Related Articles

• 
  Libya refinery expected to be worth more than $600m

  30 September 2026

  

   

  The main contract for Libya’s planned South Refinery project is expected to be worth more than $600m, according to industry sources.

  The project, located in Ubari in southern Libya, has gained momentum over the past year. The main contract is expected to be procured under an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) model.

  In March, US-based engineering company KBR was awarded a contract by Zallaf Exploration, Production & Refining of Oil & Gas Company to provide project management and technical services for the project.

  Under the terms of the contract, KBR will provide contract management, project management and supporting technical services throughout the project’s EPC phases.

  The EPC work is expected to take 50 months, and the facility will be designed to process 30,000 barrels a day (b/d) of crude oil.

  The refinery is expected to produce:

  • Propane and butane for domestic and industrial uses
  • Gasoline
  • Kerosene
  • Diesel
  • Fuel oil

  In March, KBR said that the project was aligned with its “long-standing commitment to advancing vital oil and gas infrastructure in Libya”.

  Libya currently operates five main refineries with a combined nameplate capacity of 380,000 b/d, but actual throughput is closer to 180,000 b/d due to poor maintenance and damage from military clashes.

  In addition to the South Refinery project, Libya also plans to upgrade the Zawiya refinery and carry out projects at the Serir, Brega, Tobruk and Ras Lanuf refineries.

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/20124329/main.jpg

  Wil Crisp
• 
  Joint venture wins $230m Ras El-Hekma buildings

  30 September 2026

  A joint venture of UK-based Innovo Build and Egypt’s Redcon Construction has won a contract worth about E£12bn ($230m) to carry out infrastructure and construction works for the DP03 East package of the Wadi Yemm development at Ras El-Hekma on Egypt’s North Coast.

  Wadi Yemm is being developed by the UAE’s Modon Development as the first phase of its Ras El-Hekma masterplan, which will comprise 17 planned districts.

  DP03 East has a built-up area of 323,000 square metres and is scheduled for completion within 21 months.

  The scope of work includes more than 660 residential units – comprising standalone villas and townhouses – as well as public service areas, lakes, a commercial mall, landscaping and roadworks.

  The delivery of units at Wadi Yemm is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2029.

  Ras El-Hekma is located on a spur of land on Egypt’s northern Mediterranean coast, about 240 kilometres west of Alexandria.

  Abu Dhabi-based holding company ADQ appointed Modon Holding as master developer for the Ras El-Hekma project in 2024. Modon will oversee the overall development, which covers more than 170 million square metres (sq m).

  Modon will develop the first phase, covering 50 million sq m. The remaining 120 million sq m will be developed in partnership with private developers, under the supervision of the recently established ADQ subsidiary Ras El-Hekma Urban Development Project Company and Modon.

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/20123189/main.jpg

  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Neom tenders Oxagon freight rail design

  30 September 2026

  

   

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  Neom has tendered a contract to prepare a concept design, feasibility study and route-alignment studies for a freight rail network connecting to the Port of Neom at Oxagon.

  Neom issued the tender last week, with a submission deadline of 29 October.

  Consultants expressed interest in the contract on 16 September, as MEED previously reported.

  The estimated 400-kilometre (km)-plus rail line is expected to connect the Port of Neom with Saudi Arabia Railways’ (SAR) North-South Railway at the Al-Baseeta junction.

  SAR’s North-South Railway is a 2,750km network built primarily to move minerals from mines in the north of the kingdom to industrial and export hubs on the Gulf coast. Its core route links the Al-Jalamid and Baitha phosphate and bauxite mines to Ras Al-Khair, Jubail and Dammam, with branch lines to Riyadh and to the Jordanian border at Al-Haditha.

  Al-Baseeta junction, where Oxagon’s proposed line would connect, sits on this network in Al-Jawf province, in the northwest of the country. The railway also carries passengers between Riyadh and Qurayyat, and has transported commercial freight such as sulphur and phosphoric acid.

  The Port of Neom currently has no rail link to the rest of Saudi Arabia, meaning cargo landing there depends on road transport or a further sea leg to reach Riyadh, the Gulf coast or export markets beyond.

  Connecting to the North-South network at Al-Baseeta would give the port direct rail access to the kingdom’s interior and, via existing branch lines, to Jordan and the Gulf coast industrial cluster around Ras Al-Khair, Jubail and Dammam.

  The proposed link would also give SAR’s network a new outlet to the Red Sea. To date, the North-South Railway has focused on Gulf coast export points, but a connection to Oxagon would provide a second maritime gateway on the opposite coast, allowing mineral and freight traffic from the north of the kingdom to reach either coastline.

  The latest development follows Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) naming Neom as one of six strategic ecosystems in its 2026-30 strategy.

  This backing comes as Neom’s operational focus appears to be evolving in response to shifting regional dynamics and global economic conditions. For example, on 15 April, Neom posted on its official X account about a new Europe-Egypt-Neom-GCC corridor, describing it as a faster route for time-sensitive goods.

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/20122376/main.jpg

  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Hassan Allam wins $1bn Cairo mixed-use project deal

  30 September 2026

  Grova Developments, the real estate development arm of Egypt’s Hassan Allam Holding, has awarded Hassan Allam Construction a $1bn contract to deliver the Grova Westfields project in West Cairo.

  Hassan Allam Construction’s scope of work includes a 150-key five-star hotel, branded residences, luxury villas and apartments, as well as infrastructure and landscaping works.

  The project spans about 1.2 million square metres and is being developed in partnership with the Egyptian Kuwaiti Company for Real Estate Development.

  Broadway Malyan has been appointed to lead the master planning and architectural design.

  In October last year, Hassan Allam Construction announced that it had won a $550m contract to build another mixed-use development spanning more than 128 hectares in New Cairo.

  That development comprises villas, townhouses, commercial and office space, mixed-use buildings, infrastructure and other associated facilities.

  Hassan Allam Properties is co-developing the project with Grova Developments.

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/20123048/main.jpeg

  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  King Salman Park prepares for soft opening

  30 September 2026

  

   

  King Salman Park Foundation is preparing a phased soft opening of the Riyadh park as it moves from construction to operations.

  Dale Chadwick, the foundation’s acting CEO, speaking at MEED’s Shaping Mega Projects conference in Riyadh on 28 September, said 95% of the contracts for phases one and two had been awarded, and irrigation for both phases was installed.

  “There are areas of the landscape in the park that, literally, we could open tomorrow,” he said. "It’s trying to stitch this all together into a cohesive opening.”

  The foundation will present its opening plan to its board at the end of this week. Chadwick said announcements were expected in the coming months.

  “We can’t just open 12 square kilometres of green space and public domain without going through a process,” he said.

  Landscaping works are about to restart for the season. The foundation plans to plant about 4 million plants this year at a rate of 50,000-60,000 a day. Its water treatment plant is operating on a temporary basis, producing about 50,000 cubic metres a day.

  The Royal Arts Complex, one of the park’s anchor assets, is due to be handed over to the Ministry of Culture within three to six months.

  Operational shift

  The foundation has moved out of its headquarters in King Abdullah Financial District (Kafd). About 230-240 staff are now based in the operations and maintenance building it built inside the park. The foundation will relocate fully once its permanent headquarters is complete.

  Chadwick said the move into operations was new territory for the organisation, which has not yet opened an asset. The foundation is engaging operators and has agreed how its operations will be structured.

  "It’s working with nature, so it’s a little bit tricky to really forecast how that’s going to pan out,” he said. "We’ve seen good results with the landscaping.”

  Private assets

  The public realm accounts for about SR50bn ($13.3bn) of investment. A further SR150bn of private assets is planned, and about SR20bn of this has been awarded.

  One private asset package is on site and three are in design. The foundation is close to awarding another, which Chadwick said involves foreign investment.

  He said the private assets would fund the park over the long term. “The public realm is the financial burden in terms of the ongoing operation of the park,” he said. “The financial revenue engine for us is the private assets. That is the long-term financial health.”

  Chadwick estimated the private asset programme was 20%-35% complete, depending on the measure used.

  The foundation has received 23 expressions of interest from developers. It is timing awards to follow infrastructure and landscaping works so that investors can see progress before committing.

  “What the private sector is looking for in terms of investment is surety of what we’re doing,” said Chadwick. “The closer we get to completion, the greater the appetite.”

  Phase three

  The third phase is being replanned. A golf course originally planned for the area will be replaced to allow the site to be commercialised. Chadwick said the remaster planning, which also responds to requests from the board, would start in the next couple of months.

  Chadwick said the foundation wanted the park to become a destination of choice for Riyadh residents. He said it had studied parks such as New York’s Central Park and London’s Hyde Park.

  “We’re providing a blank canvas for people to come in and experience the park,” he said. “Those parks have been there for a long time, and this is Riyadh’s journey to having a park that has some similar longevity. This is just the start of that journey.”

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/20118674/main.jpg

  Colin Foreman