Chinese-led consortium wins $262m Algeria rail deal
13 November 2024
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Algeria’s Anesrif has awarded a $262m construction contract to a consortium led by the China Road & Bridge Corporation (CRBC).
The CRBC-led consortium includes China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and Algeria’s EPE SNTP.
The contract covers construction work for the Bouchegouf-Souk Ahras-Drea railway section, with a total length of 121 kilometres (km). It is scheduled to be completed in 32 months.
This contract is the latest example of Chinese companies undertaking major projects in Algeria.
MEED reported in January this year that Algeria had selected a team of Beijing-headquartered China Railway Construction Corporation and local contractor Cosider Travaux Publics for a contract to build a 575km railway line.
The line will connect the Gara Djebilet iron ore mine in Western Algeria’s Tindouf Province with the national rail network at Bechar.
The project will facilitate transporting materials from the Gara Djebilet iron ore mine to industrial centres and ports along Algeria’s national rail network.
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Morocco signs agreement for synthetic fuel complex9 September 2026
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The memorandum of understanding (MoU) relates to a facility with the capacity to produce 100,000 tonnes a year of fuel, according to a statement released by the company.
Synhelion has secured land for the project site and established a subsidiary in Morocco to develop the fuel complex.
Gianluca Ambrosetti, one of Synhelion’s co-chief executives, said: “Morocco’s exceptional renewable energy resources and its clear industrial strategy make it an ideal location for scaling our synthetic fuel technology.
“With the MoU signed, the land reservation secured and our branch in place, we are moving from evaluation to execution and toward our first commercial-scale plant in the region.”
Synhelion specialises in producing hydrocarbon fuels using renewable energy. Its products include synthetic jet fuel, gasoline and diesel.
READ THE SEPTEMBER 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFNuclear power ambitions gather pace; Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive despite war; Region invests in raising gas processing capacity.
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Iraq solar package on track to come online in December9 September 2026

The 1,000MW solar photovoltaic project in Artawi – also called Ratawi – in southern Iraq is on track for its second phase to come online on 8 December, according to industry sources.
This phase has a capacity of 250MW and will bring the project’s total online capacity to 500MW.
The first phase of the project, also with a capacity of 250MW, came online in March this year.
The third and fourth phases, each with a capacity of 250MW, are expected to be brought online next year.
The solar project is part of the broader Gas Growth Integrated Project (GGIP), which has an estimated total value of $27bn and a first phase worth an estimated $10bn.
The solar project’s ownership differs from the headline GGIP ownership structure, with its ownership equally divided between France’s TotalEnergies and QatarEnergy.
The wider GGIP consortium includes TotalEnergies, Iraq’s Basra Oil Company and QatarEnergy, which hold stakes of 45%, 30% and 25%, respectively.
China Energy Engineering Corporation is part of a consortium that is executing the main engineering, procurement and construction contract for the project.
It announced that the first 250MW of capacity had been connected to the grid on 4 March this year.
The consortium also includes China Energy Engineering Group Tianjin Electric Power Construction Company and Chengdu-headquartered Southwest Electric Power Design Institute Company.
The project scope includes:
- Construction of a substation
- Installation of a 132kV booster station
- Installation of solar panels
- Installation of transformers
- Laying of transmission lines
- Construction of related infrastructure
In February 2025, Basra Investment Commission director Alaa Abdul Hussein said the solar plant had an estimated total value of $820m.
The GGIP programme is focused on developing four major projects in Iraq:
- The Common Seawater Supply Project (CSSP)
- The Ratawi gas processing complex
- The 1GW solar power project for Iraq’s electricity ministry
- A field development project at Ratawi, known as the Associated Gas Upstream Project (AGUP)
All four of these projects are currently under execution, though there have been some delays related to the regional war that started when the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February.
The conflict has caused significant disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iraq uses to export crude oil and import equipment and materials for projects.
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Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the September 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
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Saudi water sector hits sharp slowdown8 September 2026

Saudi Arabia’s water sector has recorded a sharp slowdown in contract awards this year, with $3.94bn of new contracts awarded as of early September.
According to regional project tracker MEED Projects, this is well below the $10.7bn recorded in 2025, $13bn in 2024 and a record $15.3bn in 2023.
The slowdown comes as several major projects remain in the procurement process, with some yet to reach financial close or contract award, while tender deadlines for other schemes have been pushed back.
Among the largest is the estimated $2bn Riyadh-Qassim independent water transmission pipeline. The 859-kilometre project will have a transmission capacity of 685,000 cubic metres a day (cm/d). Vision Invest was selected as the preferred bidder last December; however, more than eight months later, an official developer’s agreement has not yet been signed.
Similarly, the Arana and Hadda independent sewage treatment plant (ISTP) projects have yet to reach the financial close originally targeted for the second quarter. The two schemes will provide a combined treatment capacity of 350,000 cm/d.
Delays extend further down the procurement pipeline. The latest developer bid deadline for the estimated $150m Riyadh East ISTP is 29 September, almost a year after the request for proposals (RFP) was issued in October 2025.
Procurement for the main contracts for the Jubail-Buraidah and Ras Mohaisen-Baha-Mecca independent water transmission system projects could also slip into 2027, amid delivery-model changes by Water Transmission Company.
New awards
The market received a boost in September when Saudi Arabia’s National Water Company (NWC) announced it had signed a SR1.3bn ($347m) deal with a Saudi-Chinese consortium for package 10 of its long-term operations and maintenance programme.
The consortium – comprising China’s Jiangsu United Water Technology and Saudi-based Armada Holding – will rehabilitate, operate and maintain nine sewage treatment plants (STPs) with a combined design capacity of more than 337,000 cm/d. Based on the latest procurement timeline, it is unclear whether the selected consortium for package 11 will be formally announced this year. Packages 12 and 14 remain under tender while package 16 is next in line, with its RFP not expected to be issued before November.
NWC is the second-largest awarding entity by value in 2026, accounting for $1.09bn, or about 28% of the total. Saudi Aramco is the largest, with $2.15bn, meaning the two organisations account for more than 82% of awards so far this year.
Aramco’s activity has been led by two major oil field developments. In June, it awarded the $1.5bn Safaniya onshore surface facilities project: package 1 to a joint venture of Tecnimont and Consolidated Contractors Company. The package includes a water treatment and injection plant supporting upstream production.
It also awarded the second phase of its Zuluf water treatment project to a joint venture of Almar Water Solutions and AlJomaih Energy & Water. The project will add a 308,000-cm/d treatment facility at Tanajib in the Eastern Province, supplying water for injection at the offshore Zuluf oil field.
The concentration of awards in industrial projects this year has been notable. Against the slowdown in municipal water infrastructure procurement, much of the value awarded so far has been linked to the water requirements of oil and gas and mining developments.
The third-largest award is the $350m Taif Ar Rjum water pipeline project, being developed by Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) in Mecca. The project will support the Ar Rjum gold mining and processing facility and is being developed under a build-own-operate-transfer model.
By project type, treatment projects make up the largest share of awards, at $2.85bn or about 72% of the total. Transmission projects account for $980m and cooling projects for a further $110m, while no major desalination or water storage contracts have been awarded so far this year.
Project pipeline
The slowdown in awards appears to reflect the timing of projects moving through procurement rather than a fundamental weakening in demand for water infrastructure.
Saudi Arabia continues to face rising demand for desalination, wastewater treatment and water transmission as population growth and industrial expansion drive demand for water.
Sharakat, formerly Saudi Water Partnership Company, set out the next phase of the kingdom’s water investment programme in its latest seven-year statement, published in March.
The plan points to a significant expansion in desalination capacity. Capacity from Sharakat-procured projects is expected to increase from about 3.88 million cm/d in 2025 to roughly 7.18 million cm/d by 2031.
The increase will be supported by seven new independent water plants (IWPs) with a combined capacity of about 2.8 million cm/d, in addition to projects already operating, under construction or in procurement.
However, several of the planned projects have yet to move into active procurement, while others have seen their expected timelines pushed back.
Among the schemes affected are the Ras Al-Khair, Tabuk, Shuqaiq and Jizan IWPs, which have all progressed through prequalification, but have seen changes to their expected procurement schedules.
The largest is phase two of the Ras Al-Khair IWP, a 600,000-cm/d reverse osmosis desalination plant that has been in development for more than a decade.
The revised schedule indicates that the $400m Al-Shuqaiq 4 IWP is expected to be the first of the seven new plants to reach commercial operation. Its main contract had been expected to be tendered later this year, but it is now understood that the first RFP will not be issued until early 2027.
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Kuwait grants loan for GCC grid extension study8 September 2026
The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development has signed a KD200,000 ($647,000) grant agreement with the GCC Interconnection Authority (GCCIA) to finance a feasibility study on extending the Gulf power grid to electricity networks outside the GCC.
The agreement was signed on 3 September by Ahmed Bin Ali Al-Ibrahim, CEO of the GCCIA, and Kuwait Fund acting director general Rashid Al-Bader.
The study will assess opportunities to expand the GCC power interconnection system to neighbouring countries. It will examine their electricity requirements and the technical and economic feasibility of connecting their national grids to the Gulf network.
The Kuwait Fund did not identify the countries or potential interconnection routes. However, it is understood that the study will identify potential phases for future expansion, determine priority projects and assess the most appropriate interconnection options based on technical and economic criteria.
It will cover the proposed project’s main components, costs, implementation arrangements and expected timeframe. The study will also assess the potential economic and social benefits for GCC member states and connected countries, as well as how the GCC network would operate alongside neighbouring national grids.
A preliminary assessment of the project’s potential environmental and social impacts will also be carried out, together with proposed mitigation measures.
The Kuwait Fund has previously provided three loans worth a combined KD78m ($252m) to GCCIA to support expansion of the GCC power interconnection system and its connection to southern Iraq’s electricity grid.
In August 2025, the fund announced two loans worth KD70m ($224m) for the expansion of the Gulf Power Interconnection Project. The financing included support for the Al-Wafra 400kV substation and infrastructure connecting Kuwait’s grid with Iraq.
The Al-Wafra substation facilitates electricity exchanges and enables Kuwait to access surplus power available through the GCC interconnection system.
READ THE SEPTEMBER 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFNuclear power ambitions gather pace; Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive despite war; Region invests in raising gas processing capacity.
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the September 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> AGENDA: Gulf nuclear revival takes shape> MARKET FOCUS: Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive under fire> INDUSTRY REPORT: Gas processing takes centre stage in Mena regionTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19461053/main.jpg -
Chinese firm to set up $300m anode facility in the UAE8 September 2026
Beijing-headquartered Sunstone Development has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the UAE Ministry of Investment to develop an anode production facility in the UAE, with an estimated investment of about $300m.
The MoU follows Sunstone’s December 2025 joint-venture agreement with Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) to build the project.
Upon completion, the plant is expected to replace most of EGA’s current anode imports and support the UAE’s ambition to become one of a limited number of global anode-exporting countries, aligning with the Make It In The Emirates initiative and Operation 300bn.
The ministry said the agreement reflects its role in helping strategic investors navigate the UAE’s investment ecosystem and convert commitments into long-term operations, in line with the National Investment Strategy 2031.
By localising a key stage in the aluminium value chain, the facility will reduce reliance on imported anodes, enhance the competitiveness of the UAE aluminium sector and support wider economic diversification.
The Ministry of Investment and Sunstone will establish a joint working group, chaired by the ministry, to oversee project delivery.
The project is expected to create skilled employment opportunities for UAE nationals and residents, while strengthening domestic manufacturing capacity and industrial capabilities.
READ THE SEPTEMBER 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFNuclear power ambitions gather pace; Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive despite war; Region invests in raising gas processing capacity.
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the September 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> AGENDA: Gulf nuclear revival takes shape> MARKET FOCUS: Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive under fire> INDUSTRY REPORT: Gas processing takes centre stage in Mena regionTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19461120/main.jpg