Related Articles

• 
  Acwa Power picks contractors for Yanbu Green Hydrogen Project

  5 August 2025

  Saudi Arabia's Acwa Power has awarded a consortium of Spain's Tecnicas Reunidas and China's Sinopec Guangzhou Engineering a convertible front-end engineering design (feed) contract for its Yanbu Green Hydrogen Project.

  The feed contract, which is set to last for 10 months, will focus on the design of a facility capable of producing 400,000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually. This hydrogen will subsequently be converted into green ammonia through multiple ammonia synthesis loops.

  Following the completion of the feed phase, the joint venture will submit an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) proposal for the multibillion-dollar facility, which is expected to commence commercial operations by 2030.

  Tecnicas Reunidas has been involved in the project since its pre-feed stages, while Sinopec Guangzhou Engineering's participation continues from a memorandum of understanding signed with Acwa Power in 2024.

  Located in Yanbu Industrial City, the Yanbu Green Hydrogen Project aims to harness 5 GW each of wind and solar power, along with a 400 km transmission line and up to 4.4 GW of electrolysers. This infrastructure will facilitate the annual production of 400,000 tonnes of green hydrogen, which will be converted into 2.5 million tonnes of green ammonia for export to international markets.

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  Colin Foreman
• 
  Firms submit bids for Palm Jebel Ali villas

  1 August 2025

  

   

  Contractors submitted bids on 31 July for a contract to build approximately 550 additional villas on fronds A to F of Palm Jebel Ali, an artificial island located south of Jebel Ali Freezone.

  Dubai-based real estate developer Nakheel, now part of local developer Dubai Holding, issued the tender in February.

  It is understood that several local firms, including Shapoorji Pallonji, United Engineering Construction (Unec), Parkway International Contracting and Ginco General Contracting, have submitted bids.

  US-headquartered Turner International is the project management consultant. Dubai-based Omnium International is the cost consultant.

  This latest tender follows Nakheel’s award of three infrastructure contracts worth over AED750m ($204m) to local firm Dutco Construction for works on Palm Jebel Ali.

  Completion is expected by the fourth quarter of 2026.

  The infrastructure work includes utility connections, excavation, backfilling, and the construction of roads and pavements across fronds A to G. It also covers 11-kilovolt power distribution and telecommunications-related utility works.

  In the Spine District, infrastructure development will involve installing utility mains, connecting them to fronds, and constructing primary and secondary roads.

  The project also includes rough grading for the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority power transmission line serving Palm Jebel Ali and associated works.

  In October last year, Nakheel awarded three contracts worth AED5bn ($1.3bn) for the construction of 723 villas on fronds K to P.

  The contracts were awarded to local firms including Ginco General Contracting, Shapoorji Pallonji and Unec.

  Ginco will deliver 197 villas on fronds O and P, Shapoorji Pallonji will construct 275 villas on fronds M and N, and Unec will build 251 villas on fronds K and L.

  Villa construction is expected to be completed by 2026.

  These contract awards followed an AED810m ($220m) contract awarded in August last year to complete the reclamation works for the project.

  The contract was awarded to Belgium’s Jan de Nul. Its scope includes dredging, land reclamation, beach profiling and sand placement, to support the construction of villas on all fronds.

  Nakheel released details of the new masterplan for Palm Jebel Ali in June 2023. Twice the size of Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali will have 110 kilometres of shoreline and extensive green spaces. The development will feature more than 80 hotels and resorts, along with a range of entertainment and leisure facilities.

  It includes seven connected islands that will cater to approximately 35,000 families. The development also emphasises sustainability, with 30% of public facilities expected to be powered by renewable energy.

  

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  New Murabba and Alat sign Mukaab project MoU

  1 August 2025

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  Saudi Arabia’s New Murabba Development Company (NMDC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Alat, a Public Investment Fund (PIF)-backed company, to explore the development and integration of technologies supporting the Mukaab project.

  The MoU also covers potential future technology needs across the wider New Murabba downtown development.

  “The collaboration focuses on developing innovative technologies for Mukaab by integrating advanced systems,” NMDC said in a statement issued by the official Saudi Press Agency.

  The agreement includes exploring vertical transportation solutions – such as elevators and escalators – to support mobility within the Mukaab and other New Murabba developments.

  The statement added that “the MoU will also explore optimal funding strategies for initial investments in hardware and research and development, while evaluating the feasibility of establishing production facilities within the kingdom”.

  This announcement follows other MoUs signed by NMDC in recent weeks. In July, it signed an MoU with South Korea’s Heerim Architects & Planners to explore additional design work for assets within the 14-square-kilometre New Murabba downtown project.

  Heerim will examine architectural concepts aligned with the project’s masterplan, focusing on anchor assets, linear parks and smart city features.

  Earlier in July, NMDC signed an MoU with another South Korean firm, Naver Cloud Corporation, to explore technological solutions for delivering the New Murabba downtown project.

  According to an official statement: “The three-year agreement covers exploring innovative technology and automation to support the delivery of New Murabba, including robotics, autonomous vehicles, a smart city platform and digital solutions for monitoring construction progress.”

  Also in July, NMDC announced the completion of excavation works for The Mukaab, the centrepiece of the overall development.

  The Mukaab is a Najdi-inspired landmark set to become one of the largest buildings in the world, standing 400 metres high, wide and long.

  Internally, it will feature a tower atop a spiral base, with 2 million square metres of floor space dedicated to hospitality. The structure will include commercial areas, cultural and tourist attractions, residential and hotel units, and recreational facilities.

  Downtown destination

  The New Murabba destination will have a total floor area of more than 25 million sq m and feature more than 104,000 residential units, 9,000 hotel rooms and over 980,000 sq m of retail space.

  The scheme will include 1.4 million sq m of office space, 620,000 sq m of leisure facilities and 1.8 million sq m of space dedicated to community facilities.

  The project will be developed around the concept of sustainability and will include green spaces and walking and cycling paths to promote active lifestyles and community activities.

  The living, working and entertainment facilities will be developed within a 15-minute walking radius. The area will use an internal transport system and will be about a 20-minute drive from the airport.

  The downtown area will feature a museum, a technology and design university, an immersive, multipurpose theatre, and more than 80 entertainment and cultural venues.

  

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Saudi company in talks over Iraq chemicals project

  1 August 2025

  Saudi Arabia-based Ajyal is in talks with Iraq’s Ministry of Industry & Minerals to establish a petrochemicals plant in Basra, in southern Iraq.

  A recent meeting at the ministry’s headquarters, chaired by Minister Khaled Battal Al-Najm, brought together a delegation from Ajyal and ministry officials.

  The proposed complex would be built on the site of the State Company for Petrochemical Industries in Basra province.

  During the meeting, participants discussed the terms of the potential partnership and evaluated proposed mechanisms for supplying the project with feedstocks of natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas or alternative energy sources. Technical and legal considerations were also reviewed.

  Al-Najm emphasised the project’s strategic importance, calling it one of the ministry’s most promising initiatives to revitalise Iraq’s strategic industries and strengthen its industrial base.

  He called for continued negotiations and coordination with relevant parties to secure the requirements needed to advance the project.

  

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14383013/main5143.jpg

  Wil Crisp
• 
  Saudi Defence Ministry sets September deadline for headquarters

  1 August 2025

  

  Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has set a deadline of 30 September for contractors to submit commercial bids for a tender to build a new headquarters building, as part of its P-563 programme in Riyadh.

  The MoD issued the tender in April. MEED understands that technical bids were submitted in June.

  Located to the northwest of Riyadh, the P-563 programme includes the development of facilities and infrastructure to support the MoD’s broader initiatives under the kingdom’s Vision 2030 strategy.

  It covers the construction of:

  • A new military city featuring the MoD headquarters, support and logistics facilities, a residential and commercial community, and space for future command centres
  • A National Defence University with a library, conference centre and academic buildings
  • A self-sustaining Joint Forces Command compound located approximately 50 kilometres from the military city

  The budget for the entire programme is expected to be around $10bn-$12bn.

  In September 2023, MEED reported that Spain-headquartered Typsa had won two contracts for the project.

  The first contract, worth $11.4m, includes data management, geographic information systems management, geotechnical reporting and the preparation of the phase one final traffic report. The contract duration is 270 days from the notice to proceed.

  The second contract, valued at $10.8m, involves preparing four conceptual masterplans for the P-563 site. It is set to last 255 days from the notice to proceed.

  These followed a $290m consultancy contract awarded to Typsa in March of the same year. The single-award task order covers a three-year base period, with an optional two-year extension.

  Typsa’s scope of work includes programme management planning, communication, change and quality management, and cost and schedule tracking.

  It also includes design requirements, codes, standards and submission requirements, programme guidance, study integration, risk analysis and management, design reviews and a programme of work breakdown plan.

  

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14382810/main.jpg

  Yasir Iqbal