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• 
  Kuwait construction holds up despite regional strife

  29 July 2026

  

   

  Kuwait’s construction and transport sectors are emerging from one of their strongest periods on record, with contract awards totalling $5.5bn last year, close to the record $5.6bn set in 2024.

  Against that backdrop, momentum has held up better than expected in 2026. Awards in the construction and infrastructure sectors reached about $1.2bn in the period to 27 July, only marginally down from the $1.6bn recorded over the same period last year. Given the disruption to investor confidence and tender timelines across the Gulf caused by regional conflict, the near-flat comparison points to a market that has held its footing rather than stalled.

  That steadiness reflects a broader push to keep major projects moving even as the region navigates a more uncertain operating environment. Underpinning the momentum is the $4bn engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract awarded to China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) in late December for the remaining phases of Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port on Boubyan Island, covering dredging, marine works and terminal infrastructure.

  Although the deal predates the current period of regional disruption, it helped establish momentum that has carried into 2026, with Kuwait continuing to advance large-scale schemes across ports, roads and utilities.

  This marks a notable shift for a market that, prior to its recent run, had a reputation for slow decision-making and a thin pipeline relative to regional peers. Contractors and consultants point to a steadier flow of tenders reaching the award stage this year, even with overall values marginally below last year’s pace – a gap narrow enough to suggest Kuwait’s pipeline has proven more insulated from regional volatility than many expected.

  Infrastructure pipeline

  Kuwait’s infrastructure pipeline is now approaching $16bn, spanning ports, roads and utilities projects at various stages of tendering and execution. The most recent addition came at Shuaiba Port, Kuwait’s oldest and principal industrial gateway, where the Kuwait Ports Authority (KPA) received bids in July for infrastructure and electrical modernisation works.

  The package sits alongside longer-term plans for Shuaiba. Since December, KPA has been in talks with Abu Dhabi’s AD Ports Group over a possible concession to develop a new container terminal, adding to a pipeline that already includes upgrade works at Shuwaikh and Doha ports under KPA’s wider tender programme.

  Elsewhere, Kuwait’s Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) has opened commercial bids for two major infrastructure and public buildings packages at South Al-Mutlaa Residential City. Local firm United Buildings Company has emerged as the lowest bidder on both, with combined offers worth KD44m covering the construction, completion and maintenance of services, infrastructure and public buildings across different district centres.

  Tendering is also under way for the estimated KD222m ($718m) rainwater drainage networks serving Sabah Al-Ahmad, South Sabah Al-Ahmad, Al-Khairan and Al-Wafra. The works comprise a major concrete sewer, three collection basins and an extensive stormwater drainage network, with collection tanks linked through an independent system that discharges to sea via the Nuwaiseeb outlet.

  Construction gains pace

  This infrastructure momentum has been mirrored in the construction sector, where Kuwait awarded an estimated $232m contract to China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) in mid-July to construct the new headquarters of the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA). The contract covers a 275-metre, 55-storey office tower in Kuwait City’s Sharq district, targeted for completion in the second quarter of 2028.

  Beyond the KDIPA award, several schemes forming part of Kuwait’s estimated $36bn construction pipeline are expected to progress in the coming months.

  The largest is the first phase of the planned $22bn Sabriya City project, for which Beijing- and Shanghai-listed Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC) is expected to sign one of the main contracts. MCC presented a fully funded proposal to Kuwaiti ministers for the city last year. The project is expected to include 52,000 housing units, alongside a power plant, hospital and marina.

  Consultants are meanwhile bidding for the design and supervision of the estimated $580m service hub buildings at Al-Mutlaa Health City, a project spanning more than 351,000 square metres.

  The Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects (Kapp) has also awarded two landmark public-private partnership (PPP) deals this year.

  In January, it awarded an estimated $252m contract to develop the Al-Muthanna Complex real estate project to a local consortium comprising Real Estate House, National Investments Company, Arkan Kuwait Real Estate Company, Beyout Holding Company and Osoul Investment Company. The contract covers the rehabilitation, development, operation and management of the complex under a 15-year usufruct arrangement.

  In February, United Real Estate Company was awarded the third phase of a waterfront real estate project in Sharq, Kuwait City, under a similar 15-year arrangement covering rehabilitation, development, operation and management.

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Events put Saudi Arabia on the world stage

  29 July 2026

  Commentary
  Colin Foreman
  Editor

  The Expo 2030 and the 2034 World Cup will not transform Saudi Arabia’s economy on their own, but the momentum they generate and the international profile they bring underline their importance.

  Over the past decade, Saudi Arabia has taken great strides in changing the international perception of the kingdom. Futuristic projects and investment in football and other sports, combined with social reforms such as opening cinemas and allowing women to drive, have helped foster a new image for the country.

  This year, those efforts have been dented as the rest of the world once again sees a region blighted by conflict. Saudi Arabia will need to correct the course of public perception once the conflict draws to a close, and Expo 2030 Riyadh and the 2034 Fifa World Cup are well timed to help the kingdom maintain its modernisation drive.

  Both are truly global events that will attract millions of visitors. More than 40 million visits are anticipated at the Expo, and the World Cup final in Qatar in 2022 was watched by some 1.5 billion people.

  Both are truly global events that will attract millions of visitors

  Locally, the impact has already begun. Flying into Riyadh’s King Khalid International airport from the south, one can clearly see earthworks and infrastructure progressing at the Expo site. To the east of the city, construction work on King Fahd Sports City Stadium is well advanced.

  Expo Riyadh 2030 Company expects the construction phase and legacy development to contribute around $64bn to Saudi GDP and generate some 171,000 jobs. Fifteen stadiums are planned across five cities.

  Construction activity is ramping up. Tendering is starting for the first buildings at the Expo site, including the KSA Pavilion. Meanwhile, work is beginning on more stadiums and other related infrastructure projects that will support the World Cup.

  In the build-up to Expo 2030 and World Cup 2034, construction will be the main event.

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  READ THE AUGUST 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

  Saudi Arabia builds for the global stage; Rising uncertainty creates fresh set of challenges in the Maghreb; Gulf banks remain robust in the face of geopolitical tensions.

  Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the August 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

  > AGENDA: Expo 2030 Riyadh construction gathers pace > WORLD CUP: What the 2026 World Cup means for Saudi Arabia 2034 > MARKET FOCUS: Maghreb fortunes diverge > INDUSTRY REPORT: GCC banks prove resilient amid turmoil > LEADERSHIP: Private capital and the GCC infrastructure inflection > PORTS: Geopolitical risk shapes $513bn of global ports projects > INTERVIEW: Developers look beyond standalone solar

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

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  Colin Foreman
• 
  Read the August 2026 MEED Business Review

  29 July 2026

  Download / Subscribe / 14-day trial access

  Saudi Arabia’s biggest event and infrastructure programmes are moving into a new phase of delivery.

  Construction activity at the Expo 2030 Riyadh site is accelerating, with some of the largest packages set to be awarded before the end of this year. Infrastructure works are gathering pace and preparations are intensifying for an event that is expected to reshape the capital long after its six-month run comes to an end.

  At the same time, the lessons emerging from this summer’s expanded Fifa World Cup provide an early guide to the opportunities – and challenges – Saudi Arabia will face as it prepares to host football’s biggest tournament in 2034.

  August’s Market Focus turns to the Maghreb, where four economies are following increasingly divergent paths. While Morocco is benefiting from World Cup-driven investment and a booming tourism sector, Algeria is deploying record public spending, Tunisia is pressing ahead with strategic power investments despite fiscal constraints, and Libya is seeing sustained interest from oil and gas investors undeterred by ongoing political disputes. The report examines what is driving this divergence and where the region’s strongest opportunities now lie.

  This edition also includes MEED’s annual ranking of the Top 50 GCC banks, exploring how regional lenders have demonstrated remarkable resilience through recent geopolitical turbulence, supported by strong funding, capital buffers and government backing.

  In the latest issue, we speak to renewable energy consultancy SgurrEnergy about why developers are increasingly moving beyond standalone solar towards hybrid renewable energy projects that combine battery storage and other technologies to deliver round-the-clock power.

  We also examine how geopolitical tensions, shifting trade routes and supply chain disruption are driving a new wave of global investment in port infrastructure, and consider what Saudi Arabia must do to unlock greater pools of private capital as sovereign funding gives way to a more institutionally financed infrastructure model.

  Finally, we congratulate the winners of the Mena Banking Excellence Awards 2026, recognising the retail, digital and SME institutions that are setting new benchmarks for innovation, customer experience and business banking across the region.

  We hope our valued subscribers enjoy the August 2026 issue of MEED Business Review. 

  

   

  Must-read sections in the August 2026 issue of MEED Business Review include:

  > AGENDA: Expo 2030 Riyadh construction gathers pace

  > FOOTBALL: What the 2026 World Cup means for Saudi Arabia 2034

  INDUSTRY REPORT: Top 50 Gulf banks > GCC banks prove resilient amid turmoil

  > AWARDS: Mena Banking Excellence Awards reveals retail, digital and SME winners

  > LEADERSHIP: Private capital and the GCC infrastructure inflection

  > PORTS: Geopolitical risk shapes $513bn of global ports projects

  > INTERVIEW: Developers look beyond standalone solar

  > MAGHREB MARKET FOCUS: 
  > COMMENT: Maghreb fortunes diverge
  > GOV'T & ECONOMY: Elections fail to change the Maghreb's political realities
  > PAYMENTS: Morocco’s payments shift remains cash-led
  > OIL & GAS: Morocco strives to work out feasible energy strategy
  > OIL & GAS: Libya’s oil and gas project market has grown by 48%
  > OIL & GAS: Value of Algerian extractive projects more than doubles
  > POWER & WATER: Tunisia drives Maghreb power investment with $1.4bn electricity link
  > CONSTRUCTION: Morocco is bright spot in Maghreb construction
  > CONSTRUCTION: Algeria’s record budget sets stage for construction comeback
  > TOURISM: Morocco tourism hits record highs
  > TOURISM: Tunisia's tourism sector eyes record growth

  > MEED COMMENTS: 
  > I Squared deal is latest sign of PIF's new playbook
  > Projects market holds its nerve
  > Saudi water sector awaits next catalyst
  > Gulf IWPPs risk becoming a two-horse race

  > GULF PROJECTS INDEX: Gulf index maintains growth run

  > JUNE 2026 CONTRACTS: Middle East contract awards

  > ECONOMIC DATA: Data drives regional projects

  > OPINION: The moving finger of time

  > BUSINESS OUTLOOK: Finance, oil and gas, construction, power and water contracts

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

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  MEED Editorial
• 
  Bahrain tenders Tashan sewer scheme

  29 July 2026

  Bahrain’s Ministry of Works (MoW) has issued a tender for the construction of a sewer network in Tashan, on the outskirts of Manama.

  Contractors have until 20 September to submit bids.

  The scheme covers blocks 405, 419 and 421, administrative areas covering Tashan and surrounding communities. It will expand the local wastewater collection network and provide connections for existing and planned properties.

  The scope includes about 2 kilometres of 150mm-diameter lateral sewers and 4.8km of main sewer lines ranging from 200mm to 400mm in diameter.

  The contract also covers house connections and future connections for planned properties.

  A pressure station with a capacity of 75 litres a second will be built as part of the scheme. It will be supported by about 834 metres of 250mm-diameter rising main and a discharge chamber.

  Other works include the construction of manholes and associated infrastructure, as well as the decommissioning of an existing lift station.

  The project is part of Bahrain’s wider programme to develop and expand its sewerage networks and treatment infrastructure.

  In June, MoW issued a tender for another sewer network project in A’ali, southwest of Manama, covering Block 730 and part of Block 740.

  The scheme will connect 232 plots to the public sewer network. It includes 5.2km of sewer mains with diameters ranging from 200mm to 300mm and about 3.4km of 150mm-diameter lateral sewer lines.

  The scope also includes house connections, new manholes and connections to the existing sewer network.

  The bid submission deadline for the A’ali project is 5 August.

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  Mark Dowdall
• 
  Chinese firm signs $3.3bn Kuwait wastewater deal

  29 July 2026

  Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

  China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) has confirmed it has signed a contract to build Kuwait’s largest wastewater treatment plant.

  The North Kabd wastewater treatment plant and related works contract was signed on 26 July between senior officials from CSCEC and Kuwait’s Ministry of Public Works (MPW).

  The plant has a planned capacity of up to 1 million cubic metres a day (cm/d).

  In January, MEED reported that the Chinese firm had been appointed as the main contractor for the project pending the contract’s official signing.

  According to official government records at the time, the Central Agency for Public Tenders (Capt) had authorised MPW to proceed with a direct contract valued at KD999.85m ($3.3bn).

  The contract covers the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the facility over a 10-year period.

  Earlier, in September 2025, MEED reported that a Chinese firm was expected to sign the contract as part of a series of Kuwait-China agreements covering infrastructure and energy.

  This included a $4bn agreement signed in December with China Communications Construction Company for the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port project.

  The MPW invited bids for the expansion of the Kabd facility in 2022.

  Plans for the North Kabd sewage treatment plant (STP) were first announced in 2013, according to regional project tracker MEED Projects.

  The initial plan included two STP units with a total combined capacity of close to 500,000 cm/d, in addition to an upgrade to an existing plant.

  Kuwait has been investing significantly in wastewater infrastructure to address challenges in reusing treated sewage.

  In February, Saudi Arabia’s Acwa and local financial institution Gulf Investment Corporation signed a contract with Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity & Water, confirming the long-term offtake arrangements for the Al-Zour North independent water and power plant (IWPP) phases two and three.

  The integrated facility will have a net power generation capacity of at least 2,700MW and a net desalinated water capacity of at least 545,520 cm/d, making it the largest IWPP ever undertaken in the country.

  The Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects and the Ministry of Electricity & Water are also tendering phase one of the Al-Khiran IWPP.

  The estimated $200m project includes an 1,800MW power plant and a desalination facility with a capacity of 568,000 cm/d.

  Bids were submitted for the project in June.

  ---

  READ THE AUGUST 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

  Saudi Arabia builds for the global stage; Rising uncertainty creates fresh set of challenges in the Maghreb; Gulf banks remain robust in the face of geopolitical tensions.

  Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the August 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

  > AGENDA: Expo 2030 Riyadh construction gathers pace > WORLD CUP: What the 2026 World Cup means for Saudi Arabia 2034 > MARKET FOCUS: Maghreb fortunes diverge > INDUSTRY REPORT: GCC banks prove resilient amid turmoil > LEADERSHIP: Private capital and the GCC infrastructure inflection > PORTS: Geopolitical risk shapes $513bn of global ports projects > INTERVIEW: Developers look beyond standalone solar

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

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17794972/main.jpg

  Mark Dowdall