Meed | Completing infrastructure ahead of time

Completing infrastructure ahead of time

10 December 2024

In late December 2023, Bahrain opened the Al-Fateh Highway project to traffic five months ahead of schedule. The highway connects key areas in Bahrain, including Manama, Mina Salman, Sitra, Muharraq, Bahrain Bay and Juffair, and opening the scheme promptly has significantly improved traffic in one of the most congested areas of the country.

“The secret to success was implementing the project in stages, combined with excellent traffic management,” says Minister of Works Ibrahim Bin Hassan Al-Hawaj.

The successful completion of the Al-Fateh Highway project comes at an important time for Bahrain, as it continues to upgrade its road network.

“The lessons we learned from Al-Fateh Highway are being utilised on other projects. We are working on the Muharraq Ring Road project, and that is also going to be open for traffic well ahead of time,” says Al-Hawaj.

Like Al-Fateh Highway, the Muharraq Ring Road project connects key commercial and residential areas in Bahrain, including North Muharraq, Diyar Al-Muharraq and Dilmunia.

Multifaceted approach

These projects are part of Bahrain’s comprehensive approach to alleviating road traffic.

“In 2016, we launched a study that identified projects that could help ease congestion. It proposed a multifaceted approach that covers many things, including public transport and an intelligent transport system, which introduces automation,” explains Al-Hawaj.

“We have not implemented everything in the study, but we are working through it gradually with the Traffic Council, headed by his excellency the minister of interior, and including the Ministry of Works, Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Housing & Urban Planning. We have regular meetings to identify challenges and then put forward suitable projects to solve them,” says Al-Hawaj.

The Ministry of Works is responsible for maintaining, improving and expanding the road network. Its projects are split into four categories.

The first two categories are the major projects. The first is building new roads, while the second is improving the existing road network, either by widening roads or upgrading intersections.

Then there are the other two categories. These are maintaining the existing road network – which is a challenging task with existing traffic – and a fourth category that is known as ‘quick wins’. These small, tactical-level projects can be completed quickly to ease specific traffic black spots.

“We have about 60 projects under implementation, valued at BD172m ($456.2m), and among these are 14 strategic projects that amount to BD117m,” says Al-Hawaj.

Upcoming schemes

The pipeline of projects under execution will soon be expanded with the addition of a fourth crossing connecting Busaiteen with Bahrain Bay. The Bahrain Tender Board opened prices for the contract to build the signature bridge crossing in late November.

“The fourth crossing project is going to start in 2025,” says Al-Hawaj.

Looking further ahead, more road contracts will be awarded. “There are more than BD200m of future projects approved, and they will go to tender in the coming two years,” says Al-Hawaj.

There are more than BD200m of future projects approved, and they will go to tender in the coming two years

One of the roads that suffers from high traffic volumes is Sheikh Jaber Ahmed Al-Sabah Highway, from Umm Al-Hassam to the Alba intersection.

“This is our biggest project in the future. There will be four lanes in each direction, and all the intersections will be free-flowing traffic either by underpass or flyovers. We will get rid of all the traffic lights,” says Al-Hawaj.

The project will move into the construction phase next year with preparation works.

“One of the main lessons from the Al-Fateh Highway project is to free the construction zone from any services before construction starts. It will take some time to redirect the existing utilities, and then we will immediately go into construction,” says Al-Hawaj.

Another upcoming major scheme is the Bahrain Northern Link Road (BNLR) project that will run along the northern coast of Manama from the Bahrain Bay area in the east to Madinat Salman in the west. Initial estimates suggest that the scheme, which will have sections onshore and offshore, could cost BD500m to deliver.

Together with the fourth crossing project and the Northern Muharraq Ring Road, the BNLR scheme will create a new road corridor along the northern edge of Bahrain.

Unlike other road projects in Bahrain, the BNLR will be delivered as a public-private partnership project. Dar Al-Handasah was selected for the project’s feasibility study in 2022.

Away from roads, another major area of responsibility for the Ministry of Works is sanitation. At present, 86% of premises in Bahrain are connected to the sanitation network and sewage treatment plants (STPs), and there are plans to connect the remaining 14%.

STP capacity is also increasing. The capacity of Bahrain’s largest plant at Tubli is being doubled, and there is an expansion under way for the STP at Muharraq. The Sitra STP is also being upgraded, using technology from UK company Bluewater, which allows for capacity to increase without adding to the footprint of the site.

A greenfield project is also planned. “We have a new plant coming soon at Khalifa City,” says Al-Hawaj.

“We are finalising the drawings, and a tender is expected to be issued in the first quarter of 2025. We will start with 20,000 cubic metres a day, but the ultimate capacity will be 40,000 cubic metres a day.”

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Colin Foreman

Exclusive from Meed

KBR seeks renewable energy contracts in Libya
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Egypt firm wins Al-Dabaa desalination O&M contract
29 September 2026
Oman awards exploration blocks to state upstream firm
28 September 2026
Saudi Arabia qualifies firms for gas-fired IPPs
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KBR seeks renewable energy contracts in Libya
29 September 2026

The US-headquartered technology and engineering company KBR is seeking renewable energy project contracts in Libya.

Representatives from KBR met with Abdussalam Elansari, chairman of the Renewable Energy Authority of Libya, earlier this month to discuss project opportunities, sources said.

The meeting with Elansari followed KBR’s opening of a new branch in Libya and its securing of several contract awards in the oil and gas sector.

In March, KBR announced that it had been awarded a contract by Zallaf Exploration, Production & Refining of Oil & Gas Company to provide project management and technical services for the South Refinery Project in Libya’s southern city of Ubari.

Under the terms of the contract, KBR will provide contract management, project management and supporting technical services throughout the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) phases of the project, according to a company statement.

The EPC work is expected to be executed over a 50-month period.

KBR is also carrying out work to re-evaluate the front-end engineering and design (feed) for the project to develop Libya’s J6 North Gialo field.

In January, KBR signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the state-owned Libyan Post, Telecommunications & Information Technology Company.

Under the MoU, KBR agreed to support efforts to develop and improve Libya’s communications infrastructure and enhance fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks in the country.

KBR has previously provided engineering services for major national projects in Libya, but was forced to shut down its office in the country several times amid political instability and security issues.

When the company was known as Brown & Root, it worked on the Great Man-Made River Project in Libya, which is widely recognised as the largest irrigation project in the world.

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Wil Crisp
Sharakat receives bids for Riyadh East sewage treatment plant
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Saudi Arabia’s state water offtaker Sharakat has received bids for the contract to develop the $150m Riyadh East independent sewage treatment plant (ISTP).

Bids were submitted on 28 September.

The plant will have a treatment capacity of 200,000 cubic metres a day (cm/d) in its first phase, expanding to 500,000 cm/d in the second phase.

Five consortiums made offers, including:
- EtihadWE (UAE) / Metito (UAE) / Thrustboring Construction Company (TCC, Saudi Arabia)
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- Lamar (Bahrain) / China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC)
- Miahona (Saudi Arabia) / Marafiq (Saudi Arabia) / Bin Omairah Holding (Saudi Arabia)
- Suez (France) / Civil Works Company (Saudi Arabia) / Alwael (Saudi Arabia)
In May, MEED exclusively reported that groups had begun to form for the project, which will be developed under a build‑own‑operate‑transfer model with a 25‑year concession term.

It is understood that at least two other potential consortiums weighed up making an offer for the contract, but did not bid.

In 2024, Sharakat prequalified 53 companies that could bid for the Riyadh East ISTP, part of seven planned ISTP projects it said it would procure between 2024 and 2026. The request for proposals was issued last October.

WSP is the technical adviser, and KPMG Middle East is the lead and financial adviser.

The targeted commercial operation date for the facility is 2029.
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Mark Dowdall
Egypt firm wins Al-Dabaa desalination O&M contract
29 September 2026

Elsewedy Utilities has been awarded a three-year operation and maintenance (O&M) contract for a seawater desalination plant in Al-Dabaa on Egypt’s north coast.

The plant has a production capacity of 40,000 cubic metres a day (cm/d), and the contract runs for three years.

The award reflects Egypt’s increased focus on involving local private sector companies in operating and maintaining existing seawater desalination plants.

In March, Egypt’s Ministry of Housing, Utilities & Urban Communities directed that a number of existing desalination plants with capacities of more than 10,000 cm/d be offered to specialised local private sector companies for O&M. The plants include facilities in Al-Dabaa, Matrouh and El-Alamein, as well as sites in the Red Sea region and North and South Sinai.

The government said the move is intended to improve operating efficiency, strengthen maintenance systems and make greater use of specialised technical expertise. The contract value was not disclosed.

Elsewedy Utilities is the utilities and facilities management arm of Elsewedy Electric, with activities spanning engineering, procurement and construction, O&M and utility management.

As MEED understands, the contract is separate from the South Med desalination project at Al-Dabaa, which is being developed for the Engineering Authority of the Armed Forces’ Water Management Department.

Elsewedy Electric Infrastructure previously announced it is the main engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the planned 160,000-cubic-metre-a-day seawater reverse-osmosis plant.

Cairo-headquartered Engineering Experience Group also won a design and engineering services contract for the project in June.

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Mark Dowdall
Oman awards exploration blocks to state upstream firm
28 September 2026

Oman’s Ministry of Energy & Minerals (MEMR) has awarded state-owned upstream firm OQ Exploration & Production (OQEP) exploration rights for three hydrocarbon blocks in the sultanate.

OQEP, which is 75% owned by Omani state energy group OQ, has secured rights for Blocks 36, 43A and 66.

Under the agreements, OQEP will conduct geological and geophysical surveys, analysis and modelling, and drill exploratory wells at the three blocks, with the aim of developing recoverable reserves.

Neither MEMR nor OQEP disclosed the blocks’ locations, areas or prospective reserves in their statement.

OQEP’s portfolio comprises 14 upstream oil and gas exploration and production assets in Oman, covering onshore and offshore operations and assets held under service contracts.

Formerly known as Oman Oil Company Exploration & Production, OQEP’s flagship assets include Block 60, which contains the Abu Tubul and Bisat oil fields, and Block 48. The company also holds strategic interests in gas-producing Blocks 9, 10 and 61.

Offshore expansion

OQEP has been expanding its offshore exploration portfolio. In February, the company acquired a 30% participating interest in offshore Block 18, following MEMR’s award of exploration rights to a joint venture between OQEP subsidiary OQ Exploration & Production Al-Batinah Offshore and PC Oman Ventures, a wholly owned subsidiary of Malaysia’s Petronas.

Located off Oman’s northeastern coast, Block 18 covers more than 21,000 square kilometres in the Sea of Oman, with water depths ranging from 50 metres to 3,000 metres. No confirmed discoveries have previously been reported in the block.

ALSO READ: Concession deals boost momentum in Oman mining

Under the concession agreement, Petronas holds a 70% participating interest and operatorship, while OQEP holds the remaining 30%.

OQEP has also expanded its producing portfolio through the acquisition of a 35% interest in onshore Block 27 from Japan's Mitsui E&P Middle East in April. The transaction was valued at RO28.8m ($75m).

Block 27 is operated by US-based Occidental Petroleum, which holds a 65% participating interest under an exploration and production-sharing agreement valid until 2035.

OQEP expects its interest in the block to contribute approximately 3,500 barrels of oil equivalent a day (boe/d) in additional net production this year.

In June, MEMR signed an with OQEP and state-owned Turkiye Petroller AO (TPAO), granting the companies exclusive exploration, appraisal, development and production rights for offshore Block 80.

The block covers approximately 5,737 sq km in the Gulf of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz and off Musandam governorate. It includes the producing Bukha and West Bukha oil and gas fields.

The agreement stipulates a minimum exploration investment commitment of $90m over an initial eight-year exploration period. The work programme is divided into two phases to evaluate the block’s hydrocarbon potential.

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Indrajit Sen

Saudi Arabia qualifies firms for gas-fired IPPs

28 September 2026

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Principal buyer Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) has qualified 13 companies to bid for the third round of Saudi Arabia’s combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) independent power producer (IPP) programme.

The projects will comprise new CCGT plants developed on a build-own-operate basis. Each project will be implemented through a special-purpose project company wholly owned by the successful bidder.

The qualified firms are:

Abu Dhabi National Energy Company [Taqa] (UAE)
Acwa (Saudi Arabia)
Al-Bawani Capital (Saudi Arabia)
Al-Jomaih Energy & Water (Saudi Arabia)
EDF (France)
Etihad Development Company (UAE)
Kepco (South Korea)
Marafiq (Saudi Arabia)
Mitsubishi Power (Japan)
Nesma Renewable Energy (Saudi Arabia)
PowerChina (China)
Saudi Energy (Saudi Arabia)
Sumitomo Corporation (Japan)

Developers submitted statements of qualification for the round on 23 August, as exclusively reported by MEED.

Some have already begun “the process of forming consortiums to bid” for the project, with up to three or four groups likely to make offers.

Also in September, MEED exclusively reported that US-based GE Vernova was close to finalising a turbine reservation agreement with SPPC for the plants.

The new plants will use advanced H-class or J-class gas turbine technology. Each IPP is expected to comprise two or three gas turbine generators, corresponding heat recovery steam generators with duct firing, and one or two steam turbine generators.

The request for qualifications released by SPPC in July did not specify the number, locations or capacities of the projects, which mark the next stage of its CCGT IPP programme.

The first round comprises Taiba 1, Taiba 2, Qassim 1 and Qassim 2, with a combined capacity of 7,200MW.

The second round comprises Rumah 1, Rumah 2, Nairyah 1 and Nairyah 2, also with a combined capacity of 7,200MW.

Saudi Arabia’s Acwa recently said it had begun initial commercial operations at the Taiba 1 and Qassim 1 CCGT power plants.

US/India-based Synergy Consulting is the financial adviser for the procurement; Germany’s Fichtner is the technical adviser; and UK-headquartered Eversheds Sutherland is the legal adviser.

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