Related Articles

• 
  Abu Dhabi and US firms form $25bn power joint venture

  20 March 2025

  Abu Dhabi-based critical infrastructure-focused sovereign investor, ADQ and US-headquartered Energy Capital Partners (ECP) have agreed to establish a 50:50 partnership in new build power generation and energy infrastructure.

  ECP is the largest private owner of power generation and renewable facilities in the US.

  The firms plan to make total capital investments of more than $25bn across 25GW worth of projects, with the US as the primary focus.

  The combined initial capital contribution from the partners is expected to amount to $5bn.

  “The partnership will focus on serving the needs of data centers and industrial centers in the US and selected other international markets over the long-term,” ADQ said in a statement on 19 March, a day after UAE National Security Adviser and Abu Dhabi Deputy Ruler, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al- Nahyan met with US President Donald Trump at the White House.

  ADQ said the partnership aims to service the growing power needs of data centres, hyperscale cloud companies and other energy-intensive industries.

  “As the continuity and quality of power supply is crucial for these high-growth industries, the need for captive power plants that are in proximity is often a pre-requisite,” ADQ said.

  The partnership is focused on meeting these needs over the long term with its mandate including greenfield development, new build and expansion opportunity projects.

  A portion of the capital may also be allocated towards opportunities in selected other international markets.

  The statement cited a recent report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) stating the world’s electricity consumption is forecast to rise at its fastest pace in recent years.

  The growing need of data centers and industrial electrification partly account for the surging consumption.

  In the US, for instance, a substantial increase in electricity demand is expected to add the equivalent of California's current power consumption to the national total over the next three years.

  Recent research also forecasts that global power demand from data centres will increase by 50% by 2027 and by as much as 165% by the end of the decade, driven by the expansion of AI and high-density data centres.

  The US Department of Energy estimates that data centre load growth has tripled over the past decade and is projected to double or triple by 2028.

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13525493/main.jpg

  Jennifer Aguinaldo
• 
  QatarEnergy LNG receives bids for decarbonisation project

  20 March 2025

  

  Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

  QatarEnergy LNG has received bids from contractors for a carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration complex project covering its liquefied natural gas (LNG) production operations in Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City (RLIC).

  Once commissioned, the planned sequestration facility will be capable of capturing 4.3 million tonnes a year (t/y) of CO2 from QatarEnergy LNG’s production operations in RLIC.

  Contractors submitted bids for the project, estimated to be valued at $2bn-$2.5bn, by the deadline of 13 March, sources told MEED.

  The following contractors are among those that are understood to have submitted bids for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) works on the QatarEnergy LNG CO2 sequestration project:

  • Chiyoda (Japan) / Consolidated Contractors Company (Greece/Lebanon)
  • Larsen and Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon (India)
  • Samsung C&T (South Korea)

  The planned sequestration facility will capture CO2 from seven LNG trains at the QG North complex and three LNG trains at the QG South complex. The CO2 captured from the trains is to be compressed and injected into new injection wells, for which new compression trains and pipelines need to be installed.

  The EPC scope of work on the project covers the following:

  • QG North complex:
    • Installation of four new electric-driven compressors
    • New power substation for power import from Kahramaa 65MW
    • New ITR for DCS/ESD/F&G
    • Tie-ins with utility units
    • Dehydration package
    • Pig launcher
       
  • QG South complex:
    • Installation of two new electric-driven compressors
    • Integration with South injection system unit 85
    • Solvent reformulation for South trains 1/23
    • New power substation for power import from Kahramaa 35MW
    • New SIH for DCS/ESD/F&G
    • Tie-ins with utility units
    • Dehydration package
    • Chillers package
    • Pig launcher
       
  • RLIC corridors
    • Common 22-inch export pipeline stretching 18 kilometres
    • Power tie-in RLF3 with Kahramaa
    • Electric cables
    • Fiber optic cable
       
  • Lot W15
    • Six injection wells by QatarEnergy LNG subsurface
    • Six injection flowlines and metring skid
    • Six wellhead control panels
    • Power tie-in from Barzan
    • Substation
    • Pig receiver
    • Access road and fencing

  QatarEnergy LNG awarded Australia-headquartered consultancy Worley a contract in September 2023 for the execution of the front-end engineering and design (feed) work on the project, as well as to prepare the EPC scope of work.

  North Field LNG expansion

  Meanwhile, QatarEnergy LNG, a subsidiary of state enterprise QatarEnergy, continues to press forward with its North Field LNG expansion programme.

  The estimated $40bn North Field LNG expansion programme aims to raise Qatar’s total LNG production capacity from 77.5 million t/y to 142 million t/y in three phases.

  QatarEnergy is understood to have spent almost $30bn on the two phases of the North Field LNG expansion programme, North Field East and North Field South, which will increase its LNG production capacity from 77.5 million t/y to 126 million t/y by 2028.

  EPC works on the two projects are making progress.

  QatarEnergy awarded the main EPC contracts in 2021 for the North Field East project, which is projected to increase LNG output to 110 million t/y by this year. The main $13bn EPC package, which covers the engineering, procurement, construction and installation of four LNG trains with capacities of 8 million t/y each, was awarded to a consortium of Japan’s Chiyoda Corporation and France’s Technip Energies in February 2021.

  QatarEnergy awarded the main EPC contract for the North Field South LNG project, worth $10bn, in May 2023. The contract covers two large LNG processing trains, each with a capacity of 7.8 million t/y, and was awarded to a consortium of Technip Energies and Lebanon-based Consolidated Contractors Company.

  When fully commissioned, the first two phases of the North Field LNG expansion programme will contribute a total supply capacity of 48 million t/y to the global LNG market.

  In February 2024, QatarEnergy announced the third phase of its North Field LNG expansion programme. To be called North Field West, the project will further increase QatarEnergy’s LNG production capacity to 142 million t/y when it is commissioned by 2030.

  The North Field West project will have an LNG production capacity of 16 million t/y, which is expected to be achieved through two 8 million t/y LNG processing trains, based on the two earlier phases of QatarEnergy’s LNG expansion programme. The new project will draw feedstock for LNG production from the western zone of Qatar’s North Field offshore gas reserve.

  ---

  February's special report on Qatar includes: 

  > COMMENT: Doha works to reclaim spotlight
  > ECONOMY: Qatar economy rebounds alongside diplomatic activity
  > BANKING: Qatar banks look to calmer waters in 2025
  > UPSTREAM: QatarEnergy strives to raise gas and oil production capacity
  > DOWNSTREAM: Qatar chemical projects take a step forward
  > POWER & WATER: Facility E award jumpstarts Qatar’s utility projects
  > CONSTRUCTION: Qatar construction shows signs of recovery
  > DATABANK: Qatar maintains stable growth heading

  

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13525489/main2030.jpg

  Indrajit Sen
• 
  Teams form for Al-Sila wind IPP

  20 March 2025

  

   

  Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

  Prequalified developers have started to form consortiums to bid for a contract to develop a wind farm in Abu Dhabi.

  In February, Abu Dhabi state offtaker Emirates Water & Electricity Company (Ewec) invited prequalified developers to submit their proposals for the contract.

  According to an industry source, Ewec expects to receive bids for the Al-SIla wind independent power project (IPP) by 31 July.

  The 140MW Al-Sila wind IPP will have a generation capacity of up to 140MW. When fully operational, it will more than double the existing wind generation capacity in the UAE.

  Ewec has prequalified 10 firms as managing partners, which "are free to bid either individually or as part of a consortium with other prequalified bidders". These are:

  • Acciona (Spain)
  • Alfanar (Saudi Arabia)
  • AlJomaih Energy & Water (Saudi Arabia)
  • EDF Renewables (France)
  • Envision (China)
  • International Power (Engie, France)
  • Jera (Japan)
  • Marubeni (Japan)
  • SPIC Huanghe Hydropower Development Company (HHDC, China)
  • Sumitomo (Japan)

  Ewec prequalified six firms as consortium members, which can bid as part of a consortium with a managing partner listed above.

  These are:

  • Alghanim International (Kuwait)
  • China Energy Overseas Investment Company (China)
  • Etihad Water & Electricity (local)
  • Ming Yang Smart Energy Group (China)
  • Orascom Construction (Egypt)
  • PowerChina International Group (China)

  The Al-Sila wind project will involve the development, financing, construction, operation, maintenance and ownership of the wind farm and associated infrastructure. 

  The project will follow Abu Dhabi’s IPP model, where developers enter into a long-term power-purchase agreement with Ewec as the sole procurer of electricity. 

  Ewec expects the project to generate enough clean electricity to power 36,000 homes, displacing 190,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

  It will also directly contribute to Abu Dhabi’s Clean Energy Strategic Target 2035, which calls for 60% of electricity production to be generated from renewable and clean sources. 

  Together with the existing UAE wind assets, the new project will increase the UAE’s wind generation capacity to approximately 240MW, laying the foundation for further wind energy expansion, according to Ewec’s latest Statement of Future Capacity Requirements report.

  In October last year, Ewec and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) signed a power-purchase agreement for several wind power plants in Abu Dhabi and the emirate of Fujairah, with a combined capacity of over 100MW.

  Their locations and capacities are:

  • Sir Baniyas Island (Abu Dhabi): 45MW
  • Delma Island (Abu Dhabi): 27MW
  • Al-Sila Abu Dhabi: 27MW
  • Al-Halah (Fujairah): 4.5MW

  Masdar developed the 103.5MW wind power projects, which use “the latest technology and innovation to capture low wind speeds at utility scale, adopting advances in material science and aerodynamics to make wind power possible in the country”.

  The Al-Sila wind farm takes the total number of IPPs that are at various procurement stages in Abu Dhabi to seven. The other schemes are:

  • Al-Nouf combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant: 3,300MW
  • Taweelah C CCGT plant: 2,500MW
  • Madinat Zayed open-cycle gas turbine plant: 1,500MW
  • Al-Khazna solar IPP: 1,500MW
  • Al-Zarraf solar IPP: 1,500MW
  • Battery energy storage system 1: 400MW

  These IPPs have a total combined capacity of over 10.7GW.

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13525006/main4931.jpg

  Jennifer Aguinaldo
• 
  Barakah 2 talks may start in two years

  19 March 2025

  

   

  Discussions for the next phase of the UAE's nuclear power plant in Barakah may be delayed by around two years, a source familiar with the plans tells MEED.

  The 5.6GW Barakah nuclear power plant's four reactors entered full operations in September last year, which has intensified speculation about when the procurement process for the plant's next phase could start.

  "I think they might be considering comparing the tariffs between the next nuclear power plant and the round-the-clock renewable energy project," the source said, referring to the 5.2GW solar photovoltaic plus 19 gigawatt-hour battery energy storage system project in Abu Dhabi, which Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) is developing.

  The round-the-clock project is expected to deliver 1GW of 'baseload' renewable power.

  In addition, the state utility, Emirates Water & Electricity Company (Ewec) does not foresee an additional 2.8GW of nuclear energy installed capacity until 2039, which implies that – given the average 10-year construction period for nuclear power plants – procurement talks "will only likely start sometime between 2027 and 2028".  

  Prior to the Barakah nuclear power plant's completion, Hamad Alkaabi, the UAE's permanent representative to the Austria-based International Atomic Energy Agency, was quoted as saying that the tendering process for the UAE's next nuclear power plant could start before the end of 2024.

  The government has yet to budget for a second power plant or decide on the size or location of such a project, but Alkaabi said it is possible that a tender could be issued this year, the Reuters report, published in July 2024, said.

  However, indications started to emerge in December that the planned second phase of the nuclear power plant could be delayed.

  MEED has requested a comment from Emirates Nuclear Energy Company.

  Expansion plans

  The next phase of the Barakah power plant, comprising reactors five to eight, has been in the planning stage since 2019, according to regional projects tracker MEED Projects.

  The UAE became the first Arab state to operate a nuclear power plant when the plant's first reactor became operational in 2021.

  Each of the four reactors at the Barakah nuclear power plant can produce 1,400MW of electricity.

  The entire plant reached full commercial operations approximately 16 years after Abu Dhabi first announced the project in 2008, and 12 years after construction works commenced on Unit 1.

  ---

  READ THE MARCH MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

  Chinese contractors win record market share; Cairo grapples with political and fiscal challenges; Stronger upstream project spending beckons in 2025

  Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the March 2025 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

  > AGENDA 1: Chinese firms dominate region’s projects market > AGENDA 2: China construction at pivotal juncture > LIBYA: Uncertainty and instability damage Libyan oil sector optimism > UPSTREAM 1: Offshore oil and gas sees steady capex > UPSTREAM 2: Saudi Arabia to retain upstream dominance > BAPCO: Bahrain to benefit from $7bn project by year’s end > MASDAR: Masdar meets renewable’s moonshot challenge > DIRIYAH: Diriyah CEO sets the record straight > SAUDI POWER: Saudi power projects hit record high > AUTOMOTIVE: Saudi Arabia gears up to lead Gulf’s automotive sector > EGYPT: Egypt battles structural issues > GULF PROJECTS INDEX: Gulf hits six-month growth streak > CONTRACT AWARDS: High-value deals signed in power and industrial sectors > ECONOMIC DATA: Data drives regional projects > OPINION: Trump’s foreign policy shakes global relations

  To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13513708/main5944.jpg

  Jennifer Aguinaldo
• 
  Chinese firm wins Damac Riverside villas construction

  19 March 2025

  Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

  Dubai-based real estate developer Damac Properties has appointed Chinese contractor China Nuclear Industry No. 22 Construction Company (CNNCC) as the main contractor to build its Damac Riverside villas project.

  The 594-unit residential project is located in the Dubai Investment Park area.

  The project award follows Damac's appointment of CNNCC as the main contractor for its Damac Casa tower.

  Damac Casa is a 43-storey residential building being built in the Al-Sufouh 2 area of Dubai.

  Dubai’s heightened real estate activity is in line with GlobalData’s forecast that the construction industry will register annual growth of 3.9% in 2025-27, supported by investments in infrastructure, renewable energy, oil and gas, housing, industrial and tourism projects. 

  The residential construction sector is expected to record an annual average growth rate of 2.7% in 2025-28, supported by private investments in the residential housing sector, along with government initiatives to meet rising housing demand.

  

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13510084/main.jpg

  Yasir Iqbal