Another bumper year for Mena projects
25 December 2024

The Middle East’s projects market in 2024 has been fuelled by the same heady cocktail of favourable oil prices, continued investment into oil and gas projects, government infrastructure spending, the energy transition, real estate investment and economic diversification that propelled the total value of awards in 2023 to record levels.
By the end of October 2024, there were $262bn of contract awards across the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, according to regional projects tracker MEED Projects. By the end of the year, the 2024 total may top the $290bn recorded in 2023.
While economic diversification is a priority for governments across the region, oil and gas remains a key sector for project awards. The three largest contract awards in 2024 were from the sector.
The top-ranked contract by value was a $20bn deal awarded to Iranian companies Petropars, Oil Industries Engineering & Construction, Khatam Al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters and Mapna Group for the South Pars gas field pressure-boosting project in Iran by Pars Oil & Gas Company.
Next was the $8bn deal won by China’s Hualu Engineering Technology Company for delivering the Al-Faw refinery in Iraq for Southern Refineries Company.
The third-largest award was a $5.5bn contract won by a joint venture of France’s Technip Energies, Japan’s JGC Corporation and the UAE’s NMDC Group for the Ruwais low-carbon liquefied natural gas terminal project by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc).
These contract awards mean that the oil and gas sector accounted for 32% of the $262bn total that was recorded in the Mena region by the end of October 2024.
Breaking down the sector into oil and gas separately reveals a telling trend. Oil accounts for 12% of awards, while gas accounts for 20%. These numbers reflect the growing importance of gas as a transition fuel that is cleaner and more environmentally friendly than oil, but still provides the dependable energy that many renewable alternatives still do not offer.
Strong performances
Construction is the second-largest sector after oil and gas, accounting for 23% of awards. Its significance has dropped in 2024 compared to 2023, when it accounted for 32% of contract awards.
In terms of value, there were $68bn of contract awards in 2024 until the end of October. If the same pace is maintained during November and December, the 2024 total is expected to be about $81bn, which falls short of the 2023 total of $97bn.
While the total value of contract awards may have dropped, there was the largest construction contract award on record in 2024 – a $4.7bn deal secured by Italian contractor WeBuild for the construction of three dams for the Trojena mountain resort at Saudi Arabia’s Neom gigaproject.
The power sector accounted for 18% of the total awards during the period, the largest of which was the $5.3bn contract won by Saudi Arabia’s Alfanar Projects and China Electric Power Equipment & Technology Company for the 7,000MW Saudi Central, Western and Southern Regions high-voltage direct current overhead transmission lines project being developed by Saudi Electricity Company.
When analysed by country, Saudi Arabia and the UAE dominate the market, and together they account for over 60% of contract awards across the region in 2024 up to the end of October.
As the region’s largest economy, it is unsurprising that Saudi Arabia accounts for the largest share, with 38.6%, followed by the UAE, which had 22%. The next most significant country was Iran, which came in a distant third with 8% of contract awards.
The outsized contribution of Saudi Arabia and the UAE reflects the relative economic stability found in the GCC compared to other countries in the region that are grappling with the impact of conflict and other associated financial pressures.
Looking beyond the contract awards numbers, the biggest project announcement in 2024 came in April, when Abu Dhabi investment vehicle ADQ released details of plans to invest $35bn in Egypt. The plans involve ADQ acquiring the development rights for Ras El-Hekma, a planned new city on Egypt’s northern Mediterranean coast, for $24bn.
The development has been billed as having the potential to attract over $150bn in investment.
In October, ADQ appointed its subsidiary Modon Holding as the master developer for Ras El-Hekma. Modon will act as the master developer for the entire development, which covers more than 170 square kilometres (sq km).
Modon will develop the first phase, which covers 50 sq km, and the remaining 120 sq km will delivered with private developers.
Key partners for delivering the project have already been found. For construction, Modon has signed a framework agreement with Egyptian firm Orascom Construction to serve as the primary contractor for the project’s first phase.
Modon also signed a deal with Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) for developing, financing and operating greenfield utility infrastructure projects, water desalination projects, electricity transmission and distribution projects and wastewater projects at the Ras El-Hekma development.
While economic diversification is a priority for governments across the region, oil and gas remains a key sector for project awards
Future prospects
Looking ahead, the performance of the projects market in 2025 will depend on the favourable macroeconomic conditions remaining in the GCC, which if the other four members of the six-nation bloc are added, accounted for nearly 72% of the Mena region’s total contract awards during the first 10 months of 2024.
The key metric to watch in 2025 will be the oil price. In mid-November, the price of Brent Crude was $72 a barrel, which is below what many in the region, including Saudi Arabia, require if they are to maintain their project spending plans.
The outlook for oil prices is uncertain and after oil producers’ group Opec cut its global demand growth forecasts for both 2024 and 2025 for the fourth time, highlighting economic weakness in China, India and other regions, there are concerns prices will dip in 2025.
The election of Donald Trump as US president adds to those concerns. He has promised to “drill, baby, drill”, and a sharp uptick in output from the US could cause oil prices to soften further.
Trump is also a protectionist and has said ‘tariff’ is his favourite word. Most of his new tariffs are expected to be aimed at China, which could mean that Chinese companies look to other markets that remain open to them, including the Middle East.
The appeal is clear to see. Chinese contractors already command a dominant position in the region – particularly in North Africa and Iraq – and Chinese companies will find great appeal in affluent markets such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which can offer large-scale project opportunities.
The other metric that will drive the projects market in 2025 is real estate. In the UAE, much of the ongoing development work is supported by the buoyant property market, particularly in Dubai, which has grown strongly throughout 2024.
According to a report by data and analytics company Reidin, property sales in the UAE reached AED46.52bn ($12.7bn) in October 2024, marking a 55% year-on-year increase. Demand also remains robust, with 19,500 transactions recorded in October, reflecting a 72% rise compared to the same period in 2023.
Looking ahead to 2025, Reidin says that the outlook remains optimistic as sustained demand, rising property values and steady inventory turnover are all expected to continue driving growth.
While the forecast supports a positive outlook for construction in the UAE, those who have seen Dubai’s property market collapse before will be keenly watching the data in 2025.
Exclusive from Meed
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Adnoc awards contract for Ruwais Diyab unconventional gas3 November 2026
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Sultan Al-Jaber appeals for global energy security reset2 November 2026
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Contractors compete for Riyadh airport Terminal 6 work2 November 2026
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Contractors prepare bids for Morocco power line2 November 2026
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Adnoc Onshore allows more time for Bab gas cap well tie-in bids2 November 2026
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Adnoc awards contract for Ruwais Diyab unconventional gas3 November 2026

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) has taken the final investment decision (FID) for the Ruwais Diyab unconventional gas development in Abu Dhabi.
The project will deliver 345 million standard cubic feet a day (scf/d) of raw gas from 2029 over a 25-year period, with the potential to reach up to 1 billion scf/d in the future.
Gas will be processed on site and connected to the UAE’s gas network through new pipeline infrastructure, “strengthening domestic supply, supporting the nation’s economic and industrial growth as well as Adnoc’s liquefied natural gas export ambitions”, the Abu Dhabi energy giant said when announcing FID on the project at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec) 2026.
According to sources, Adnoc has awarded the design, build and operate (DBO) contract for the Ruwais Diyab unconventional gas development to China-based Jereh Group.
A formal kick-off meeting between Adnoc and Jereh is expected to take place later in November, sources told MEED.
The DBO contract awarded by Adnoc to Jereh is understood to cover the second phase of the Ruwais Diyab unconventional gas development. The tendering exercise for the project started last year.
“The development [of Ruwais Diyab] follows a disciplined programme of technical studies, field testing and subsurface analysis, delivered by Adnoc Onshore under a DBO model, to reduce development risk,” Adnoc said in its statement on 2 November.
“It brings together advanced subsurface expertise, artificial intelligence-enabled drilling and completion technologies and integrated project delivery capabilities to support the efficient and responsible development of domestic gas resources,” it added.
The UAE holds the seventh-largest gas reserves in the world, with 298 trillion standard cubic feet (scf) of conventional gas reserves and 160 trillion scf of unconventional gas resources.
Adnoc holds the majority 60% stake in the Ruwais Diyab concession, the majority of which is situated onshore, while France’s TotalEnergies holds the other 40% interest.
The agreement to explore, appraise and develop the area’s unconventional gas resources was signed by Adnoc and TotalEnergies in November 2018. The partners announced first gas output at the concession, presumably on a pilot basis, two years later.
Adnoc has set a target of producing 1 billion scf/d of gas from the Ruwais Diyab concession by 2030, in line with its target to achieve self-sufficiency in overall gas production by the end of this decade.
“Ruwais Diyab’s additional unconventional gas supply will strengthen Adnoc’s gas value chain, including Adnoc Gas’s ability to meet rising domestic and international customer demand,” Adnoc said in its 2 November statement.
“Ruwais Diyab advances Adnoc’s ambition to establish a scalable unconventional gas business and create a platform for future growth,” the company added.
Ruwais Diyab first phase
Adnoc awarded the contract for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) on the first phase of the unconventional gas development programme to local contractor Astra Engineering & Construction in early 2025, according to regional project tracker MEED Projects.
The first phase aims to achieve a gas output level of 100 million scf/d. The main structures to be built in the first phase include a central processing facility, two well pads, interconnecting well fluid pipelines, gas export pipelines and tie-in stations.
The EPC contractor will be required to provide services such as surveying, design, engineering, procurement, expediting, transportation, fabrication, construction, testing, installation, pre-commissioning, commissioning, site performance testing, operation and maintenance of all units.
The duration of the EPC works is understood to be 20 months, with the contractor also responsible for operating and maintaining the phase one facilities for 15 years.
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Sultan Al-Jaber appeals for global energy security reset2 November 2026
The global energy industry must fundamentally rethink how it builds, protects and delivers secure energy, following a year of unprecedented disruption that has exposed critical vulnerabilities in international supply chains, Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber, the UAE’s Industry & Advanced Technology Minister and managing director and group CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc Group) has said.
Delivering the opening address at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec) 2026 on 2 November, Al-Jaber said preparedness is essential to navigating an increasingly uncertain global landscape.
“For decades, energy security was a question for specialists. It was debated in rooms like this, by people like us, in a language that few needed to learn. This year, every family, every farmer, every industry and every business owner is asking about it, and our collective job is to find the answers.”
Noting that it is not possible to control every situation and remove every risk, Al-Jaber said: “The choices we make today will determine the energy landscape a decade from now. Let’s apply the lessons we have learnt. Let’s build capacity and everything that supports it. Let’s forge partnerships that hold when it matters. And if you want a partner you can count on, you are in the right room, in the right city, in the right country. Because when it counts the most, you can count on the UAE.”
Setting out the case for a more resilient energy system, Al-Jaber said that since the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, nearly 1 billion barrels of crude have been drained from inventories. He noted that in some markets, stocks of diesel are at their lowest seasonal level in 35 years, while others are facing a supply gap for liquefied natural gas (LNG) of 600 billion cubic feet. “Simply put, the world has eroded its supply buffers,” Al-Jaber said.
“But supply is only half the story. The other half is delivery. Before the disruption, logistics were less than 5% of the cost of a barrel. Today, they are more than 30%. In short, energy security is not only measured at the point of production. It is now also measured at the point of delivery.”
Mitigation steps
Al-Jaber outlined five steps the energy industry can take to reduce the impact of future shocks. “First, accessible supply. We need expanded strategic storage, larger stockpiles of products and flexible refining capacity closer to consumer markets.
“Second, routes to market. Supply only counts when it arrives. Infrastructure must be built before it is needed and enabled by advanced logistics.
“Third, operational intelligence. Moving from automated operations to intelligent energy systems that anticipate risk, optimise performance and drive down the cost of every barrel.
“Fourth, capital follows confidence. Policy must create it, finance must accelerate it and insurance must keep trade moving.
“Fifth, which is in my view the most important, is people. Because behind every barrel that arrives is a person who made sure it did. Systems don’t carry responsibility, people do.”
Photo credit: Adipec via LinkedIn
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Contractors compete for Riyadh airport Terminal 6 work2 November 2026

Contractors are preparing bids for the main construction contract for Terminal 6 at King Salman International airport (KSIA) in Riyadh.
MEED understands that the consortiums have been given until 30 December to submit their proposals.
The participating consortiums are:
- Al-Gihaz Holding / TAV Construction / Webuild (local/Turkiye/Italy)
- Modern Building Leaders / Powerchina / Metallurgical Corporation of China (loca/China/China)
- UCC Holding / Consolidated Contractors Company (Qatar/Greece)
Last month, MEED exclusively reported that contractor teams have completed the early contractor involvement phase of the project.
Under the completed phase, the shortlisted teams submitted detailed construction methodologies and technical design proposals.
King Salman International Airport Development Company (KSIADC) is a subsidiary of Saudi sovereign wealth vehicle the Public Investment Fund.
Terminal 6 is planned to boost the airport’s annual capacity by 40 million passengers. KSIADC aims to complete the terminal ahead of Expo 2030 Riyadh.
In May 2025, MEED reported that US-based Bechtel had been appointed as delivery partner for the passenger terminals at KSIA.
UK-based Foster + Partners designed the masterplan, including the terminals, six parallel runways and a multi-asset real estate district.
US-based engineering firm Jacobs is providing specialist consultancy services for the masterplan and runway design, while UK-headquartered Mace is acting as delivery partner for the broader development. Local firm Nera secured the airspace design consultancy contract.
The KSIA project covers about 57 square kilometres (sq km) and incorporates the existing terminals at King Khalid International airport. The scheme will feature 12 sq km of airport support facilities, residential and recreational zones, retail assets and logistics parks.
The development is targeted to handle up to 120 million passengers a year by 2030 and 185 million passengers by 2050, in addition to an annual cargo throughput of 3.5 million tonnes by 2050.
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Contractors prepare bids for Morocco power line2 November 2026

Contractors are preparing bids for a 160-kilometre (km), 400kV transmission line linking Guercif and Fes East in Morocco, following a site visit on 1 October.
The project is being developed by the Office National de l'Electricite et de l'Eau Potable (Onee) to connect the Saka solar photovoltaic power plant to the national electricity grid.
According to sources, at least eight contractors attended the site visit last month, including:
- Butec (Lebanon)
- CEEC Northeast Electric No.2 (China)
- Cegelec (France)
- EPME Electric (Morocco)
- Hideleco (Egypt)
- Kec International (India)
- PowerChina (China)
- Transrail (India)
The project comprises two lots. The first involves a 90km transmission line between Guercif and Taza, while the second covers a 70km section between Taza and Fes East.
The scope of work includes the construction of tower foundations, installation of transmission supports and conductors, and associated high-voltage equipment. It also includes optical fibre cables for communications and monitoring, access roads and other supporting infrastructure.
The tender was issued in September with bids originally due by 21 October. The deadline has now been extended to 25 November.
The project is part of a wider programme by Onee to expand Morocco's electricity transmission network and accommodate additional renewable energy capacity.
In June, the utility commissioned a 274km, 400kV transmission line linking Chemaia and Mediouna, near Casablanca.
Onee plans to expand its high- and extra-high-voltage transmission network from more than 30,700km to 37,000km by 2030.
In August, it approved a $26.4bn investment programme for the 2026-30 period, covering electricity and drinking water infrastructure.
The programme has allocated about $21.9bn to electricity projects and $4.5bn to drinking water infrastructure, with about 72% of the investment to be financed by the private sector, according to Onee.
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Adnoc Onshore allows more time for Bab gas cap well tie-in bids2 November 2026

The onshore business of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc Onshore) has allowed contractors more time to prepare proposals for a project to tie in gas-producing and injection wells at the gas cap reservoirs of Abu Dhabi’s onshore Bab field.
The well tie-in scope, estimated to be worth more than $800m, forms part of Adnoc Group’s wider integrated Bab gas cap development programme.
The overall programme is being led and overseen by Adnoc Gas, another Adnoc Group subsidiary. Its central element is the construction of gas-processing infrastructure to handle incremental gas output expected from developing the Bab gas caps.
Adnoc Onshore issued the main tender for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) works on the project in late September, MEED previously reported.
Contractors have been given until 16 November to submit technical bids for the project, according to sources. The previous deadline was 29 October.
MEED previously reported that Adnoc Onshore issued an expressions of interest (EoI) notice for the Bab gas production and injector well tie-in project on 13 May, with contractors submitting responses by 20 May.
The scope of work on the project covers the following:
- Tie-in of 99 new wells from Bab gas cap reservoirs KH-2, SH-1 and LK-1 (60 gas producers and 39 gas injectors);
- Installation of well gathering structures: 10 gas pads, six well bays and three virtual pads;
- Installation of a gas gathering network and a gas injection network;
- Rerouting of the LK-3 production from the existing trunkline in Remote Manifold Station 3 (RMS-3) to the project’s production trunkline, Bab Gas TL-2;
- Demolition of the existing 10-inch trunkline from RMS-3 to onshore gas development phase one.
In the EoI document, Adnoc Onshore said it intends to award the EPC contract in the last quarter of the year, with a 45-month duration of works.
Bab gas cap project infrastructure
As part of its 2030 upstream production increase goals, Adnoc Group is working to extract gas from four underdeveloped gas cap reservoirs at the Bab onshore field development – Thammama A, Thammama B, Thammama F and Thammama H.
While the Thammama A, B and H reservoirs are estimated to collectively produce 1.45 billion cubic feet a day (cf/d) of gas, output from the Thammama F gas cap is expected to be at a rate of 396 million cf/d.
Existing trains at the Habshan processing complex in Abu Dhabi will be unable to handle the new gas volumes. Therefore, Adnoc Gas is required to build new facilities to process an additional volume of up to 1.85 billion cf/d of raw gas.
Adnoc Gas is planning to build a gas processing plant in the Bab area, about 170 kilometres from Abu Dhabi, along with associated pipeline networks and other ancillary units, as part of the broader Bab gas cap development project. It has divided the EPC scope of work on the project into four packages:
- EPC package 1 – Main Bab gas cap plant
- EPC package 2 – Early civil works
- EPC package 3 – Pipelines
- EPC package 4 – Non-process area works
Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange-listed Adnoc Gas issued the tender for the main Bab gas cap plant on 25 June and set an initial deadline of 17 July for contractors to submit technical bids. The company then extended the technical bid submission deadline by four months, until 16 November, MEED previously reported.
Following a reshuffle of the consortiums gearing up to bid for the main Bab gas plant EPC package, estimated to be worth more than $6bn, the following teams have formed to compete in the main contract tendering round:
- Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon (India) + Petrofac Emirates (UAE)
- Technip Energies (France) + JGC Corporation (Japan) + Sinopec (China)
- Tecnimont (Italy) + China Petroleum Engineering and Construction Corporation (CPECC)
The other three packages of the Bab gas cap project are also in the main contract tendering stages.
Prior to issuing the EoIs for the project packages, Adnoc Gas completed an early engagement process with contractors in September and October last year, as MEED previously reported.
In December last year, Adnoc Gas awarded the front-end engineering and design (feed) works for the development project to Australia-based consultancy Worley. The feed contract has a duration of more than 1.2 million man-hours, making it the largest-ever engineering job awarded by Adnoc Gas.
Bab Gas Cap concession
In addition to Adnoc Gas overseeing the main EPC tendering exercise for the gas processing plant, Abu Dhabi’s Supreme Council for Financial and Economic Affairs (SCFEA) awarded concession agreements in June for the development and production of the Bab gas cap reserve.
Adnoc will hold the majority 60% participating interest in the concession. The remaining stakes will be held by France’s TotalEnergies (10%), the UK’s BP (10%), China National Petroleum Corporation International (8%), Japan Oil Development Company Onshore (5%), China ZhenHua Oil (4%) and Korea GS E&P (3%).
According to the SCFEA, the Bab gas cap development and production concession represents the largest gas cap development project of its kind globally, the Abu Dhabi Media Office said in a report.
A gas cap refers to the free natural gas that sits above an underlying oil reservoir – in this case, the Bab onshore oil field in Abu Dhabi.
The project, operated by Adnoc Onshore, is expected to have a production capacity of approximately 1.5 billion cf/d of natural gas, equivalent to about 15% of Adnoc Gas’ total operational gas processing capacity.
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