major highway programme aimed at boosting inter-emirate connectivity, increasing road capacity and easing congestion.

  The corridor will extend 80 kilometres, from Al-Faya Road in Abu Dhabi to Al-Shanouf Road in Sharjah.

  It will include 12 lanes, 72 bridges and 17 tunnels.

  The project is expected to reduce travel times by up to 60% and serve more than 3.1 million people, while providing links to Al-Maktoum International airport and Etihad Rail.

  It will have the capacity to accommodate 24,000 vehicles per hour in each direction.

  The project will be delivered in two phases. The first phase, running from Al-Shanouf Road to Dubai-Al Ain Road, will be delivered at a cost of AED3.5bn ($953m).

  The second phase will stretch from Dubai-Al Ain Road to Al-Faya Road in Abu Dhabi.

  Hamdan bin Mohammed: In line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to boost investment in infrastructure, I approved the New Fourth Corridor to strengthen Dubai’s road network and enhance connectivity with the UAE’s federal road network.… pic.twitter.com/zlIyY2yKBN

  — Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) September 16, 2026

  The scheme adds a fourth spine to a network that has long relied on three main corridors: the E11 (Sheikh Zayed Road/Al-Ittihad Road); the E311 (Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Road) and the E611 (Emirates Road), which together carry more than 850,000 vehicles commuting between Dubai and the northern emirates daily.

  That concentration has made the route one of the country’s most congested, with peak-hour bottlenecks a persistent problem for residents. The new corridor is designed to divert a significant share of that traffic onto a higher-capacity route, rather than add pressure to the existing network.

  The project also aligns with the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, which anticipates population growth to 5.8 million by 2040 and calls for the expansion of roads, railways, airports and ports to support that growth and reinforce Dubai’s position as a global trading hub. This is reflected in the corridor’s direct links to Al-Maktoum International airport and Etihad Rail.

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  Yasir Iqbal
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  Engineering progresses on Ras Laffan LNG terminal berths

  16 September 2026

  

   

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  Front-end engineering and design (feed) works are progressing on a QatarEnergy LNG project to build 13 liquefied natural gas (LNG) loading berths at the south export terminal in Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City.

  Ras Laffan Industrial City, which lies about 90 kilometres north of Doha, is the world's largest integrated LNG production and export complex, comprising 15 processing trains with a total capacity of 77.5 million tonnes a year (t/y). QatarEnergy began LNG operations at the facility, which houses all its processing trains and export infrastructure, in 1984.

  According to sources, QatarEnergy LNG, a subsidiary of state enterprise QatarEnergy, awarded the feed contract for the project to build 13 LNG berths at the south export terminal at Ras Laffan to Australia-headquartered Worley.

  The contract was awarded to Worley in the second quarter of this year. Its duration is estimated to be 200,000-250,000 man hours, sources told MEED.

  Ras Laffan’s LNG processing and export capabilities will increase by up to about 63% when the three phases of QatarEnergy’s estimated $40bn North Field LNG expansion project come into operation by the end of this decade. Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) works on all three projects are progressing.

  QatarEnergy is understood to have committed nearly $30bn to the first two phases – North Field East (NFE) and North Field South (NFS) – which will lift Qatar’s LNG production capacity from 77.5 million t/y to 126 million t/y by 2028.

  QatarEnergy awarded the main EPC contracts for NFE in 2021. The project was intended to raise LNG output to 110 million t/y by 2025. The $13bn EPC package – covering the engineering, procurement, construction and installation of four LNG trains, each with a capacity of 8 million t/y – was awarded in February 2021 to a consortium of Japan’s Chiyoda and France’s Technip Energies.

  In May 2023, QatarEnergy awarded the $10bn main EPC contract for NFS to a consortium of Technip Energies and Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC). The contract includes two LNG trains, each with a capacity of 7.8 million t/y.

  Once fully operational, the first two phases are expected to add 48 million t/y of LNG supply to the global market.

  QatarEnergy took the final investment decision on the third phase, North Field West (NFW), this year, awarding an EPC contract estimated at $8bn to a joint venture comprising Technip Energies, CCC and Gulf Asia Contracting in February.

  Chiyoda carried out the feed work for the NFW LNG project.

  The NFW scope covers the EPC of two LNG trains with a combined capacity of 16 million t/y, as well as associated facilities for gas treatment, natural gas liquids recovery and helium extraction.

  In addition to LNG, NFW is expected to produce about 175,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day of condensate, ethane and liquefied petroleum gas.

  With all three phases under EPC execution – and NFE scheduled for commissioning later this year – QatarEnergy is positioning itself to remain one of the world’s largest LNG suppliers in the long term.

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  READ THE SEPTEMBER 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

  Nuclear power ambitions gather pace; Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive despite war; Region invests in raising gas processing capacity.

  Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the September 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

  > AGENDA: Gulf nuclear revival takes shape > MARKET FOCUS: Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive under fire > INDUSTRY REPORT: Gas processing takes centre stage in Mena region > INTERVIEW: Emsteel persists with business productivity and efficiency > TUNNELS: The Gulf’s next construction boom is happening underground

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

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  Indrajit Sen
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  Design completed for Libyan oil field development

  16 September 2026

  

   

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  Design work has been completed for a project to develop Libya’s I/R oil field, according to industry sources.

  The front-end engineering and design work was completed by a team in the London offices of Italy’s EniProgetti and paves the way for the main engineering, procurement and construction contract to be tendered.

  One source said: “At the moment, there is no fixed date for when the invitation to bid for the main contract will be issued, but the project has a lot of momentum and is progressing towards tendering.”

  The I/R oil field is located in Murzuq Basin in southwestern Libya.

  In June this year, Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) signed a unified operating agreement for the field.

  The I/R field is operated by Akakus Oil Operations, which is a joint venture of NOC in partnership with Spain’s Repsol, France’s TotalEnergies Repsol, Austria’s OMV and Norway’s Equinor.

  The agreement in June was signed by NOC as well as its concession partners.

  NOC said the agreement would unify operational and administrative procedures related to field management, optimise resource utilisation and support production sustainability.

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  READ THE SEPTEMBER 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

  Nuclear power ambitions gather pace; Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive despite war; Region invests in raising gas processing capacity.

  Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the September 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

  > AGENDA: Gulf nuclear revival takes shape > MARKET FOCUS: Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive under fire > INDUSTRY REPORT: Gas processing takes centre stage in Mena region > INTERVIEW: Emsteel persists with business productivity and efficiency > TUNNELS: The Gulf’s next construction boom is happening underground

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

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19711588/main.jpg

  Wil Crisp
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  Chinese contractor wins Qiddiya e-games arena

  16 September 2026

  

   

  Saudi gigaproject developer Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) has awarded an estimated $500m-$600m contract to build an e-games arena, also known as the Fortress Arena, at its Qiddiya Entertainment City development outside Riyadh.

  The contract was awarded to Beijing-headquartered Metallurgical Corporation of China.

  The scope of work covers the construction of an auditorium with a capacity of about 5,100 seats, as well as commercial areas, hospitality facilities and other associated infrastructure.

  The e-games arena will provide space for local, national and international competitions.

  MEED understands that QIC tendered the contract in January, with bids submitted in March.

  Completion is expected by April 2029.

  US-based architectural firm Populous designed the project, supported by New York-based Thornton Tomasetti.

  The project is located in District 18, Upper Plateau, in Qiddiya City.

  The Fortress Arena is one of several major projects within the wider Qiddiya development.

  Other projects include the Dragon Ball theme park, Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium, a horse racing venue, a performing arts centre, the Speed Park, the National Tennis Centre and the Six Flags theme parks and Aquarabia waterpark.

  The project is a key part of Riyadh’s strategy to boost leisure tourism in the kingdom. According to UK analytics firm GlobalData, leisure tourism in Saudi Arabia has grown significantly in recent years.

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  Yasir Iqbal
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  QatarEnergy selects contractors for offshore oil field expansion

  16 September 2026

  

   

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  QatarEnergy has selected contractors for the two main engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) packages of its estimated $4bn-$5bn Maydan Mahzam offshore oil field expansion project in Qatar.

  The Qatari energy giant has selected a consortium of state-owned PetroVietnam Technical Services Corporation (PTSC) and Singapore-based Seatrium for package one of the Maydan Mahzam field expansion project, according to sources.

  State-owned China Offshore Oil Engineering Company (COOEC) has secured package two of the project, sources told MEED.

  Additionally, PTSC has confirmed its contract award for the first engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) package in a disclosure to the Hanoi Stock Exchange, saying its wholly owned subsidiary PTSC Mechanical & Construction had received a letter of award from QatarEnergy. The company added that “the parties will continue discussions to finalise and execute the definitive contract, which is expected to be signed in October 2026”.

  In its filing, PTSC added that its scope of work covers “the provision of engineering, procurement, construction, transportation, offshore installation, hook-up, commissioning and brownfield modification services for the [Maydan Mahzam] project”.

  MEED reported in late August that the consortium of PTSC and Seatrium had emerged as the frontrunner for package one of the expansion project.

  At the time, US-based McDermott was ahead in the race to win package two. However, COOEC is understood to have presented "better terms to the client in the final rounds of negotiations”, sources said.

  QatarEnergy issued the main tender for the Maydan Mahzam oil field expansion project in February 2025, with EPC works divided into four packages, MEED previously reported.

  Contractors submitted technical bids for the project’s two main EPC packages in September 2025, sources said.

  After QatarEnergy granted several extensions to the deadline for the submission of commercial bids for the two packages – initially set for 1 March – contractors submitted their prices by 21 June, MEED reported.

  The following contractors, among others, are understood to have submitted bids for the two main packages of the project:

  Package one:

  • China Offshore Oil Engineering Company (China)
  • Hanwha Ocean (South Korea)
  • Hyundai Heavy Industries (South Korea)
  • Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon (India)
  • PetroVietnam Technical Services Corporation (Vietnam) / Seatrium (Singapore)
  • Saipem (Italy)

  Package two:

  • Allseas (Netherlands)
  • China Offshore Oil Engineering Company (China)
  • Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon (India)
  • McDermott (US)
  • Saipem (Italy)

  The Maydan Mahzam oil field lies about 100 kilometres (km) northeast of the Qatari coastline and 28km southeast of Halul Island, located in water depths of about 40 metres. The field, together with the nearby Bul Hanine field, was discovered in the 1960s and has been in production since 1965.

  QatarEnergy is undertaking the project to upgrade infrastructure at Maydan Mahzam to extend the life of this maturing asset and maintain productivity over the long term.

  The scope of work for package one includes the EPC of seven new topsides, requiring the fabrication of structures weighing more than 78,000 metric tonnes in total. The main process topside will weigh 19,400 metric tonnes, while the other topsides will consist of 10-legged jackets.

  The scope also includes modifications to five existing topsides, four new bridges, eight-tonne support platforms with jackets, brownfield work on Halul Island and the installation of pipelines and cables.

  The scope of work for package two covers the EPCI of topsides, umbilicals and cables.

  ALSO READ: Contractors submit bids for Dukhan field facilities upgrade

  In addition to advancing its gas production and liquefied natural gas ambitions, QatarEnergy committed significant capital expenditure last year to increasing oil output capacity from its offshore fields.

  In August 2025, QatarEnergy selected contractors for the EPC works on a project to maintain and increase production potential at the Bul Hanine offshore oil field. The EPC scope was divided into three main packages, with COOEC being awarded the first two packages and Qatari contractor Doha Petroleum Construction Company (Dopet) being selected for the third. In addition, COOEC appointed US-based KBR to provide detailed engineering services for the first and second packages.

  Separately, last September, QatarEnergy awarded the main EPC contract for a project to add a fifth natural gas liquids (NGL) train at its complex in Mesaieed Industrial City. Indian contractor Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon won the contract.

  The project, estimated to be worth $2.5bn, aims to build a fifth NGL train with the capacity to process up to 350 million cubic feet a day of rich associated gas from QatarEnergy’s offshore and onshore oil fields.

  ALSO READ: Contractors prepare bids for North Field West offshore platforms

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  READ THE SEPTEMBER 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

  Nuclear power ambitions gather pace; Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive despite war; Region invests in raising gas processing capacity.

  Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the September 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

  > AGENDA: Gulf nuclear revival takes shape > MARKET FOCUS: Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive under fire > INDUSTRY REPORT: Gas processing takes centre stage in Mena region > INTERVIEW: Emsteel persists with business productivity and efficiency > TUNNELS: The Gulf’s next construction boom is happening underground

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

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19688942/main3340.jpg

  Indrajit Sen