Related Articles

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  Preferred bidders emerge for Zatca residential PPP

  2 September 2026

  

   

  Saudi Arabia’s Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (Zatca), through the National Centre for Privatisation and PPP (NCP), has selected preferred bidders for the development of residential buildings at various land ports across the kingdom.

  The project covers developments across nine land ports, separated into two packages.

  Local firm Saudi Arabian Trading & Construction Company has been picked as the preferred bidder for the first package that includes Al-Batha, Salwa, Al-Raqi, Jadidat Arar, Al-Wadiah and the Empty Quarter sites.

  Bahrain-headquartered Lamar Holding is the preferred bidder for the second package, which includes land ports at Al-Hadithah, Halat Ammar, and Al-Durrah.

  The project will be implemented as a public-private partnership (PPP) on a design, build, finance, operate, maintain and transfer basis, with a contract duration of 23 years, including the construction period.

  The contract covers the construction and management of new residential buildings and associated facilities at the land ports, as well as the rehabilitation of existing facilities.

  The project is the latest scheme in the kingdom’s PPP pipeline. In January, Saudi Arabia launched a national privatisation strategy aimed at mobilising $64bn in private sector capital by 2030.

  Building on the privatisation programme first introduced in 2018, the strategy focuses on unlocking state-owned assets for private investment and privatising selected government services.

  In a statement, NCP said the strategy comprises 147 opportunities drawn from a broader pipeline of more than 500 projects across 18 sectors.

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  Yasir Iqbal
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  Egypt signs PPA for 1GW Ras Shokeir wind farm

  2 September 2026

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  A joint venture of the local Hassan Allam Utilities Energy and Infinity Power has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) for the development of the 1GW Ras Shokeir wind project in Egypt.

  The project is located in Egypt’s Red Sea Governorate, within the Gulf of Suez wind corridor. It will cover approximately 143 square kilometres.

  The PPA has a 25-year term. The project will supply electricity to Egypt’s national grid.

  Ras Shokeir is expected to generate enough electricity to power more than 1.2 million Egyptian homes. It is also expected to avoid more than 1.36 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.

  The PPA was signed by EETC chairperson Mona Rizk and Infinity Power co-founder and CEO Nayer Fouad, representing the Infinity Power-Hassan Allam consortium.

  The signing brings the project closer to development as Egypt seeks to expand its renewable energy capacity. Egypt has set a target for renewable energy to make up 42% of the electricity mix by 2030 and 65% by 2040.

  This includes the 500MW Amunet 2 wind project, which is being developed by UAE-headquartered Amea Power following the commissioning of the first Amunet wind project in June 2025.

  Hassan Allam Utilities Energy and Infinity Power are also developing Egypt’s $560m West Minya solar plant, which will combine 1,000MWac of solar photovoltaic capacity with a 600MWh battery energy storage system.

  In June, MEED reported that a joint venture of Hassan Allam Construction and India’s Sterling & Wilson Renewable Energy had won the engineering, procurement and construction contract for the project.

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  Mark Dowdall
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  Iraq looks to accelerate oil pipeline projects

  2 September 2026

  Iraq’s Ministry of Oil has held talks with a delegation from Qatari company UCC on accelerating the progress of two major pipeline projects, according to a statement from Iraq’s Office of Media and Government Communication.

  The first proposed pipeline route extends from Basra, in southern Iraq, to Haditha, located about 200 kilometres northwest of Baghdad, then on to Faysh Khabur, which lies on the border with Syria and near the border with Turkiye.

  The second pipeline extends from Haditha to Syria’s coastal city of Baniyas.

  Discussions covered the contract type, implementation timeline and “other technical matters”, according to the statement released by the Iraqi government.

  During the meeting, Iraq’s Minister of Oil, Basem Mohammed Khudair Al-Abadi, emphasised the need to expedite the tendering process for the project contracts.

  He said all obstacles to progress on the projects needed to be eliminated.

  He also said weekly meetings will be held between relevant parties to reach agreements on the economic models for the pipelines and their routes.

  The Ministry of Oil said UCC is leading a consortium of companies developing the projects.

  It added that the consortium includes US-based Chevron, the investment company TI Capital and France’s TotalEnergies.

  In July, Iraq’s cabinet approved Basra Oil Company signing a ​heads of agreement and a non-disclosure agreement with the consortium to explore possible future oil pipeline projects.

  Under the terms of the agreement, the consortium will prepare technical and financial feasibility studies for strategic export pipeline projects.

  Also in July, US-based KBR was awarded a consultancy contract for the section of pipeline due to extend from Basra to Haditha.

  In April, Iraq announced the allocation of $1.5bn for the Basra-Haditha route, while the larger scheme is estimated at around $5bn.

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19241649/main.jpg

  Wil Crisp
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  Completion expected next year for $2bn Egypt refinery project

  2 September 2026

  

   

  The $2bn hydrocracking complex package that forms part of the wider Assiut oil refinery upgrade project in Egypt is facing further delays and is now unlikely to be mechanically complete until early next year, according to industry sources.

  The project has been delayed by complications in the final stages of construction, sources said.

  One source said: “This is an extremely complicated project and there are ongoing issues that are delaying the completion of the project.

  “At the moment, it looks like the project won’t enter commissioning until early next year.”

  The hydrocracking complex package has experienced extensive delays over several years.

  In April this year, Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi called for work to accelerate on the Assiut oil refinery upgrade project, saying it is important for reducing the country’s spending on imported refined products.

  At the time, the oil ministry said the project was 88% complete, with trial operations planned by the end of the year.

  Assiut Oil Refining Company (ASORC), a subsidiary of state-owned Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation, is the project operator.

  France’s Technip Energies is the main contractor, performing engineering, procurement and construction work on the Assiut hydrocracking complex under a $2bn contract awarded by ASORC in February 2020.

  In April 2021, Switzerland-based Burckhardt Compression said Technip Energies had selected it as the gas compressor supplier for the hydrocracker package.

  ASORC held a kick-off meeting for the project in September 2020.

  Egyptian contractors Enppi and Petrojet are supporting Technip Energies on the project. Enppi has undertaken the engineering work, while Petrojet is carrying out construction work.

  In 2021, contractors completed construction of a $450m high-octane gasoline complex in Assiut Governorate as part of the broader $3.8bn Assiut oil refinery upgrade project.

  Assiut refinery

  The Assiut hydrocracking complex is expected to be one of Egypt’s major strategic refineries, helping to meet growing local demand for cleaner products.

  The project will also be the largest oil refining facility implemented in Upper Egypt to date.

  Once completed, the project will transform lower-value petroleum by-products, such as mazut, into higher-value products.

  It is expected to produce about 2.8 million tonnes of Euro-5 diesel a year, in addition to other petroleum products.

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19241547/main.jpg

  Wil Crisp
• 
  Bahrain receives bids for Hawar desalination plant

  1 September 2026

  Bahrain’s Electricity & Water Authority (EWA) has received three bids for an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to develop a new brackish-water reverse osmosis desalination plant on Hawar Island.

  The tender was opened on 31 August. The plant is designed to produce 300 cubic metres of potable water a day.

  The bidders and their prices are:

  • International Agencies Company (Bahrain): BD371,800 ($989,000)
  • Bokhowa Contracting & Trading Group (Bahrain): BD411,400 ($1.09m)
  • Almoayyed Contracting (Bahrain): BD646,393 ($1.72m)

  All three bids were accepted at opening. Bokhowa’s bid was accepted with a condition.

  EWA’s Planning and Studies department issued the tender under a selected local GCC invitation.

  As MEED understands, the project is separate from a larger seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant also planned for Hawar Island.

  In January, MEED reported that Malaysia-based Sparco Engineering submitted the lowest bid of BD3.23m ($8.6m) for an EPC contract to build a new SWRO desalination plant on Hawar Island.

  The contract covers the construction of the new Hawar SWRO desalination plant, designed to produce 1 million imperial gallons a day of potable water.

  EWA received 10 bids for the project. The bids submitted by Sparco Engineering and Redaa Developing were “accepted with conditions”, the authority said at the time.

  The Hawar Islands form an archipelago of 16 desert islands and islets located approximately 26 kilometres southeast of Ras Al-Bar in Bahrain. The largest island, Hawar, is about 17km long and hosts an eco-resort.

  The Hawar desalination plant project will connect with two related contracts: one covering the construction of the offshore seawater intake and outfall systems, and another involving the construction of two ground storage tanks and the installation of water transmission pumps.

  Hawar water packages 

  MEED previously reported that UAE-based Noble Development had submitted the lowest bid for a contract to construct a seawater intake and outfall system to serve a new desalination plant on the island.

  However, no contract has been awarded yet, and it is understood that it may be retendered.

  A third package linked with the SWRO project was tendered last November, with Greece-headquartered Ergotem submitting the lowest bid of $1.92m.

  This contract covers the construction of two steel ground storage tanks with a capacity of 1 million gallons each, pumping stations, motors, pipelines and associated facilities.

  The main desalination plant contractor will be required to ensure that the plant’s design and construction align technically and operationally with these two projects so that all three components function together as one integrated system.

  As MEED understands, this contract is also yet to reach the award stage.

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19232344/main.jpg

  Mark Dowdall