Bidders get more time for Dorra gas project packages
3 July 2025
Al-Khafji Joint Operations (KJO) has granted contractors additional time to prepare bids for three engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) packages of the Dorra gas field development project.
KJO has divided the scope of work on the Dorra gas field development project, which is estimated to be valued at up to $10bn, into four EPC packages – three offshore and one onshore.
Contractors now have until 31 July, instead of the previous bid deadline of 30 June, to submit bids for three packages – offshore 2A and 2B and the onshore package 3.
Contractors bidding for offshore packages 2A and 2B have the option of submitting a combined proposal, sources previously told MEED.
MEED previously reported about contractors submitting bids for offshore package 1 by the deadline of 2 June. The previous bid submission deadlines for the package were 19 May, 6 May, 22 April, 8 April and 24 March.
The EPC scope of work on the Dorra gas field development project packages and their bid submission deadlines are as follows:
- Package 1: Seven offshore jackets and laying of intra-field lines – bids submitted on 2 June
- Package 2A: Seven production deck modules and associated corrosion-resistant, alloy-lined pipes connecting to the gas compression plant – 31 July
- Package 2B: Compression and auxiliary platforms, an accommodation platform, associated trunklines and cables connecting to the shoreline – 31 July
- Package 3: Onshore gas processing plant – 31 July
The following contractors are understood to be among those bidding for the three offshore packages:
- Lamprell (Saudi Arabia/UAE)
- Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon (India)
- McDermott (US)
- NMDC Energy (UAE)
- Saipem (Italy)
MEED reported in March that KJO was pushing forward with a major project to produce gas from the Dorra offshore field, located in Gulf waters in the Neutral Zone shared by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
The Dorra field is estimated to hold 20 trillion cubic metres of gas and 310 million barrels of oil.
Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have been working together to develop the offshore field since it was discovered in 1965. The two sides expect to produce about 1 billion cubic feet a day of gas from the asset and have agreed to split the gas output equally.
A geopolitical tussle over ownership of the asset has hampered progress.
Iran, which calls the field Arash, claims that it partially extends into its territory and that Tehran should be a stakeholder in any development project.
Kuwait and Saudi Arabia maintain that the Dorra field lies entirely in the waters of their shared territory, known as the Neutral Zone or Divided Zone, and that Iran has no legal basis for its claim.
In February 2024, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia reiterated their claim over the Dorra field in a joint statement issued during an official meeting between Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud in Riyadh.
KJO, which is jointly owned by Saudi Aramco subsidiary Aramco Gulf Operations Company and Kuwait Gulf Oil Company, a subsidiary of state-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), is understood to have issued the tenders for the project in August last year.
MEED reported in September 2023 that Aramco and KPC had selected France’s Technip Energies to carry out front-end engineering and design (feed) and pre-feed work on the Dorra offshore field development project.
The original feed work for a project to develop the field was performed more than a decade ago. However, due to changes in technology, the engineering design needed to be updated before the project could reach a final investment decision.
ALSO READ: Saudi Arabia and Kuwait announce Neutral Zone oil discovery
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Aviation competition grows
29 July 2025
Commentary
Colin Foreman
EditorRead the August issue of MEED Business Review
On 17 April, Istanbul airport became the first airport outside of the US to commence triple runway operations, which means the airport now supports simultaneous take-offs and landings on three runways.
Hourly air traffic capacity has increased from 120 to 148 movements an hour, enhancing Istanbul airport’s competitiveness as a global aviation hub.
Along with the rapidly expanding Turkish Airlines, the airport – which aims to ultimately have a capacity of 200 million passengers a year – has established itself as a key player in the global aviation market. This puts it in competition with the airports and airlines of the Gulf, which vie for much of the same transit business.
As the competition grows, Dubai is expanding its own airport capacity. In May 2024, it relaunched the $33bn Al-Maktoum International airport expansion, which eventually aims to cater to 260 million passengers a year.
The plan is for the airport to replace the existing Dubai International airport, giving Dubai much greater capacity. Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects, which is overseeing the construction of the airport, says arrivals capacity will be quadrupled to 160 movements an hour and departure capacity increased over fivefold to 200 movements an hour.
Saudi Arabia has emerged as an ambitious and well-funded challenger
Dubai also faces competition from within the region. It already competes with transit hubs in Doha, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Muscat, and now Saudi Arabia has emerged as an ambitious and well-funded challenger for the future. In Riyadh, the plan is to expand the existing King Khalid International airport to become King Salman International airport, which aims to accommodate up to 120 million passengers by 2030 and 185 million by 2050.
Both the Al-Maktoum and King Salman airport projects are now moving into construction, with a series of key appointments across both projects this year. As competition in global aviation grows, the pressure to deliver these projects will build.
READ THE AUGUST 2025 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF
Gulf heads into a new era of aviation; Maghreb’s resilience rises despite global pressures; GCC banks expand issuance amid demand
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the August 2025 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> AGENDA 1: Middle East invests in giant airports> AGENDA 2: Broader region upgrades its airports> AGENDA 3: Global air travel shifts east> CURRENT AFFAIRS: Syria wrestles fragile security situation> GCC BANKS: Gulf banks navigate turbulent times> CONSTRUCTION: Soudah Peaks outlines project construction plans> INTERVIEW: SETS leads Saudi heritage preservation charge> LEADERSHIP: From plastic leakage to leadership in the Gulf> MAGHREB MARKET FOCUS: Maghreb pushes for stabilityTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14358206/main.gif -
Read the August 2025 MEED Business Review
29 July 2025
Download / Subscribe / 14-day trial access The world’s two largest airport construction projects are taking shape in the heart of the GCC, highlighting the region’s bold ambitions to lead global aviation.
Topping the list, according to UK-based analytics firm GlobalData, is Dubai’s Al-Maktoum International airport, followed closely by Riyadh’s King Salman International airport.
These massive undertakings not only reflect the sheer scale of investment in infrastructure but also signal the GCC’s strategic push to solidify its status as a premier global travel hub.
With air travel bouncing back strongly post-Covid, 2024 data shows passenger traffic at many airports reaching – or even surpassing – pre-pandemic levels. This momentum has carried into 2025 and is expected to fuel continued growth in the years ahead.
Our August issue Agenda section takes an in-depth look at the giant airports being built in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. While these airports are making headlines, we also explore the quieter but equally significant story unfolding elsewhere: the substantial investments being made in expanding airport infrastructure across the broader region.
This month’s Maghreb market focus covers Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia, and finds that resilience is key as the region navigates complex political and economic dynamics.
MEED's latest issue also includes a comprehensive Gulf banking report. Despite global volatility and tightening liquidity, regional institutions continue to expand assets and profits. Read more here.
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In the August issue, the team also speaks exclusively to several executives from Sets about how the firm is playing a crucial role in ensuring heritage is integrated into Saudi Arabia’s rapid development.
We hope our valued subscribers enjoy the August 2025 issue of MEED Business Review.
Must-read sections in the August 2025 issue of MEED Business Review include:
> AGENDA:
> Middle East invests in giant airports
> Broader region upgrades its airports
> Global air travel shifts east> CURRENT AFFAIRS:
> Syria wrestles fragile security situationINDUSTRY REPORT:
GCC banks
> Gulf banks navigate turbulent times> BANKING: Strategic planning enters a new era of volatility
> CONSTRUCTION: Soudah Peaks outlines project construction plans
> INTERVIEW: SETS leads Saudi heritage preservation charge
> LEADERSHIP: From plastic leakage to leadership in the Gulf
> MAGHREB MARKET REPORT:
> COMMENT: Maghreb pushes for stability
> GOVERNMENT: Pursuit of political stability dominates Maghreb
> ECONOMY: Maghreb economies battle trading headwinds
> OIL & GAS: Oil company interest in Libya increases
> INDUSTRY: Algeria’s industrial strategy builds momentum
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> CONSTRUCTION: World Cup 2030 galvanises Morocco construction
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Egypt gas project impacted by delays to refinery project
29 July 2025
An Egyptian Natural Gas Company (Gasco) expansion project named the Egas Energy Efficiency Project is expected to be impacted by delays related to issues with the Assiut oil refinery upgrade project, according to sources.
The project focuses on upgrading the Dahshour compression station and includes the installation of new compressor trains. It is estimated to be worth about $1bn and is made up of four separate packages.
The package known as Lot 1 is worth $300m and is currently scheduled to come online either later this year or early next year.
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- Construction of a fifth gas turbine-driven compressor train with a capacity of 326 million standard cubic feet a day (cf/d)
- Construction of a sixth gas turbine-driven compressor train with a capacity of 163 million standard cf/d
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A separate Gasco project to develop a fourth production train at Egypt’s Western Desert gas complex in Amriya is now scheduled to come online next year, amid concerns about whether the facility will have access to the required volumes of natural gas.
Egypt is struggling to meet domestic demand for natural gas, and earlier this year, it had to halt production at several industrial facilities due to gas shortages.
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Spanish/local firm wins $544m Saudi desalination contract
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Saudi Water Authority (SWA) has awarded a $544m engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to a consortium of Madrid-headquartered Lantania and local firm Mutlaq Al-Ghowairi Contracting Company for a project to develop a reverse osmosis seawater desalination plant in Jubail, Saudi Arabia.
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L&T described the contract as “large”, a term it uses to denote values exceeding INR25bn ($289m).
MEED reported in August last year that Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran) had issued a tender for the project on 22 August. It is understood that bids were submitted in September last year.
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