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• 
  Regional war deepens Kuwait oil sector’s tender crisis

  28 April 2026

  Commentary
  Wil Crisp
  Oil & gas reporter

  Contractors in Kuwait expect the regional conflict and disruption to shipping to worsen the country’s existing oil and gas tendering problems, causing long-term disruption in the sector.

  In the months prior to the US and Israel attacking Iran on 28 February, contract tenders worth an estimated $9.1bn were cancelled after bids came in above the projects’ allocated budgets.

  Contractors largely blamed the cancellations on long delays to tender processes after budgets had been set.

  The delays, which often extended for several years, meant inflation drove up the cost of materials and labour, making it almost impossible for contractors to submit bids within the original budgets.

  One industry source said: “The reason all of these contracts were cancelled was because the tender processes for large projects had started moving again after stalling for a long time.

  “Bids came in and unfortunately they were over budget. It was then expected that tender processes would restart and these projects would ultimately be awarded – but now the war means that Kuwait is facing a whole new wave of project delays and nobody knows when it is going to end.”

  War impact

  Many industry insiders believe delays caused by the war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz will once again seriously disrupt projects, just as many stakeholders believed the country was about to see an uptick in project progress.

  One source said: “Bid bonds are going to have to be renewed and some bidders might just use that as an opportunity to drop out of the bidding process.

  “It’s also possible that work that has already been done, like feasibility studies, will no longer be relevant and will have to be repeated.”

  2025 rebound

  Last year, Kuwait recorded its highest total annual value for oil, gas and chemicals contract awards since 2017, according to data from regional project tracker MEED Projects.

  A total of 19 contract awards with a combined value of $1.9bn were awarded.

  This was more than four times the value of contract awards across the same sectors in 2024, when awards were worth just $436m.

  It was also above the $1.7bn peak recorded in 2021, but it remained far lower than the values seen in 2014-17, when several large-scale, multibillion-dollar projects were awarded in the country.

  The surge in the value of contract awards came after Kuwait’s emir indefinitely dissolved parliament and suspended some of the country’s constitutional articles in May 2024.

  Prior to the suspension of parliament, Kuwait suffered from very low levels of project awards for several years amid political gridlock and infighting between the cabinet and parliament.

  This meant important decisions about projects could not be made – a major obstacle to the progression of strategic oil projects.

  Forward outlook

  With several major oil and gas projects under development in late 2025 and early 2026, some expected 2026 to record a far higher volume of oil and gas contract awards than 2025.

  Projects expected to be tendered – and potentially awarded – this year included a $3.3bn onshore production facility due to be developed next to the Al-Zour refinery.

  This project has already been delayed and put on hold as a result of fallout from the US and Israel’s conflict with Iran.

  Had it been awarded, it would have been the biggest single oil and gas contract award in Kuwait in more than 10 years.

  Now, as a result of the conflict, many of the large tenders expected to take place this year are likely to be significantly delayed.

  One source said: “Right now, everyone in the oil and gas sector is waiting for some sort of sign of improving stability before they make a decision and there’s a lot of uncertainty.

  “The state-owned oil companies aren’t communicating with contractors like they normally do and the price of a lot of materials has increased dramatically.”

  Even if the standoff between the US and Iran over reopening the Strait of Hormuz is resolved in the near future, it is likely to take months or years before Kuwait’s oil and gas project market regains the momentum it had at the beginning of 2026.

  Given the lack of flexibility within Kuwait’s existing tendering system, delays can easily lead to tenders being cancelled, and the conflict’s inflationary impact will make it even harder for contractors to meet budgets set before the latest disruption.

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  Wil Crisp
• 
  Partners launch feed-to-EPC contest for Duqm petchems project

  27 April 2026

  

   

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  Omani state energy conglomerate OQ Group and Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI), the overseas subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, have initiated a feed-to-EPC competition among contractors to develop a major petrochemicals complex at Duqm.

  Under a feed-to-EPC model, the project operator selects contractors to carry out front-end engineering and design (feed). It then awards the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to the contractor with the most competitive feed proposal, while compensating the other contestants for their work.

  OQ8, the 50:50 joint venture of OQ and KPI, is understood to have issued the tender for the Duqm petrochemicals project’s feed-to-EPC competition in mid-March, with a deadline of 6 May for contractors to submit proposals, sources told MEED.

  Several local and international contractors based in Oman are believed to be participating in the competition, according to sources.

  OQ Group CEO Ashraf Bin Hamad Al-Maamari and KPI’s CEO Shafi Bin Taleb Al-Ajmi signed an agreement on 3 February, during the Kuwait Oil & Gas Show and Conference, to develop a major petrochemicals-producing complex in Oman’s Duqm. The parties did not disclose details at the time.

  ALSO READ: Duqm petrochemicals revival provides fillip to Gulf projects market

  The agreement represented a significant step forward in Oman and Kuwait’s long-held plans to jointly develop a petrochemicals complex next to the existing Duqm refinery, which will benefit from favourable feedstock access and strong cost competitiveness.

  The planned facility will also benefit from  in Al-Wusta governorate, along Oman’s Arabian Sea coastline.

  OQ8 had struggled to make meaningful progress on the Duqm petrochemicals project since the plan was conceived as early as 2018, for a variety of reasons.

  The original plan for the Duqm petrochemicals facility, estimated at $7bn, centred on a mixed-feed steam cracker with a capacity to produce 1.6 million tonnes a year (t/y) of ethylene. The project also included a polypropylene (PP) plant with a capacity of 280,000 t/y and a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plant with a capacity of 480,000 t/y.

  The complex was also expected to include an aromatics plant, as well as storage facilities for naphtha and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

  The project’s prospects were temporarily boosted when Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) expressed interest in investing by signing a non-binding memorandum of understanding with OQ in December 2021.

  Reuters reported in December that Sabic was withdrawing from the project, leaving OQ to look for other partners. The new agreement between OQ and KPI is understood to have followed the Saudi chemical giant’s departure.

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  Indrajit Sen
• 
  Nakheel awards $953m Palm Jebel Ali villas deal

  27 April 2026

  Dubai-based real estate developer Nakheel, now part of Dubai Holding, has awarded two contracts worth AED3.5bn ($953m) to local firms for the construction of 544 villas at its Palm Jebel Ali project in Dubai.

  The first contract was awarded to Ginco General Contracting for the construction of 354 villas across fronds A to D.

  The second contract was awarded to United Engineering Construction Company (Unec) for the construction of 190 villas on fronds E and F.

  Construction is expected to begin in Q2 this year, with completion scheduled for 2028.

  Earlier phases

  In October 2024, Nakheel awarded three contracts worth AED5bn ($1.3bn) for the construction of 723 villas on fronds K to P. The contracts went to Ginco, Unec and the local Shapoorji Pallonji.

  Under these awards, Ginco is delivering 197 villas on fronds O and P, Shapoorji Pallonji is constructing 275 villas on fronds M and N, and Unec is building 251 villas on fronds K and L. Villa construction is expected to be completed by 2026.

  Infrastructure works

  This was followed by Nakheel awarding infrastructure contracts worth over AED750m ($204m) to local firm Dutco Construction for works on Palm Jebel Ali.

  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.

  Reclamation contract

  In August 2024, Nakheel awarded an AED810m ($220m) contract 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 across all fronds.

  Masterplan details

  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
• 
  Iraq’s first LNG terminal to be completed in June

  27 April 2026

  Iraq’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal is expected to be completed in early June, according to the country’s Ministry of Electricity.

  The terminal, which has an estimated investment value of $450m, is being developed at the Port of Khor Al-Zubair and will have a capacity of 750 million standard cubic feet a day (cf/d).

  Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Mousa told the Iraqi News Agency that “work is proceeding at an accelerated pace to complete the LNG platform”, noting that “the government has set 1 June as the date for finishing the project”.

  In October last year, US-based Excelerate Energy signed a commercial agreement with a subsidiary of Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity to develop the floating LNG terminal.

  The contract was signed at the office of Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani during a ceremony attended by senior officials from both countries, including the US deputy secretary of energy James Danly.

  The contract included a five-year agreement for regasification services and LNG supply with extension options, featuring a minimum contracted offtake of 250 million cf/d.

  Ahmed Mousa said that “under the contract, the company is responsible for completing the facility as well as securing the agreed gas quantities from any source, in line with the specified terms”.

  He added: “Work is continuing according to the planned timelines to complete the project on schedule, as part of the Ministry of Electricity’s plans to keep pace with peak summer loads.”

  Although Iraq is Opec’s second-largest oil producer after Saudi Arabia, it is a net natural gas importer because its lack of infrastructure investment has meant that, until 2023, it flared roughly half of the estimated 3.12 billion cf/d of gas produced in association with crude oil.

  Iraq’s reliance on flaring associated gas instead of gathering and processing it has prevented the country from fully realising its potential as a gas producer and forced the Iraqi government to rely on costly gas and electricity imports from Iran.

  Recently, Iraq’s oil and gas sector has been disrupted by fallout from the US and Israel’s attack on Iran on 28 February and the subsequent regional conflict.

  Over recent weeks, Iraq’s oil exports have collapsed by about 80% amid problems shipping crude through the Strait of Hormuz.

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  Wil Crisp
• 
  Iraqi LNG import terminal raises questions about energy strategy

  27 April 2026

  Commentary
  Wil Crisp
  Oil & gas reporter

  Iraq’s first LNG import terminal is set to come online in early June, at a time when global LNG prices are likely to remain close to their highest levels in more than three years.

  The disruption to global oil and gas exports in the wake of the US and Israel’s attack on Iran on 28 February led to LNG prices soaring, with natural gas prices in Asia and Europe rising to their highest levels since January 2023 during March.

  So far, there has been little progress towards a diplomatic or military solution to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and most analysts do not forecast significant price declines in the near term.

  On 24 April, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said that the combined effect of short-term supply losses and slower capacity growth could result in a cumulative loss of around 120 billion cubic metres of LNG supply between 2026 and 2030.

  While the IEA expects new liquefaction projects in other regions to offset these losses over time, it still believes the crisis will lead to prolonged tight market conditions through 2026 and 2027.

  This means that Iraq will likely have to pay elevated prices for imported LNG for some time to come – if it can receive shipments at all.

  The port of Khor Al-Zubair is located in the Arabian Gulf, and LNG shipments from the US or Australia would need to pass through the Strait of Hormuz before reaching the terminal.

  This will only be possible if a solution is found to the ongoing blockade of the shipping route.

  Investment debate

  Iraq’s project to develop a floating LNG terminal is estimated to cost $450m, and many in Iraq may question whether this was the best use of these funds.

  While it may have been difficult for Iraqi policymakers to foresee the attack by the US and Israel on Iran and its impact on LNG markets, Iraq had several strong options to enhance domestic energy security rather than turning to LNG imports.

  The most obvious of these was investing in infrastructure to enable it to utilise its domestic gas reserves.

  According to the World Bank’s 2025 Global Gas Flaring Tracker Report, in 2024, Iraq burned off more unused gas than any other country, except Russia and Iran, which ranked first and second, respectively.

  That year, an estimated total of more than 18 billion cubic metres of natural gas was flared in Iraq due to a lack of infrastructure to properly capture and process it.

  It is highly likely that projects to gather and process this gas would have been more reliable and cost-effective than investing in a new floating LNG terminal, which increases the country’s exposure to global LNG price fluctuations and shipping disruptions.

  Other options could have included developing domestic gas fields or investing in solar and battery storage projects, which have become increasingly affordable in recent years.

  The cost of solar panels has fallen by more than 95% over the past decade.

  Power shortfall

  As things stand, Iraq is likely to face severe electricity shortages this summer.

  On 21 April, Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity said it plans to produce 30,000MW this summer, well short of the predicted peak demand of around 55,000MW.

  Ahmed Musa, a spokesperson for the Electricity Ministry, told the state-run Iraqi News Agency that the shortfall will result in planned outages across the country.

  He also said that even meeting the 30,000MW target is contingent on sufficient gas supplies.

  If Iraq experiences the same level of power outages as last year – or worse – many are likely to view the $450m spent on an LNG import terminal as a waste of money and an expensive symbol of poor planning.

  Power cuts this summer could stoke unrest at a time that is already politically precarious due to the ongoing regional conflict.

  In recent years, electricity shortages have repeatedly fuelled protests in Iraq during the summer months, particularly in Basra, where blackouts and poor public services have driven people to take to the streets.

  If the Strait of Hormuz does not reopen soon, Iraq’s economic crisis will deepen, and electricity shortages are likely to further undermine the country’s stability.

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  Wil Crisp