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  King Salman airport moves fourth runway bid deadline

  14 August 2025

  

   

  King Salman International Airport Development Company (KSIADC) has allowed firms until 2 September to bid for the design-and-build contract for the fourth runway at King Salman International airport (KSIA) in Riyadh.

  The tender was floated on 17 April. The previous bid submission deadline was 12 August.

  It is understood that the third and fourth runways will add to the two existing runways at Riyadh’s King Khalid International airport, which will eventually become part of KSIA.

  KSIADC, which is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, prequalified firms in September last year for the main engineering, procurement and construction packages; early and enabling works; specialist systems and integration; specialist systems, materials and equipment; engineering and design; professional services; health, safety, security, environment and wellbeing services; modular installation and prefabrication; local content; and environmental, social, governance and other services.

  The entire scheme is divided into eight assets. These are:

  • Iconic Terminal
  • Terminal 6
  • Private aviation terminal 
  • Central runway and temporary apron
  • Hangars
  • Landside transport
  • Cargo buildings
  • Real estate

  In August last year, KSIADC confirmed it had signed up several architectural and design firms for the various elements of the project.

  US-based firm Bechtel Corporation will manage the delivery of three new terminals, including the terminal for commercial carriers, Terminal 6 for low-cost carriers and a new private aviation terminal with hangars.

  Parsons, also of the US, was chosen as the delivery partner for two packages. One covers the airside infrastructure, including the runways, taxiways, air traffic control towers, fuel farms and fire stations. The other involves the infrastructure connecting the airport to the rest of the city, including utilities and roads.

  UK-based Foster+Partners will design the airport’s masterplan, including the terminals, six runways and a multi-asset real estate area.

  US-based engineering firm Jacobs will provide specialist consultancy services for the masterplan and the design of the new runways.

  UK-based engineering firm Mace was appointed as the project’s delivery partner and local firm Nera was awarded the airspace design consultancy contract.

  Project scale

  The project covers an area of about 57 square kilometres (sq km), allowing for six parallel runways, and will include the existing terminals at King Khalid International airport. It will also include 12 sq km of airport support facilities, residential and recreational facilities, retail outlets and other logistics real estate.

  If the project is completed on time in 2030, it will become the world’s largest operating airport in terms of passenger capacity, according to UK analytics firm GlobalData.

  The airport aims to accommodate up to 120 million passengers by 2030 and 185 million by 2050. The goal for cargo is to process 3.5 million tonnes a year by 2050.

  Saudi Arabia plans to invest $100bn in its aviation sector. Riyadh’s Saudi Aviation Strategy, announced by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (Gaca), aims to triple Saudi Arabia’s annual passenger traffic to 330 million travellers by 2030.

  It also aims to increase air cargo traffic to 4.5 million tonnes and raise the country’s total air connections to more than 250 destinations. 

  

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  Yasir Iqbal
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  QatarEnergy tenders urea facility expansion

  14 August 2025

  

  QatarEnergy has issued the main tender for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) works on a planned project to expand its low-carbon ammonia and urea potential by building a new production complex in Qatar’s Mesaieed Industrial City.

  The planned blue ammonia and urea production facility will have a total output capacity of 6.4 million tonnes a year (t/y) and is understood to be the eighth expansion phase of its fertiliser production complex located in Mesaieed, MEED reported in April.

  QatarEnergy issued the tender for EPC works on the blue ammonia and urea production facility expansion project in late July, according to sources.

  The state energy giant has set a deadline of 15 January 2026 for the submission of technical bids for the project, sources said. It has not yet set a commercial bid submission deadline.

  The Qatari state enterprise held a meeting with contractors in March to lay out plans for the project, MEED previously reported. At the time, the company was expected to issue the project’s main EPC tender in June.

  The following contractors, among others, are understood to have been invited by QatarEnergy to bid for the blue ammonia and urea production facility expansion project:

  • Tecnimont (Italy) / Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon (India)
  • Hyundai Engineering & Construction Company (South Korea) / CTCI (Taiwan) / Toyo (Japan)
  • Samsung E&A (South Korea) / Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions (Germany) / Consolidated Contractors Company (Greece/Lebanon)
  • Saipem (Italy)

  The role of licensed technologies is important to the operations of the facility, so QatarEnergy has stipulated that contractors bring on board technology providers as part of the bidding process.

  QatarEnergy expects to take a final investment decision on the project in the second quarter of 2026 and award the EPC contract in the third quarter of next year, sources told MEED.

  The basic scope of EPC works on the blue ammonia and urea production facility expansion project is understood to include the following:

  • Urea and ammonia plants to produce 6.4 million t/y of urea
  • Urea formaldehyde plants
  • Nitrogen production units
  • Power unit for supply of 400MW
  • Units for the supply of 415 million cubic feet a day of sweet gas
  • Extension and additional bulk halls storage for urea
  • Export conveyors to Jetty 2
  • Three new urea berths on Jetty 2
  • New ammonia tank with storage capacity of 30,000 metric tonnes
  • Relocation of ammonia loading facilities
  • Desalination plant
  • Seawater supply and return
  • Logistics and office buildings

  Last September, QatarEnergy announced its aim to build four new urea production lines at Mesaieed Industrial City, which will increase Qatar’s urea output capacity by 106%.

  The production lines will raise Qatar’s production of urea – a key ingredient in fertilisers – from 6 million t/y to more than 12.4 million t/y.

  Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs and president and CEO of QatarEnergy, said the first production line will enter operations before 2030.

  ALSO READ: Contractors submit revised prices for QatarEnergy NGL train project

  “When we looked at the market for urea in the future, with the growth of humanity today, with 1.5-2 billion people that will be joining us in the next 20-30 years, the urea requirement for food production will be exponentially increasing,” Al-Kaabi said at the time.

  “Developing this project in Mesaieed Industrial City will ensure the optimum utilisation of the excellent existing infrastructure for the petrochemicals and fertiliser industries, including the city’s export port, which is one of the largest fertiliser and petrochemicals export facilities in the [Middle East and North Africa] region.

  “It will also establish Mesaieed as the urea production capital of the world,” he added.

  The planned expansion of its blue ammonia and urea production capability comes as QatarEnergy is making progress with its estimated $1.2bn Ammonia-7 project.

  The under-construction facility in Mesaieed will have a capacity of 1.2 million t/y of blue ammonia, making it the world’s largest blue ammonia facility.

  The complex will also have an additional unit for carbon dioxide injection and storage, with a capacity of 1.5 million t/y. QatarEnergy will provide the new plant with more than 35MW of electricity from the solar power plant that is also being built in Mesaieed Industrial City.

  QatarEnergy began work on the blue ammonia production project in September 2022, when its subsidiaries Qatar Fertiliser Company (Qafco) and QatarEnergy Renewable Solutions signed an agreement to develop the complex.

  In addition to signing the agreement for the development of the facility, the operators also formally awarded the project’s EPC contract to a consortium of Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Uhde and Greece/Lebanon-headquartered Consolidated Contractors Company.

  The value of the EPC contract is $1bn, .

  The facility is due to start operations in the first quarter of 2026 and will be operated by Qafco as part of its integrated facilities.

  ALSO READ: QatarEnergy selects contractors for Bul Hanine oil field project

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  READ THE AUGUST 2025 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

  Gulf heads into a new era of aviation; Maghreb’s resilience rises despite global pressures; GCC banks expand issuance amid demand

  Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the August 2025 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

  > AGENDA 1: Middle East invests in giant airports > AGENDA 2: Broader region upgrades its airports > AGENDA 3: Global air travel shifts east > CURRENT AFFAIRS: Syria wrestles fragile security situation > GCC BANKS: Gulf banks navigate turbulent times > BANKING: Strategic planning enters a new era of volatility > CONSTRUCTION: Soudah Peaks outlines project construction plans > INTERVIEW: SETS leads Saudi heritage preservation charge > LEADERSHIP: From plastic leakage to leadership in the Gulf > MAGHREB MARKET FOCUS: Maghreb pushes for stability

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

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  Indrajit Sen
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  Oman secures over $500m from award of three mining blocks

  13 August 2025

  Oman’s Energy & Minerals Ministry has awarded exploration rights for three mining concessions in the sultanate to two local firms, securing investments worth more than $500m in the process.

   has awarded exploration and mining rights for concession area 11C to Gulf Minerals & Materials Company. Covering 1,089 square kilometres (sq km) in Buraimi Governorate, the block contain ophiolite rocks and is said to hold deposits of copper and chromium ore.

  Gulf Minerals & Materials Company will invest $4m in the initial two- to three-year phase of topographic, geochemical and geophysical surveys, in addition to drilling and exploratory trenching.

  Novel Muscat International has won exploration and mining rights for concession areas 51-G1 and 51-G2 in Al-Wusta Governorate and will invest about $500m in developing minerals from the blocks.

  In area 51-G1, which covers 558 sq km, the company will build a hydrated lime factory. Exploratory studies will assess the locations, quality and reserves of raw materials, focusing on silica, limestone and clay deposits.

  Novel Muscat will also build a factory in area 51-G2, which covers 30 sq km, to produce salts and sodium carbonate (soda ash) using seawater evaporated in basins.

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  READ THE AUGUST 2025 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

  Gulf heads into a new era of aviation; Maghreb’s resilience rises despite global pressures; GCC banks expand issuance amid demand

  Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the August 2025 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

  > AGENDA 1: Middle East invests in giant airports > AGENDA 2: Broader region upgrades its airports > AGENDA 3: Global air travel shifts east > CURRENT AFFAIRS: Syria wrestles fragile security situation > GCC BANKS: Gulf banks navigate turbulent times > BANKING: Strategic planning enters a new era of volatility > CONSTRUCTION: Soudah Peaks outlines project construction plans > INTERVIEW: SETS leads Saudi heritage preservation charge > LEADERSHIP: From plastic leakage to leadership in the Gulf > MAGHREB MARKET FOCUS: Maghreb pushes for stability

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

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14461349/main03522714.jpeg

  Indrajit Sen
• 
  Oman unveils new incentives for hydrogen projects

  13 August 2025

  Oman’s Hydrom has unveiled new fiscal incentives aimed at enhancing the commercial viability of projects in its third green hydrogen auction round.

  The measures include a 90% reduction in land lease fees during the development stage, with the potential for further relief during the front-end engineering and design phase.

  Base royalties will also be significantly reduced during the initial years of production, while corporate tax exemptions will be available for up to 10 years.

  Hydrom, a subsidiary of Energy Development Oman, said the incentives are designed to support early-stage project economics.

  This includes accelerating progress towards final investment decisions.

  “The global hydrogen landscape is entering a phase of consolidation, with developers prioritising jurisdictions that provide regulatory certainty, strong project economics and credible offtake potential,” said Abdulaziz Al-Shidhani, managing director of Hydrom.

  The third auction round offers a land block of up to 300 square kilometres (sq km) in Duqm, with proposals invited for projects covering a minimum of 100 sq km.

  Bidders have the flexibility to define their own project footprint within the block, enabling tailored configurations that align with development strategies and market requirements.

  Hydrom has received almost 100 registrations from major industry players and consortiums across the green hydrogen value chain, highlighting sustained interest in Oman’s structured, policy-backed hydrogen market.

  The statement of qualification submission window will remain open until 31 October 2025.

  To support the formation of strong consortiums, Hydrom will also launch an updated consortium matchmaking list, a tool designed to connect qualified participants seeking strategic project partnerships.

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  READ THE AUGUST 2025 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

  Gulf heads into a new era of aviation; Maghreb’s resilience rises despite global pressures; GCC banks expand issuance amid demand

  Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the August 2025 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

  > AGENDA 1: Middle East invests in giant airports > AGENDA 2: Broader region upgrades its airports > AGENDA 3: Global air travel shifts east > CURRENT AFFAIRS: Syria wrestles fragile security situation > GCC BANKS: Gulf banks navigate turbulent times > BANKING: Strategic planning enters a new era of volatility > CONSTRUCTION: Soudah Peaks outlines project construction plans > INTERVIEW: SETS leads Saudi heritage preservation charge > LEADERSHIP: From plastic leakage to leadership in the Gulf > MAGHREB MARKET FOCUS: Maghreb pushes for stability

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

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14461086/main3747.jpg

  MEED Editorial
• 
  Aldar launches Fahid Beach Terraces project

  13 August 2025

  Abu Dhabi-based private real estate developer Aldar Properties has launched the Fahid Beach Terraces project, located on Fahid Island, which is a new waterfront development located between Yas Island and Saadiyat Island

  The project is designed by Japanese architect Koichi Takada, with interiors from UK-based firm M&L.

  The six-building community will offer 501 one- to four-bedroom apartments, duplexes and six five-bedroom penthouses.

  The announcement follows Aldar's unveiling of the masterplan for Fahid Island in June. The island spans a total area of over 2.7 million square metres (sq m) with 11 kilometres (km) of coastline and 4.6km of beachfront.

  Aldar said that it has enrolled several architects to design the island’s residential assets, including Japan's Kengo Kuma and Koichi Takada. Other residential developments have been designed by London-headquartered Acme and UAE-based Naga Architects.

  The island will offer more than 6,000 apartments, townhouses and villas.

  In April last year, MEED reported that Aldar Properties planned to launch a project on Fahid Island.

  In February 2024, Aldar made a AED2.5bn ($680m) investment, to be paid over five years, for a 4 million sq m land bank on Fahid Island to build a waterfront development.

  In addition to residential units, the project will include a school, as well as retail and leisure facilities.

  

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14459970/main.jpg

  Yasir Iqbal