Abu Dhabi to tender Mid Island Parkway PPP by year end
7 October 2025
Abu Dhabi is expected to float the tender for the second phase of the Mid Island Parkway Project (MIPP) by the end of this year.
The project is planned to be developed on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis.
“Discussions are ongoing about floating the project on a PPP basis. The tender is expected to be in the market by the end of this year,” sources close to the project told MEED.
The project is expected to be implemented by the newly formed Abu Dhabi-based infrastructure platform Gridora.
In May, the Abu Dhabi Projects & Infrastructure Centre (Adpic) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Gridora to deliver transport infrastructure projects in the UAE capital.
The MoU enables the establishment of a working committee to explore potential opportunities and identify pilot projects, activities and initiatives that Gridora could undertake. These schemes include Adpic’s plans to deliver infrastructure projects in Abu Dhabi estimated to be worth over AED35bn ($9.5bn).
MEED has previously reported about increasing momentum in PPP project activity in Abu Dhabi. In July, Adpic and Australian infrastructure investor and developer Plenary Group signed an MoU to advance private sector engagement in infrastructure projects in Abu Dhabi.
The MoU establishes a foundation for partnership between the two organisations to plan, develop and implement strategic projects with the private sector in Abu Dhabi.
The MIPP is part of the emirate’s Plan Capital Urban Evolution programme.
The second phase of the MIPP involves the construction of about 11 kilometres (km) of highways, including a mix of three-, four- and five-lane highways.
The highways will connect the Um-Yifeenah, Al-Jubail, Al-Sammaliyyah and Sas Al-Nakhl islands to Khalifa City and the E10 road.
The scope also covers the construction of three interchanges: the E20, E10 and Dumbbell interchanges on Al-Sammaliyyah Island.
Some of the project’s major structures include:
- E20 interchange – cast-in-place box girder / void slab bridges
- E10 interchange – cast-in-place box girder bridges
- I-girder bridges between Raha Beach West and Sas Al-Nakhl Island
- Causeway at Sas Al-Nakhl Island
- Cast-in-place balanced cantilever bridge between Sas Al-Nakhl Island and Al-Sammaliyyah Island
- Tunnel between Al-Sammaliyyah Island and Bilrimaid Island
- Cut-and-cover or open tunnel on Bilrimaid Island
- Tunnel between Bilrimaid Island and Um-Yifeenah Island
In June last year, MEED exclusively reported that Abu Dhabi had awarded contracts for three packages of phase one of the MIPP.
The contract for package 1A was awarded to a joint venture of Turkish contractor Dogus Construction and UAE firm Gulf Contractors.
Package 1B was awarded to a joint venture of Yas Projects (Alpha Dhabi Holding) and China Railway International Group.
Beijing-headquartered China Harbour Engineering Company and the UAE's Agility Engineering & Contracting Company won the contract for package 1C.
Phase one starts at the existing Saadiyat interchange, connecting the E12 to the MIPP, and ends at the recently constructed Um-Yifeenah highway.
It comprises a dual main road with a total length of 8km, including four traffic lanes in each direction, two interchanges, a tunnel and associated infrastructure works.
READ THE OCTOBER 2025 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF
Private sector takes on expanded role; Riyadh shifts towards strategic expenditure; MEED’s 2025 power developer ranking
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the October 2025 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> AGENDA 1: A new dawn for PPPs
> AGENDA 2: GCC pushes PPPs to deliver $70bn pipeline
> POWER DEVELOPER RANKING: Acwa Power consolidates power sector dominance
> IPPs: GCC enters pivotal year for IPPs
> ACQUISITION: Wood takeover could boost Sidara profits
> INTERVIEW: SLB strives to boost regional standing
> SAUDI MARKET FOCUS: Riyadh strives for sustainable growth
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Exclusive from Meed
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Public spending ties the UAE closer together
7 October 2025
-
Etihad Rail and Masdar sign green hydrogen value chain deal
7 October 2025
-
The untapped potential of real estate development frameworks
7 October 2025
-
SWPC tenders Riyadh East sewage treatment plant
7 October 2025
-
Abu Dhabi to tender Mid Island Parkway PPP by year end
7 October 2025
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Public spending ties the UAE closer together
7 October 2025
On 6 October, Abu Dhabi Executive Council chairman Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan toured the almost-complete Zayed National Museum – the latest high-profile addition to the capital’s Saadiyat Cultural District, alongside branches of the Louvre and Guggenheim museums.
The museum is due to officially open its doors in December, with galleries tracing the history of human civilisation and the development of the UAE itself. Mohamed Khalifa Al-Mubarak, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture & Tourism, said the museum will “serve as a bridge for dialogue between the UAE and the world” – but the Foster & Partners-designed building, with its cluster of tapered, wing-like towers reaching into the sky, will also play a role in cementing the country’s own self-image.
Infrastructure blitz
Other projects are also helping to tie the seven emirates closer together, including the national rail system. Freight trains have been running across the network since early 2023 and the first passenger trains are due to follow next year. They will be operated by a joint venture between the state-owned Etihad Rail and France’s Keolis, in a deal announced during the Global Rail 2025 exhibition in Abu Dhabi in late September.
There are big ambitions for the new network, with some projections suggesting passenger numbers could reach more than 36 million within four years. The trains will provide a physical connection between the emirates that avoids the often clogged-up roads; officials hope it could lead to greater economic activity too. Azza Alsuwaidi, deputy chief executive of Etihad Rail Mobility, has said the project could contribute some AED145bn ($39bn) to the UAE’s GDP over the next 50 years.
From the capital it will take less than an hour to travel northeast to Dubai and around 70 minutes to go southwest to Ruwais; the journey from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman cost is expected to take 1 hour 45 minutes. When complete, the network will connect 11 cities in all. The development of a separate high-speed line will cut the journey time between Abu Dhabi and Dubai to just 30 minutes, with trains travelling at up to 350 kilometres an hour.
Freight services continue to be further developed too. There are plans, for example, to create a new ‘bonded rail corridor’ that will link Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi with Fujairah Terminals and their adjacent free zones.
In a separate effort to improve inter-emirate links, the Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure announced in late September a AED750m, two-year plan to upgrade the Emirates Road, adding extra lanes and bridges to cut the travel time for those driving between Ras Al-Khaimah, Umm Al-Quwain, Sharjah and Dubai.
Economic resilience
Earlier in the month, the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development pledged to help 1,000 local entrepreneurs in the next six months, via a national campaign called ‘The Emirates: The Startup Capital of the World’. This was launched on 21 September by federal Prime Minister and Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum.
Such domestic issues provide a welcome contrast to the often-tense regional situation that policymakers and leaders are having to navigate – including the situation in Gaza and the reimposition of United Nations sanctions on Iran in late September.
In the face of such geopolitical headwinds, the UAE economy has proved very resilient. In a statement in early October, the IMF said the country’s GDP expanded by 4% last year and should accelerate to 4.8% this year, well ahead of the global average.
After leading an IMF team on a recent visit to the country, mission chief Said Bakhache said that “expansion in tourism, construction and financial services continues to underpin growth, supported by major infrastructure projects”.
The economy has also been helped by the ongoing rollout of the UAE’s free trade strategy – the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements with Australia and Malaysia were the two most recent to come into force, at the start of October.
There are, though, some clouds on the horizon, not least in the real estate sector. Bakhache noted that housing costs represented “the main source of price pressures, raising potential affordability concerns”.
The most recent UBS Global Real Estate Bubble Index placed Dubai fifth in its rankings of cities around the world, rating the city as being at an “elevated risk” of a property bubble after seeing a 50% rise in prices over the past five years.
“Dubai’s bubble risk has surged since 2022 amid an economic boom, leaving the market looking increasingly overheated,” the report said, adding that “incomes are not keeping pace with home prices and affordability has deteriorated”.
Gentrification pivot
This risk aside, the authorities are nevertheless working in other ways to try to make quality of life better. For instance, on 26 September, the Dubai authorities set up a new Civility Committee, which will be responsible for improving the look and feel of the city – part of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid’s aim to make Dubai “the world’s most beautiful and advanced city”.
A few days later, on 29 September, the Abu Dhabi Executive Council took a similar step, when it approved the $11.4bn (AED42bn) next phase of its Liveability Strategy – a policy that aims to improve infrastructure in residential areas, from sports facilities and parks to schools and mosques.
The emirate’s authorities are also planning to build 40,000 homes for locals over the next five years, across Al-Ain, the Al-Dhafra region and Abu Dhabi city itself. Al-Dhafra will also feature on the Etihad Rail passenger network, making it an option for commuters priced out of the bigger cities.
Between these different public outlays, the common thread that emerges is that of the UAE’s desire to project an image of itself as a dependable, clear-visioned nation – one of connectivity, civic diligence and social mobility – in an increasingly uncertain world.
Main image: Construction of the Zayed National Museum in the Saadiyat Cultural District, Abu Dhabi
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Etihad Rail and Masdar sign green hydrogen value chain deal
7 October 2025
The UAE’s Etihad Rail and Masdar have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore transportation solutions to support the green hydrogen value chain across the nation.
According to an official statement: “The MoU will allow companies to utilise Etihad Rail’s national network to enable transportation of feedstocks and products along the green hydrogen and derivatives value chain, including hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, sustainable aviation fuel and others.”
The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the recently concluded GlobalRail event in Abu Dhabi.
Masdar aims to become a leading producer of green hydrogen and its derivatives globally by 2030, with the company developing and investing in commercial projects and building scalable platforms in key markets worldwide.
“The agreement is in line with Abu Dhabi’s low-carbon hydrogen policy and the UAE’s National Hydrogen Strategy 2050, which aims to strengthen the nation’s position as a producer and supplier of low-emission hydrogen by 2031, and help reduce emissions in hard-to-abate sectors, such as land, sea and air transport, chemicals and fertilisers, and metals, including aluminum, iron and steel,” the statement added.
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The untapped potential of real estate development frameworks
7 October 2025
In the complex and fragmented real estate sector, establishing a standardised development framework can be a transformative tool for developers.
An astronomically growing and increasingly profitable real estate sector in the GCC is encouraging greater consolidation. Often times a single master developer gets involved in the full project value chain: from early ideation, market research and planning to subsequent construction, operations and end-of-life activities.
But greater exposure to the real estate sector is fraught with perils. For one, real estate is a traditionally fragmented business. It involves a dizzying web of managerial, consulting and construction trades with complicated interdependencies and many unaccounted-for specialised roles.
Second, particularities of location, the political, physical, climate and social landscapes make every project a challenging venture. And a multitude of codes, regulations and standards add to the entanglement by requiring compliance at every stage, with gates needing multi-level approvals.
But a standard real estate development framework can make work significantly simpler. It is a structured approach that defines major stages from site selection and feasibility analysis, to securing financing, design work, construction and eventual sales or operations.
The framework describes everything a developer should consider at every stage. Project activities, timelines, interdependencies, risks, types of outputs and financial transactions are outlined in detailed, ensuring projects are executed systematically. Even team and external stakeholders assignments to activities are outlined with clear delegation of authorities.
The benefits of deploying such frameworks can hardly be overstated and developers can reap a wide range of major awards from deploying them.
> Opportunities to boost earnings
By mapping the complete range of activities, particularly for community developments, downstream revenue-generating assets or services are often revealed. Thus, companies are able to grow by diversifying or spinning off new capabilities that retain earnings.
Examples of these are waste management services or rental of advertisement boards, or even joint ventures with operators in hospitality, retail or district cooling. Not only do frameworks fish out these white spaces, but they support developers to efficiently design their assets with operations in mind.
Emaar is one pioneer in this field. In a double-whammy that both ensures maximum returns and high-end flagship and well-serviced communities like Dubai Downtown or Dubai Hills Estate, the master developer bakes the design and operations of its commercial holdings like business parks, golf clubs, malls or community management services early into its planning processes.
> Optimising designs to save on costs
Because ad-hoc changes are often expensive, early design optimisation is critical. By pre-planning manufacturing processes, construction logistics or operational specifications through a standard framework, developers can optimise design layouts and construction to achieve significant capital and operational savings.
For instance, by leveraging modular prefabrication or standardised details for elements like cladding, windowsills or handrails, project costs can be reduced. Additional savings can come from bulk procurements of standardised products from single source suppliers that frameworks mandate to be onboarded early.
Doha’s Stadium 974 is a great example. It is a 40,000-seat World Cup venue that was built from modified shipping containers and modular steel frames. Its “plug-and-play” approach cut overall design costs due to its adoption of modular units and reduction in material waste. Savings were even compounded by lower construction costs due to shortened site works and faster assemblies.
> Visibility across all lifecycle stages
Very frequently major national and city events such as Expos, Olympics and World Cups impose milestones on large-scale projects. Subsequently, all sub-development streams must be highly regimented to meet them.
By commanding the entire development timeline through a framework, the grand critical path spanning multiple years can be identified. Crashing schedules, overlapping floating activities, and procuring and onboarding contractors for early preparation are common practices.
To cater to the 2022 Fifa World Cup, Lusail Real Estate Development Company (LREDC) constructed utilities and tram systems in parallel to buildings. Also, LREDC set strict design guidelines to avoid late redesigns, contracted developers simultaneously, and strategised prefabricated components and 24/7 construction shifts to compress schedules.
> Mapping activities to maximise involvement
A codified development process clearly describes the roles of all stakeholders with full transparency. A delegation of authority matrix ensures accountability, maximises employee productivity and approaches partners early for a fully effective contribution.
For instance, concept designs are multidisciplinary documents known to benefit greatly from the input of sales and marketing or asset management teams. Even external partners such as retail or hospitality operators should be involved. Knowing this is often overlooked. A standardised manual can enforce these teams’ contributions as conditions for design approval.
> Integration for more sustainable design
Integrated teams are the kernel of sustainable designs. A solid framework with mandated team assignments makes sure engineering, construction, and operations and maintenance personnel all have a seat at the drawing table to design an efficient product from the outset.
For instance, incorporating specifications from district cooling operators or heat pump contractors allows engineering teams to design envelopes with appropriate U-values, optimising the performance of mechanical systems. Construction waste can be saved from landfills by designing to finishing standards shared early by suppliers.
In Abu Dhabi, the Al-Bahr Towers designers had an integrated facade team involved early on. Architects, facade engineers, technical specialists and contractors worked together to design the adaptive solar screens and mashrabiya-inspired automated shading. The result was improved building energy performance, better occupant comfort, lower glare, and a building envelope that is both aesthetic and functional.
> Stage gates to guard against deviations
Deviations from initial design intentions often arise due to constraints or requirements such as building codes, tight budgets, high material costs, communication siloes or contractors’ limited know-how. A structured framework, however, can dictate quality reviews at selected stage gates. This ensures the product remains aligned, not only with the initial business plan and design vision, but also with the organisation’s broader goals.
This issue has been of particular interest to megadevelopers in Saudi Arabia. Many are installing quality assessment controls at major stage gates based on standardised real estate delivery frameworks to deliver high-quality communities that remain true to their original visions and rendered perspectives.
The need for tailor-made solutions
Although real estate processes and activities are generally similar, there is no single blueprint or a ‘one-size-fits-all’ template for a successful framework. Instead, solutions have to be tailored to each institution and for multiple reasons.
For one, the diversity of corporate divisions and reporting structures makes it difficult to apply a single, standardised model of decision-making.
Second, smaller developers usually outsource many capabilities, leaving large activity gaps that are not performed internally and cannot be monitored or managed in a similar way to larger corporations.
Third, different development scales – such as district versus building level – by their nature involve different stakeholders, permitting processes, design scopes and operational protocols that challenge standardisation efforts.
Finally, development rarely unfolds in a linear sequence. Iterations, task leapfrogging and improvised activities are almost a daily routine. These incongruencies will ultimately test the framework’s ability to adapt to real-life situations.
That said, the clear track record of significant gains justifies why developers are stepping forward with the framework initiative regardless of the challenges. It is as the old adage reminds us, “without a master plan, failure is not an accident, it’s an outcome”.
Main image: Dubai Hills Estate
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SWPC tenders Riyadh East sewage treatment plant
7 October 2025
State water offtaker Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the Riyadh East independent sewage treatment plant (ISTP).
The project will be developed under a build‑own‑operate‑transfer (BOOT) model with a 25‑year concession term.
The plant will have a treatment capacity of 200,000 cubic metres a day (cm/d) in its first phase, expanding to 400,000 cm/d in the second phase.
It includes the development of a treated sewage effluent transmission pipeline, forming part of the kingdom’s wider programme to expand wastewater treatment capacity through public-private partnerships.
The targeted commercial operation date for the facility is 2029.
Recent tenders by SWPC have included ISTPs in Jeddah, Taif and Buraidah as part of the government’s drive to increase private sector participation in the utilities sector.
The Riyadh East ISTP is one of seven ISTP schemes that SWPC said it would procure between 2024 and 2026.
In November 2024, SWPC prequalified 53 companies that can bid for the seven planned ISTP projects and 41 for the independent water projects (IWPs).
The five IWPs have a total combined capacity of 1.7 million cm/d. The seven ISTP projects have a total combined capacity of 700,000 cm/d.
In September, SWPC received three bids from the private sector for the development of the Riyadh-Qassim independent water transmission pipeline project.
The project will have a transmission capacity of 685,000 cm/d. It will include a pipeline length of 859 kilometres and a total storage capacity of 1.59 million cubic metres.
SWPC also recently announced its preferred bidder for the Jizan cluster small sewage treatment plants and collection network project.
The $150m scheme involves the construction of 12 sewage treatment plants across the Jizan region in the southwest of the kingdom, with a combined treatment capacity of 74,700 cm/d.
READ THE OCTOBER 2025 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF
Private sector takes on expanded role; Riyadh shifts towards strategic expenditure; MEED’s 2025 power developer ranking
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the October 2025 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> AGENDA 1: A new dawn for PPPs> AGENDA 2: GCC pushes PPPs to deliver $70bn pipeline> POWER DEVELOPER RANKING: Acwa Power consolidates power sector dominance> IPPs: GCC enters pivotal year for IPPs> ACQUISITION: Wood takeover could boost Sidara profits> INTERVIEW: SLB strives to boost regional standing> SAUDI MARKET FOCUS: Riyadh strives for sustainable growthTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14813584/main.jpg -
Kuwait cancels major oil tender
7 October 2025
The tender for the Kuwaiti oil project focused on the installation of a separation gathering centre (SGC), known as SGC-2, has been cancelled by Kuwait’s Central Agency for Public Tenders (Capt), according to industry sources.
The tender was cancelled in mid‑August because the low bid exceeded the project’s budget, sources said.
In May, MEED reported that the low bid submitted by UK-based engineering company Petrofac for the oil project had come in at more than double the project’s proposed budget.
Petrofac submitted a bid of KD422.45m ($1.37bn); the provisional budget for the project was KD207m ($670.2m).
Petrofac’s bid beat that of India‑based Larsen & Toubro, which was the only other bidder, with a price of KD441.07m.
The project is located in the eastern region of Kuwait referred to as EK‑2, and its scope also includes debottlenecking work in addition to the installation of the main units.
The client on the project is state-owned upstream operator Kuwait Oil Company (KOC).
When the project was originally tendered in June 2024, the following companies were prequalified to bid:
- Hyundai Engineering & Construction Company (South Korea)
- Samsung Engineering (South Korea)
- Saipem (Italy)
- Sinopec Luoyang Engineering Company (China)
- Sinopec Engineering Incorporation (China)
- Tecnicas Reunidas (Spain)
- Larsen & Toubro (India)
- Daewoo Engineering & Construction (South Korea)
- Petrofac International (UK)
- GS Engineering & Construction (South Korea)
After years of delays in Kuwait’s oil sector, many projects have seen bids come in over budget.
In May, MEED revealed that the lowest bid for the contract to develop a new fuel depot in Kuwait’s Al-Mutlaa area came in 43% above the project’s target budget.
The client on the project is state-owned downstream operator Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC).
Lebanon’s Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) submitted a low bid of KD357.3m ($1.16bn) for the project, ahead of a deadline on 22 December last year.
READ THE OCTOBER 2025 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF
Private sector takes on expanded role; Riyadh shifts towards strategic expenditure; MEED’s 2025 power developer ranking
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the October 2025 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> AGENDA 1: A new dawn for PPPs> AGENDA 2: GCC pushes PPPs to deliver $70bn pipeline> POWER DEVELOPER RANKING: Acwa Power consolidates power sector dominance> IPPs: GCC enters pivotal year for IPPs> ACQUISITION: Wood takeover could boost Sidara profits> INTERVIEW: SLB strives to boost regional standing> SAUDI MARKET FOCUS: Riyadh strives for sustainable growthTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14809485/main4842.jpg