meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Earthquake rebuild to impact Turkish interest in Saudi

2 March 2023

The Kahramanmaras earthquakes that struck Turkiye and northern Syria on 6 February have left more than 44,300 people dead and another 1.5 million homeless.

The disaster could also impact Turkish contractors’ appetite for work on projects in Saudi Arabia as their domestic market focuses on the $70bn reconstruction effort.

Over the past year, Turkish contractors have had increasing appetite to take on large volumes of the construction work that Saudi Arabia plans to complete as part of Vision 2030. Some $569bn-worth of contracts could be awarded between 2021 and 2025, according to MEED’s Saudi Gigaprojects report.

The expectation stems from the fact that Turkish contractors have traditionally played an active role in the Middle East on projects such as the Kuwait, Doha and Abu Dhabi airports, the Haramain railway in Saudi Arabia and Dubai Metro. According to regional projects tracker MEED Projects, Mapa, Yapi Merkezi, Yuksel and Tekfen have been the most active Turkish contractors in Saudi Arabia.

Turkish contractors were unofficially blacklisted in Saudi Arabia for political reasons in recent years. In 2020 and 2021, no contracts were awarded to Turkish firms. The annual total had averaged $1.3bn for the 10 years before 2018, with a peak of $2.3bn of awards in 2011, according to MEED Projects.

The embargo ended last year, and since then, Turkish contractors have been making a comeback in the kingdom. 

Over the past six months, several major construction contracts have been awarded to Turkish contractors. The first major award to a Turkish contractor came in August 2022 when Saudi Baytur secured a contract from Umm al-Qura for Development & Construction Company (Umm al-Qura) to build part of its Masar mixed-use development in Mecca.

The number and total value of contracts awarded to Turkish contractors had been forecast to grow as more projects move into the construction phase. However, those expectations may have to be revised due to the scale of the damage caused by the earthquakes.

The extent of the reconstruction effort required is only just being quantified. According to a report published by the World Bank on 20 February, direct damages from the earthquakes are estimated at $34.2bn, equivalent to 4 per cent of Türkiye’s 2021 GDP.

The report adds that based on global experience, recovery and reconstruction costs will be much larger, potentially twice as large, which puts the price at close to $70bn.

Market reversal

The expected spike in construction work will reverse a market that is in decline. According to GlobalData’s Construction in Turkey – Key Trends and Opportunities to 2026, published in December last year before the earthquake, the Turkish construction industry was expected to decline by 9.9 per cent in 2022 and 3 per cent in 2023, owing to weaknesses in the general economy amid the ongoing lira crisis and disruption stemming from the Russia-Ukraine conflict. According to GlobalData, Turkiye’s most active local contractors are Limak, Kolin, Dogus and Yapi Merkezi.

Industry figures in Turkiye do not expect the earthquake rebuilding programme to affect the appetite of these internationally active contractors for work in Saudi Arabia.

“There are two groups of contractors in Turkiye,” says an industry leader. “There are companies that work internationally, and there are others that are purely domestic. There are many mid-sized contracting companies that only work in Turkiye that are going to be involved with the rebuilding efforts.”

But even if the internationally focused contractors are still keen for work in Saudi Arabia, their ability to execute projects cost-effectively may be challenged as the earthquake rebuild programme increases the overall demand for people, materials and equipment.

There are already signs that Turkish resources will be redeployed to Turkiye from the GCC.

“There are people looking to source equipment in Qatar and send it to Turkiye to help with the reconstruction efforts,” says a Turkish contractor working in the GCC.

Companies focusing their expertise on national rebuilding efforts is nothing new. In 2011, when the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami damaged large parts of northeastern Japan, many Japanese construction companies working internationally and in the Middle East concentrated on rebuilding Japan. The construction work required for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics then meant many Japanese contractors did not return to the Middle East region.

Japan is different to Turkey. Japan is further away from the Middle East, its construction sector is widely regarded as lucrative with healthy margins, and its economy was less fragile. These things combined should mean Turkish interest in Saudi projects remains strong.

The more subtle question is how hungry for work contractors will be if there are more opportunities to work at home, and secondly, how cost-effective they will be if the demand for resources increases sharply.

Image: Hatay, Iskenderun, Turkey – 6 February 2023

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/10640199/main.gif
Colin Foreman

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

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Saudi Arabia’s Misk tenders residential package

    17 April 2026

     

    Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Bin Salman Foundation (Misk Foundation) has floated two tenders for the construction of a residential community in District 5 of Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Nonprofit City in Riyadh.

    The first tender is split into two packages, one that covers the construction of 237 villas and the other covering 223.

    The second tender covers the construction of a community centre, swimming pool, mosque and school.

    The bid submission deadline for both tenders is 27 April.

    Misk Foundation is jointly developing the project in collaboration with local real estate developer Kinan.

    The estimated SR900m ($240m) project will span an area of about 121,692 square metres.

    In March 2022, the Misk Foundation released the masterplan for Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Nonprofit City.

    Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud said in November 2021 that the Misk Foundation development in Riyadh will be the world’s first non-profit city.

    “Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Nonprofit City, which implements the digital twin model, will host academies; colleges; Misk schools; a conference centre; a science museum; and a creative centre offering a space to support the ambitions of innovators in sciences and new-generation technology, such as AI [artificial intelligence], IoT [Internet of Things] and robotics,” he said.  

    “It will also feature an arts academy and art gallery, a performing arts theatre, a play area, a cooking academy and an integrated residential complex.

    “In addition, the city will host venture capital firms and investors to support and incubate innovative enterprises to drive community contributions from around the world.”

    The consultants working on the project include Germany’s Albert Speer + Partner as master planner and architect, and UK-based Buro Happold as the engineer. The project manager for the first phase of construction is UK-based Mace.

    MEED’s April 2026 report on Saudi Arabia includes:

    > COMMENT: Risk accelerates Saudi spending shift
    > GVT &: ECONOMY: Riyadh navigates a changed landscape
    > BANKING: Testing times for Saudi banks
    > UPSTREAM: Offshore oil and gas projects to dominate Aramco capex in 2026
    > DOWNSTREAM: Saudi downstream projects market enters lean period
    > POWER: Wind power gathers pace in Saudi Arabia
    > WATER: Sharakat plan signals next phase of Saudi water expansion
    > CONSTRUCTION: Saudi construction enters a period of strategic readjustment
    > TRANSPORT: Rail expansion powers Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure push

    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16440697/main.png
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Saipem wins $400m of Safaniya field work from Aramco

    17 April 2026

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Italian contractor Saipem has announced winning two offshore engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contracts in Saudi Arabia, worth approximately $400m, which represent Saudi Aramco’s next expansion phase of the Safaniya offshore oil field development.

    MEED recently reported that Aramco had selected Saipem for the two contracts – numbers 154 and 155 on its Contract Release and Purchase Order (CRPO) system.

    Fabrication activities for the two contracts will be executed at Saipem’s Saudi fabrication yard in Dammam, Saipem Taqa Al-Rushaid Fabricators Company, the Milan-listed company said in its statement.

    Prior to winning the contracts for CRPOs 154 and 155, Saipem also secured the contract for CRPO 156, valued at about $500m, which forms the third package in Aramco’s latest Safaniya expansion phase.

    Aramco issued the three CRPOs to its Long-Term Agreement (LTA) pool of offshore contractors in February last year, with an initial bid submission deadline of 31 July. Aramco later extended the deadline to 28 August and then again to 31 August, with LTA contractors submitting bids on that date.

    The brief scope of EPCI work on the three tenders is as follows:

    CRPO 154:

    EPCI of a water injection tie-in platform; two production deck modules (PDMs)/wellhead platforms; approximately 5 kilometres (km) of associated pipeline, with diameters of 24 inches, and approximately 15km of 15kV cables at Safaniya; hook-ups; and subsea valve skids.

    CRPO 155:

    EPCI of four PDMs; intra-field and main trunklines to shore; and jackets.

    CRPO 156:

    EPCI of a 48-inch trunkline, covering a distance of about 65km offshore and 12km onshore, from the Safaniya offshore oil field to the onshore processing facility; and associated structures such as subsea hook-ups.

    The Safaniya field is the world’s largest offshore oil field, with a production capacity of nearly 1.2 million barrels a day. Discovered in 1951, the field is located in the Gulf waters, approximately 265km north of Aramco’s headquarters in Dhahran.

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

    Economic shock threatens long-term outlook; Riyadh adjusts to fiscal and geopolitical risk; GCC contractor ranking reflects gigaprojects slowdown.

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

    > GCC CONTRACTOR RANKING: Construction guard undergoes a shift
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here

     

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16439869/main5806.jpg
    Indrajit Sen
  • Ora Developers adds land bank to its Bayn masterplan

    17 April 2026

    Egyptian firm Ora Developers has signed a land acquisition agreement with Abu Dhabi-based developer Modon Holding to acquire an additional 4.8 million square metres (sq m) of land in the Ghantoot area between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

    Ora Developers said that the land acquisition will increase the existing Bayn masterplan from 4.8 million sq m to 9.6 million sq m.

    The firm added that the total investment in the masterplan upon completion is expected to reach AED30bn ($8bn).

    In January, Ora Developers appointed six engineering consultancies to lead the development of the first phase of its Bayn residential community project.

    The developer appointed UK-based firm Mace to lead the overall project management.

    Canadian firm WSP will serve as the masterplan, infrastructure, landscape and water bodies design consultant, as reported by MEED in May last year.

    Another US firm, Aecom, will provide construction supervision services.

    Hong Kong’s 10 Design is the project’s architectural concept design consultant.

    Local firm Dewan Architects & Engineers is the project’s design consultant and architect of record.

    The UK’s Currie & Brown is the cost consultant.

    The first phase will offer 805 villas and townhouses, and the project is expected to be completed in 2028.

    The project will also include a neighbourhood park, sports facilities, a water park, a five-star hotel and a shopping mall.

    In December last year, Abu Dhabi government-owned contractor NMDC Group won a AED142m ($39m) contract from Ora Developers.

    The contract scope covers the execution of enabling works on the Bayn masterplan.

    The main construction works on the project's first phase are expected to begin in the second quarter of this year.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16439214/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Firms prepare best offers for Riyadh Metro Line 7

    17 April 2026

     

    Consortiums are preparing to submit best and final offers on 21 April for the design and build of Riyadh Metro’s Line 7.

    The Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) opened the commercial proposals for the contract earlier this month, as MEED reported.

    Contractors submitted their commercial proposals on 31 January.

    In February, MEED reported that the RCRC had started post-tender clarifications with bidders for the project.

    The project involves constructing a metro line linking the Qiddiya Entertainment City development, King Abdullah International Gardens, King Salman Park, Misk City and Diriyah Gate.

    The line will be about 65 kilometres (km) long, of which 47km will be underground and 19km will be elevated. It will have 19 stations, 14 of which will be underground and five above ground.

    According to sources close to the project, the consortiums are:

    • Alstom (France) / Webuild (Italy) / Nesma (local) / China Harbour Engineering Company (China)
    • Siemens (Germany) / FCC (Spain) / Orascom Construction (Egypt) / Shibh Al-Jazira Contracting Company (local)
    • Hitachi Rail (Japan) / Larsen & Toubro (India) / Albawani (local) / Kalyon (Turkiye) / Cengiz (Turkiye) 
    • CRRC (China) / Mapa (Turkiye) / Limak (Turkiye)

    Earlier this month, MEED exclusively reported that firms have submitted bids for a contract covering the project management consultancy services for the construction of Riyadh Metro Line 7.

    Riyadh Metro’s first phase features six lines with 84 stations. The RCRC completed the phased roll-out of the Riyadh Metro network when it started operating the Orange Line in January this year.

    Construction has also begun on the next phase of Riyadh Metro, the Line 2 extension.

    In July last year, MEED exclusively reported that the RCRC had awarded an estimated $800m-$900m contract for the project.

    The contract was awarded to Arriyadh New Mobility Consortium, led by Italy’s Webuild. 

    The group also includes India’s Larsen & Toubro, Saudi Arabia’s Nesma & Partners and France’s Alstom.

    The Orange Line, also known as Line 3, stretches from east to west, from Jeddah Road to the Second Eastern Ring Road, covering a total distance of 41km. 

    The line covers 8.4km, of which 1.3km is elevated and 7.1km is underground. It includes five stations – two elevated and three underground.

    It will run from the current terminus of Line 2 at King Saud University (KSU) and continue to new stations at KSU Medical City, KSU West, Diriyah East and Diriyah Central – where it will interchange with the planned Line 7 – before terminating at Diriyah South.

    MEED’s April 2026 report on Saudi Arabia includes:

    > COMMENT: Risk accelerates Saudi spending shift
    > GVT &: ECONOMY: Riyadh navigates a changed landscape
    > BANKING: Testing times for Saudi banks
    > UPSTREAM: Offshore oil and gas projects to dominate Aramco capex in 2026
    > DOWNSTREAM: Saudi downstream projects market enters lean period
    > POWER: Wind power gathers pace in Saudi Arabia
    > WATER: Sharakat plan signals next phase of Saudi water expansion
    > CONSTRUCTION: Saudi construction enters a period of strategic readjustment
    > TRANSPORT: Rail expansion powers Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure push

    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16438898/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Kuwait prepares to tender LNG project

    17 April 2026

    Kuwait's Central Agency for Public Tenders (Capt) is preparing to issue a tender for the construction of an LNG reliquefaction unit at Al-Zour LNG import terminal.

    The client on the project is state-owned Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company (Kipic).

    The project is focused on the development of a boil-off-gas unit at the import terminal, according to a report in Kuwait’s Al-Anba newspaper.

    The project scope include engineering, procurement and construction works, along with pre-commissioning, commissioning and performance testing services.

    The list of pre-qualified companies is:

    • Fluor (US)
    • GS Engineering & Construction (South Korea)
    • Tecnicas Reunidas (Spain)
    • Larsen & Toubro (India)
    • Hyundai Engineering (South Korea)
    • CTCI Corporation (Taiwan)
    • Daewoo Engineering & Construction (South Korea)
    • Hyundai Engineering & Construction (South Korea)
    • Saipem (Italy)
    • Samsung Engineering (South Korea)
    • Sinopec Engineering (China)
    • JGC Holdings (Japan)
    • KBR (US)
    • China National Petroleum Corporation (China)
    • Technip (France)

    Kuwait’s LNG import terminal is currently not operating due to disruption caused by the US and Israel’s war with Iran.

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

    Economic shock threatens long-term outlook; Riyadh adjusts to fiscal and geopolitical risk; GCC contractor ranking reflects gigaprojects slowdown.

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

    > GCC CONTRACTOR RANKING: Construction guard undergoes a shift
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here

     

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16426605/main.png
    Wil Crisp