meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Brics tilts balance of regional interests

27 September 2023

 

With the extension of invitations to Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE to join the Brics group of major emerging economies – and the acceptance by the UAE – Middle East interests are represented within the bloc for the first time and could end up comprising a third of its total membership.

This potential shift in the geopolitical reorientation of Brics reflects two interests for the group. The first of these is the strategic nature of the Middle East, both in terms of energy and logistics. The second is the key role that Saudi Arabia and the UAE could play in challenging the dollar.

None of this is necessarily a hard sell. As it stands, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have reserved, business-like and occasionally testy relations with the US and the EU, while Iran is alienated by sanctions. All four Middle East countries meanwhile have strong and expanding trade relations with China and India.

From the perspective of China, India and Russia, the Middle Eastern invitees to Brics are ripe targets for being drawn further away from the sphere of Western influence. Brics, as a collective of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, is already a counter of sorts to the G7 and aims to level the global playing field. 

The addition of six new members stands to not only increase the bloc’s leverage, but, in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, aims to add two countries that are also ambitious about raising their stature on the global stage.

Strategic partnership

In terms of economics, the proposed expansion of the Brics membership would increase the size of the bloc by about a tenth, adding markets responsible for $2.6tn in GDP and populated by 409 million people, as of 2021, according to the World Bank. This builds on an existing GDP of $27.3tn – $17.7tn of it from China alone – and a population of 3.6 billion people.

Of the invited countries, Saudi Arabia represents the largest single potential net gain for the group, with its economy valued at about twice that of existing member South Africa.

Trade ties are already extensive within the group. China and India are top trade partners for Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, so the prospective new Brics membership is building upon a framework of already highly interconnected and integrated economic relationships.

China is the single-most important trading partner of Saudi Arabia, accounting for 17 per cent of the kingdom’s foreign trade, while India accounts for about 9 per cent. The UAE and Egypt are also top trading partners for the kingdom. 

Overall, this means that the new prospective line-up of the Brics bloc could potentially represent a sizeable proportion of Saudi Arabia’s total trade moving forward.

China, India and Saudi Arabia are similarly two of the UAE’s top trade partners, while China, India and the UAE are all among Iran’s top trade partners. China and Saudi Arabia are likewise major trade partners for Egypt.

Though the expansion may represent a fractional upscaling in terms of market volume and value, the broadening of the bloc to strategic players in the Middle East could have an outsized potential to strengthen its member states’ global influence and collective bargaining.

Not least is the addition of three key members of oil producers’ group Opec – Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE – and observer state Egypt, up from the single Opec+ party Russia. 

This stands to bring key energy producers into yet closer economic partnership with China and India, both major energy consumers. It could also be key to progressing the Brics ambition of loosening the hold of the dollar by transitioning major bilateral energy transactions conducted in dollars into other currencies.

Next steps

The UAE’s quick acceptance of the Brics invitation shows its enthusiasm for strategic advancement and the potential leverage that a more empowered bloc could represent. The country will nevertheless, like India, need to carefully balance its role in the group with its existing US partnership – perhaps more so than any of the other invitees.

The UAE’s agreements with China and India to trade in local currencies is already a major win for the bloc in its efforts to reduce reliance on the US dollar. The more ambitious proposal for a common Brics currency to counter dollar fluctuations remains complex and uncertain.

The likes of Saudi Arabia and the UAE do, however, have the financial clout and expertise to potentially place the Brics-established New Development Bank on firmer economic footing, improve its project management and help establish it as a more credible counterpart to the likes of the Washington-based IMF and the World Bank.

Much will hinge on which of the remaining invitees ultimately choose to join the bloc. 

Iran and Egypt are expected to swiftly follow the UAE in accepting. Saudi Arabia is still carefully weighing the invitation, cautious of the chilling effect that throwing in its lot too clearly with China could have on its US relationship. 

For both Saudi Arabia and the UAE to join Brics would be a major coup for the bloc and a momentous shift in global politics.

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/11160270/main.gif
John Bambridge

Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Saudi drilling firm raises acquisition offer for Dubai rival

    16 September 2025

    Saudi Arabia-based ADES International Holding has increased its offer to buy Dubai-based, Oslo-listed rival Shelf Drilling to 18.50 Norwegian Krone ($1.88) per share, representing a 6% increase in the acquisition’s enterprise value.

    The offer was revised from an earlier deal of $1.42 per share or a total of $379.33m.

    ADES International Holding, a subsidiary of ADES Holding Company, signed a transaction agreement to acquire all issued and outstanding shares of Shelf Drilling through a cash merger, with ADES International Cayman (BidCo) also participating in the proposed merger.

    According to a joint statement, irrevocable commitments have now been provided by additional shareholders, including China Merchants, Anchorage Capital Group and Magallanes Value Investors, which, combined with ADES’ 17.9% stake in Shelf Drilling, represent 53.4% of the outstanding shares in the company.

    ADES International Holding raised its offer for Shelf Drilling after reassessing the company’s current market performance and revising its estimated annual cost synergies upwards by $10m, bringing the total to $50m-$60m.

    All other terms of the merger remain unchanged, along with the transaction timetable, with closing expected to occur in the last quarter of the year.

    Shelf Drilling is incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, with its corporate headquarters in Dubai.

    In April this year, ADES International Holding secured a 10-year extension for one of its standard offshore jack-up rigs from Saudi Aramco, valued at approximately $290m.

    The contract for the offshore jack-up marks the re-entry of ADES International Holding into the Saudi offshore oil and gas market. The rig was among six jack-ups whose charters were suspended by Aramco last April.

    ADES International Holding has secured deployments for three of those jack-ups in Qatar, Thailand and Egypt, while the fourth was recently redeployed to Thailand.

    ADES International Holding also said it has increased its footprint since the start of 2025 by securing an offshore drilling job off the coast of Nigeria, marking its entry into West Africa.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14676037/main0952.jpg
    Indrajit Sen
  • Oman tenders Rusayl power cable project

    16 September 2025

    State-owned Oman Electricity Transmission Company (OETC) has opened bidding for the construction of the cable connection from the Rusayl power plant (GT-5 & GT-6) to the Rusayl industrial grid station.

    The tender is open to local companies with tender board registration and valid commercial registration, the authority said.

    Bids must be submitted electronically, with hard copies of the bid bond and other documents delivered to OETC’s head office in Muscat.

    The last date to obtain documents is 23 September, with bids due by 7 October. 

    The new cable tender forms part of OETC’s strategy to expand transmission in line with industrial growth. The Rusayl power plant, located near Muscat, is one of Oman’s key natural gas-fired generation facilities and supplies electricity to the Main Interconnected System (MIS), the country’s largest grid.

    The adjoining Rusayl Industrial City is a major manufacturing hub hosting companies across chemicals, textiles, electrical materials and food production, which has driven steady growth in power demand.

    OETC is undertaking several major transmission projects to reinforce the MIS. These include the construction of new 132kV grid stations, network reinforcements around Muscat and the Masirah Island interconnection, which is valued at about RO72m ($187m).

    Local firm Bahwan Engineering won the main contract for this project and started construction earlier this year.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14675720/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • QatarEnergy awards contract for 2GW Dukhan solar plant

    16 September 2025

    State-owned petroleum firm QatarEnergy has signed an agreement with South Korea’s Samsung C&T to build a 2,000MW solar power plant in Dukhan, about 80 kilometres west of Doha.

    The plant will double Qatar’s solar generation capacity, supplying up to 30% of Qatar’s total peak electricity demand once complete. It will use a solar tracker system and inverters, capable of operating in high temperatures, to maximise efficiency.

    The project will be delivered in two phases and is expected to be fully operational by mid-2029.

    The first phase of the Dukhan solar plant will deliver 1,000MW of power to the Kahramaa grid by the end of 2028. 

    The agreement was signed by Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, minister of state for energy affairs and QatarEnergy CEO, and Sechul Oh, president and CEO of Samsung C&T.

    Senior officials from Kahramaa and executives from both companies also attended the ceremony.

    Under QatarEnergy’s Sustainability Strategy, the country plans to generate more than 4,000MW of renewable energy by 2030.

    Qatar’s first utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) facility, the 800MW Al-Kharsaah solar independent power producer project, has been operational since 2022.

    In August 2022, Samsung C&T won contracts for two other solar PV plants with a total combined capacity of 875MW.

    One of the solar plants, which has a capacity of 458MW, is located in Ras Laffan. The other plant is located in Mesaieed and will have a capacity of 417MW.

    Construction work on both projects was completed earlier this year.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14674775/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Saudi firm awards $121m of housing construction contracts

    16 September 2025

    Saudi Arabian real estate developer Al-Majdiah has awarded construction contracts worth SR454m ($121m) for housing projects in Riyadh and Jeddah.

    The contracts were awarded to the local firm Tatweej Contracting.

    The two projects are part of Al-Majdiah’s portfolio in collaboration with the state-backed National Housing Company (NHC).

    In an official statement published on the Saudi stock exchange Tadawul, Al-Majdiah said the contract value for the Adeem Al-Fursan project in Riyadh is SR298m ($80m).

    The project comprises the construction of 540 villas and townhouses.

    The Al-Fursan development in northeast Riyadh spans over 35 million square metres (sq m) and includes over 50,000 residential units.

    The contract value for the Khayala 1 project in Jeddah is SR155m ($41m). The project includes the construction of 528 residential units.

    The Khayala development is located in north Jeddah and spans nearly 1.6 million sq m. It includes 3,680 residential units.

    The contracts have a scheduled completion period of 36 months.

    UK-based analytics firm GlobalData expects the construction industry in Saudi Arabia to grow by 4% in real terms in 2025, before recording an annual average growth of 5.4% from 2026 to 2029.

    The industry’s output in 2025 will be supported by allocations as part of the kingdom’s 2025 budget, which includes a total expenditure of SR1.3tn ($342.7bn) for 2025.

    The industry’s output over the remainder of the forecast period will be supported by investments in transport, electricity, housing and water infrastructure projects.

    The residential construction sector is expected to grow by 3.8% in real terms in 2025 before recording an annual average growth rate of 6.4% over the remainder of the forecast period, supported by public and private sector investments in the residential sector to address the national housing deficit.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14674464/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Oman LNG shortlists bidders for fourth liquefaction train

    16 September 2025

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Oman LNG has shortlisted contractors to bid for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) works for a new processing train at its Qalhat liquefied natural gas (LNG) production complex in Sur.

    The LNG train will be the fourth at the Qalhat complex, located in the sultanate’s South Al-Sharqiyah governorate, Oman LNG announced last July. The new train will have an output capacity of 3.8 million tonnes a year (t/y) and is expected to be commissioned in 2029, raising Oman LNG’s total production capacity to 15.2 million t/y.

    According to sources, Oman LNG has issued the main EPC tender for the fourth LNG train project and invited the following contractors to submit bids:

    • Chiyoda (Japan) / Samsung C&T (South Korea)
    • JGC Corporation (Japan)
    • Saipem (Italy) / Daewoo Engineering & Construction (South Korea)

    MEED previously reported that Oman LNG hosted site visits in June for prequalified contractors, according to sources.

    Oman LNG has performed the preliminary engineering study for the planned fourth LNG train. It awarded US-headquartered KBR a contract to execute front-end engineering and design (feed) works on the project in November.

    Separately, in June, Oman LNG awarded Japan-based Kanadevia Corporation a contract to perform pre-feed work for a pilot methanation plant, and a detailed concept study for future commercial scaling of the facility.

    The proposed facility is expected to produce 18,000 normal cubic metres of e-methane an hour.

    The pilot plant will comprise three components: a seawater desalination unit, equipment for producing hydrogen via water electrolysis and a methanation system that combines hydrogen with captured carbon dioxide to produce e-methane.

    The agreement follows a memorandum of understanding that Oman and Japan signed in March 2024, covering collaboration in hydrogen, fuel ammonia and carbon recycling. 

    Oman LNG operations

    Oman LNG is a joint venture of the sultanate’s Ministry of Energy & Minerals, which holds the majority 51% stake, and foreign stakeholders.

    The remaining 49% is held by UK-based Shell (30%); France’s TotalEnergies (5.54%); South Korea’s Korea LNG (5%); Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation (2.77%); Japan’s Mitsui & Company (2.77%); Thailand’s PTTEP, following the acquisition of Portuguese firm Partex (2%); and Japan’s Itochu Corporation (0.92%).

    Oman LNG presently operates three trains at its site in Qalhat, with a nameplate capacity of 10.4 million t/y. Following debottlenecking, total production capacity increased to approximately 11.4 million t/y.

    Oman LNG secured $2bn-worth of project financing in 1997 to set up its first LNG export terminal in the sultanate, the Qalhat LNG terminal, which was commissioned in 2000.

    On 1 September 2013, Qalhat LNG was integrated with Oman LNG to form a single entity.

    The terminal exports gas produced by state oil and gas producer Petroleum Development Oman from its central Oman gas field complex. Oman LNG’s customers are mainly based in Asia, although the company has been expanding its client base outside the continent in recent months.

    In April, Oman LNG announced the start of turnaround activities at the third LNG processing train, which has an output capacity of 3.3 million t/y. The third train commenced operations in 2006 and primarily processes gas produced at the Saih Nihayda field in central Oman.

    ALSO READ: TotalEnergies studies expansion of Marsa LNG project in Oman

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14674434/main0940.jpg
    Indrajit Sen