Latest News

• 
  Kuwait tenders major wastewater consultancy

  Administrator

  27 August 2025

  Kuwait’s Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) has issued a tender for consultancy services covering the study, design, operation and maintenance of two wastewater purification and treatment plants.

  The plants will have capacities of 400,000 cubic metres a day (cm/d) and 60,000 cm/d.

  The scope includes the preparation of standard tender documents and all associated pumping lines. 

  The deadline for submitting bids is 31 August, and the duration of the contract is 18 months. 

  Conditions require firms to have designed at least three wastewater treatment plants, with a capacity of no less than 150,000 cm/d in the past 10 years. Each project must have had a consultancy services contract value of at least KD1.5m ($5m).

  Kuwait has been expanding its wastewater treatment capacity in recent years through projects such as the Umm Al-Hayman wastewater public-private partnership, which has an initial capacity of 500,000 cm/d.

  In August, MEED reported on the lowest bidder for phase two of a seawater desalination plant in Doha, Kuwait.

  This is part of Kuwait’s broader programme to expand water production capacity and reduce reliance on thermal desalination methods.

  Interested firms can obtain documents from PAHW’s headquarters in South Surra for a non-refundable fee of KD500 ($1,600).

  Bidders must provide an initial guarantee of KD50,000 valid for 90 days. The final guarantee will be equal to 10% of the total contract value.

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  Mark Dowdall
• 
  Lowest bidder emerges for Oman Burj Al-Sahwa project

  Administrator

  27 August 2025

  

   

  The local subsidiary of Austrian firm Strabag has submitted the lowest main bid for the construction of the Burj Al-Sahwa roundabout and its associated roads in Muscat, Oman.

  According to the results published by the Oman Tender Board, Strabag submitted a main bid priced at RO201m ($522m).

  The other bidders were:

  • Galfar Engineering & Contracting: Main bid – $632m; Alternate bid – $320m
  • Sarooj Construction Company: Main bid – $871m; Alternate bid – $124m

  The tender for the main contract was initially issued in January this year. Technical bids were opened in May, followed by the opening of commercial bids on 20 August.

  UK analytics firm GlobalData expects the Omani construction industry to grow at an average annual rate of 4.2% between 2025 and 2028, driven by investments aligned with the Oman Vision 2040 strategy. Under this strategy, the government plans to allocate RO20bn ($52bn) to the tourism sector and aims to attract 11 million visitors annually by 2040. 

  The commercial construction sector is projected to expand by 1.4% in real terms in 2024, followed by an average annual growth rate of 3.6% between 2025 and 2028, supported by a rebound in tourism and growth in wholesale and retail trade activities.

  

  

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Developer cuts budget for Libya gas project

  Administrator

  27 August 2025

  

   

  The project to develop Libya’s Al-Atshan gas field has had its budget cut and is now on hold, according to industry sources.

  The project is being developed by Libya’s Zallaf Oil & Gas and is estimated to be worth about $350m.

  The project comprises several packages, focused on developing infrastructure for the field, including a central processing facility (CPF), an export pipeline, a gas receiving station and a residential facility.

  Earlier this year, companies submitted prequalification documents for the geotechnical and geophysical surveys associated with the project.

  Additionally, in early July, London-based Shell signed a conditional agreement with Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) to develop the Al-Atshan field and other fields that the state-owned oil company controls.

  Libya’s NOC said on 7 July that its memorandum of understanding with Shell will allow the international oil company to evaluate hydrocarbons prospects and conduct a comprehensive technical and economic feasibility study to develop Al-Atshan.

  

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  Wil Crisp
• 
  Tecnimont installs key equipment at Project Harvest site

  Administrator

  27 August 2025

  Italian contractor Tecnimont has announced the completion of the first phase of heavy equipment installation at the under-construction blue hydrogen and blue ammonia production facility, known as Project Harvest, in Abu Dhabi.

  Abu Dhabi is set to become a major producer of blue hydrogen and blue ammonia when the complex, which is being developed as part of the first phase of the Taziz Industrial Chemicals Zone, becomes operational in 2027.

  A joint venture of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc Group) subsidiary Fertiglobe, South Korea’s GS Energy Corporation and Japanese investment firm Mitsui & Company is the main stakeholder in Project Harvest, which will have an output capacity of 1 million tonnes a year (t/y).

  The joint venture awarded Tecnimont the main contract, estimated at $500m, for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) works on the blue ammonia production project in May 2024. Construction began the following month.

  In a post on , Tecnimont said that installation of the main ammonia converter – weighing over 700 tonnes – along with other major equipment, was completed on 22 July using a 1,600-tonne crawler crane.

  “Thanks to strategic planning and early preparation of the foundations, most of the equipment was positioned directly upon arrival, minimising handling and optimising time and resources,” Tecnimont said on 26 August.
   
  “More than a technical feat, this milestone opens up new work fronts across the civil, underground and steel structure phases, accelerating the path towards the next project objectives,” the Milan-headquartered and listed contractor said in its post.

  Project Rabdan

  While EPC works continue on Project Harvest – the first phase of the Taziz blue hydrogen and blue ammonia complex – Fertiglobe has delayed the final investment decision (FID) on the planned second phase, known as Project Rabdan.

  The Rabdan complex is intended to use natural gas supplied by Adnoc – Fertiglobe’s parent company and majority shareholder – to produce up to 1 million t/y of low‑carbon liquid ammonia, also known as blue ammonia.

  Also located within the Taziz Industrial Chemicals Zone, the Rabdan facility will have the capacity to produce 192,000 t/y of blue hydrogen and 892,000 t/y of nitrogen for supply to a local offtaker.

  In its Q2 and H1 2025 financial results announcement, Fertiglobe stated that it had decided to “rephase Project Rabdan”.

  Fertiglobe CEO Ahmed El-Hoshy told MEED in May that he expected the FID for Project Rabdan to be reached in 2026.

  Photo credit: Tecnimont via 

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  Indrajit Sen
• 
  Egis to supervise Riyadh Kafd monorail construction

  Administrator

  26 August 2025

  French engineering firm Egis Group has confirmed that it has been selected by King Abdullah Financial District Development & Management Company (Kafd DMC) for a contract to supervise the construction of the Kafd monorail project.

  In an official statement published on its website, Egis said that, in its role as site supervision consultant, “its scope includes supervision of rolling stock, rail systems, civil and structural works, mechanical, electrical and plumbing, architecture, utilities and landscaping.”

  “Egis is also tasked with reviewing and approving shop drawings, method statements and material submittals, while overseeing critical compliance and quality control processes throughout the project’s construction phase,” the statement added.

  Earlier this week, MEED reported that Kafd DMC expects to begin monorail operations in 2027.

  According to local media reports, Faddy Alaql, chief asset delivery officer at Kafd, said construction is anticipated to begin by the end of this year, with the project ready for commissioning by 2027.

  The scope of work includes the construction of a 3.6-kilometre elevated monorail in a loop configuration, with six elevated stations and six trains – each consisting of two carriages.

  The monorail will connect public buildings within Kafd and integrate with the Riyadh Metro system.

  It is expected to carry up to 3,500 passengers an hour during peak times.

  In October last year, MEED exclusively reported that Kafd DMC had awarded an estimated SR1.2bn ($320m) deal to complete its monorail project at Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District.

  The contract was awarded to the joint venture of Egyptian contractor Hassan Allam and Chinese rolling stock provider CRRC.

  French engineering firm Systra is understood to have updated the technical and supervision studies for both systems and civil engineering works.

  Project background

  According to data from regional projects tracker MEED Projects, the scheme was put on hold in 2016 after a decade of planning.

  In 2010, Bombardier, now part of French firm Alstom, won a $241m contract to build the monorail.

  Bombardier, in partnership with local contractor Saudi Oger, was selected to provide its Innovia operation and maintenance services for the system over a 10-year period.

  Located in Riyadh, Kafd is a mixed-use development managed by Kafd DMC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

  Rayadah Investment Corporation previously managed the district.

  Construction contracts for several towers in the district were awarded in 2009.

  The project stalled when work was approximately 70% complete and later resumed in 2018, after the PIF took over from the Public Pension Agency in 2016-17.

  

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Dubai’s RTA awards airport road bridge deal

  Administrator

  26 August 2025

  Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), in partnership with Dubai Aviation City Corporation (DACC), has awarded a contract for the expansion and enhancement of the bridge leading to Terminal One of Dubai International airport (DXB).

  The project will expand the existing bridge from three lanes to four, using a steel box girder system combined with a composite concrete slab.

  The bridge will measure 171 metres in length, including its ramps, with the central span measuring 70 metres.

  The upgrade is expected to boost the bridge’s capacity from 4,200 to 5,600 vehicles an hour, representing a 33% increase. 

  This project aims to improve traffic flow, minimise journey times and accommodate rising passenger numbers, which surpassed 92 million in 2024. 

  Previously, the RTA completed works on Airport Street from Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road to Casablanca Street. 

  This project involved building bridges and tunnels, and modifying intersections to facilitate access to DXB. 

  The RTA also constructed a single-lane bridge for direct access to DXB’s Terminal Three, a bridge to the Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects complex, and another single-lane bridge for traffic from Airport Street to Casablanca Street.  

  Additionally, Casablanca Street was widened from three to four lanes in the direction of Al-Garhoud bridge. 

  

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Kafd monorail in Riyadh to commence operations in 2027

  Administrator

  25 August 2025

  Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Financial District Development & Management Company (Kafd DMC) is expected to begin monorail operations in 2027.

  According to local media reports, Faddy Alaql, chief asset delivery officer at Kafd, said construction is anticipated to begin by the end of this year, with the project ready for commissioning by 2027.

  The scope of work includes the construction of a 3.6-kilometre elevated monorail in a loop configuration, with six elevated stations and six trains – each consisting of two carriages.

  The monorail will connect public buildings within Kafd and integrate with the Riyadh Metro system.

  It is expected to carry up to 3,500 passengers an hour during peak times.

  In October last year, MEED exclusively reported that Kafd DMC had awarded an estimated SR1.2bn ($320m) deal to complete its monorail project at Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District.

  The contract was awarded to the joint venture of Egyptian contractor Hassan Allam and Chinese rolling stock provider CRRC.

  French engineering firm Systra is understood to have updated the technical and supervision studies for both systems and civil engineering works.

  Project background

  According to data from regional projects tracker MEED Projects, the scheme was put on hold in 2016 after a decade of planning.

  In 2010, Bombardier, now part of French firm Alstom, won a $241m contract to build the monorail.

  Bombardier, in partnership with local contractor Saudi Oger, was selected to provide its Innovia operation and maintenance services for the system over a 10-year period.

  Located in Riyadh, Kafd is a mixed-use development managed by Kafd DMC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

  The district was previously managed by Rayadah Investment Corporation.

  Construction contracts for several towers in the district were awarded in 2009.

  The project stalled when work was approximately 70% complete and later resumed in 2018, after the PIF took over from the Public Pension Agency in 2016-17.

  

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14535623/main.jpg

  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Iraq deploys Turkish power ships to ease electricity shortfall

  Administrator

  25 August 2025

  Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity has begun deploying electricity-generating ships to bolster the national power system. The first Turkish vessel, capable of producing 125MW, arrived at Umm Qasr Port on Thursday.

  Minister of Electricity Ziyad Ali Fadhil told the Iraqi News Agency that the ships are part of a government plan to add 600MW to the national grid while reducing reliance on imported fuel.

  “The Council of Ministers has taken decisions related to purchasing energy through barges to enhance the electricity system’s production and reduce dependence on imported fuel,” he said.

  The second vessel, Orka Sultan, arrived at Khor Al-Zubair Port in Basra province on Saturday. It docked at berth 13 and has the same capacity of 125MW, bringing the combined output of the two vessels to 250MW.

  Fadhil said the first barge will be fully docked at the quay within seven days of fuel delivery and will begin generating electricity within the same period. 

  Preparations are under way to supply gas oil fuel for the operation of both stations once the operating company takes over.

  The vessels are part of a project led by BKPS, a Karpowership affiliate, to deploy its signature powerships to support Iraq’s energy security.

  The deployment comes as Iraq faces near-nationwide blackouts, with recent temperatures as high as 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) driving electricity demand for air conditioning.

  The country periodically suffers from power outages, especially during the summer months, when increased cooling requirements overwhelm its power plants and electricity grid.  

  The country’s power shortfall has been exacerbated by underinvestment in infrastructure, repeated heatwaves and disruptions to gas imports from neighbouring Iran.

  The Turkish vessels are part of a broader model of floating power stations, often deployed by companies such as Karpowership to countries needing electricity but lacking the time or resources to build permanent onshore capacity.

  Karpowership said in a statement that it will “provide electricity for an initial contract period of 71 days”, helping to stabilise the national grid and meet demand.

  

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  Mark Dowdall