meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Investing in Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure opportunities

2 April 2025

 

Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

With a background in private banking and asset management, Edmond de Rothschild is an established player in infrastructure investment. Since launching its infrastructure platform in 2014, the firm has raised over $6.5bn, ranking among Europe’s top infrastructure debt investors.

The bank prides itself on a conviction-led approach. “We at Edmond de Rothschild are a company that has convictions. Private markets are not a broad, generalist approach for us; we adopt a highly focused strategy, particularly in infrastructure,” says Jean-Francis Dusch, CEO of Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management UK and global head of infrastructure and structured finance.

This strategic approach has allowed Edmond de Rothschild to establish itself as a key player in infrastructure finance, growing from a small team of fewer than 10 people in 2014 to one that has now raised billions in capital. “We decided to focus first on real estate, then private equity with very specific strategies, and finally infrastructure, where we maintain a global approach,” says Dusch.

Edmond de Rothschild initially engaged in advisory services for governments and private consortiums, providing expertise in project implementation. The firm’s work in the public-private partnership (PPP) space led to the development of a dedicated infrastructure lending platform. “In less than 10 months from the initial idea being discussed, we raised $400m. Fast forward to today, and we have now raised more than $6.5bn, positioning us as a major player in infrastructure debt,” says Dusch.

Saudi infrastructure

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 has set the stage for significant infrastructure development, and Edmond de Rothschild is positioning itself to play a crucial role. “Saudi Arabia is already the largest infrastructure market in the region, and we see significant opportunities to contribute,” says Dusch.

A major part of Edmond de Rothschild’s approach focuses on debt financing rather than equity. “The platform I represent is dedicated to debt. There has been a lot of equity investment from the kingdom and the strong regional banks, as well as large global banks. However, as infrastructure investment accelerates, we anticipate a liquidity gap that we can help bridge,” says Dusch.

This is particularly relevant given Saudi Arabia’s ambitious infrastructure programmes. “With Vision 2030 driving development, the need for private liquidity will increase. Our goal is to provide that liquidity in a structured way, supporting sustainable capital structures while ensuring robust returns for investors,” he says.

To reinforce its commitment, Edmond de Rothschild has established a local joint venture in Saudi Arabia.

The firm takes a diversified approach to infrastructure, ensuring it remains at the forefront of evolving sector trends. “Ten years ago, infrastructure was primarily about transport and social infrastructure,” says Dusch. “But we have always believed it also includes renewable energy, digital infrastructure and decarbonisation efforts.” 

The shift toward digital infrastructure has been particularly notable. “The rise of AI and data-driven technologies has increased demand for digital infrastructure. Sustainable data centres, fibre optics and digital connectivity are becoming key pillars of modern infrastructure investment,” says Dusch.

Edmond de Rothschild’s portfolio comprises a mix of greenfield and brownfield infrastructure projects. “As a project financier, our natural inclination is to focus on new projects. However, when managing
investor capital, we also look at brownfield projects that require modernisation. About 30% of our portfolio is greenfield, and 70% is brownfield,” says Dusch.

This focus aligns with the evolving nature of infrastructure investment. “Assets need to be modernised,
especially in energy transition and digitalisation,” he says. “Many brownfield projects are still in a growth phase, so while they are technically existing assets, they require significant new investment.”

Broader region

While Saudi Arabia is the focus, Edmond de Rothschild is also eyeing broader regional expansion. “Our goal is to develop a multibillion-dollar infrastructure programme in the region, as we did in Europe. The first step is Saudi Arabia, where we have strong local partners. However, we aim to expand our coverage to other GCC countries over time,” says Dusch.

We don’t need to do everything – we focus on areas where we can add real value

This approach mirrors the firm’s European expansion strategy. “In Europe, we started with a focused mandate in core markets and gradually expanded,” he says. “We plan to follow a similar trajectory in the Middle East, leveraging our experience and track record to drive growth.”

One of the critical questions for international investors is whether Saudi projects are investment-ready. “It’s a mix,” he acknowledges. “Like in Europe, large programmes are announced, and while not every project is immediately ready, there is a concrete pipeline of opportunities.”

Edmond de Rothschild sees particular potential in small to mid-sized projects. “The debt instruments we offer are currently more suited to small and medium-sized projects rather than megaprojects. However, as the market evolves, we anticipate broader participation,” he says.

Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure financing model is also undergoing a shift. “Previously, infrastructure was largely government-led with a first-generation PPP approach. Now, we are seeing more private sector initiatives. Europe has largely transitioned to private infrastructure development, and Saudi Arabia is following a similar path,” says Dusch.

Long-term commitment

With infrastructure demand growing across sectors, Edmond de Rothschild will remain selective with its strategy. “We don’t need to do everything – we focus on areas where we can add real value. That is what has made us successful, and that’s the approach we will continue in Saudi Arabia and beyond.” 

Hear directly from the gigaproject owners at the biggest construction event—The Saudi Giga Projects 2025 Summit, happening in Riyadh from 12-14 May 2025. Click here to know more

MEED’s April 2025 report on Saudi Arabia includes:

> GOVERNMENT: Riyadh takes the diplomatic initiative
> ECONOMY: Saudi Arabia’s non-oil economy forges onward
> BANKING: Saudi banks work to keep pace with credit expansion
> UPSTREAM: Saudi oil and gas spending to surpass 2024 level
> DOWNSTREAM: Aramco’s recalibrated chemical goals reflect realism
> POWER: Saudi power sector enters busiest year
> WATER: Saudi water contracts set another annual record
> CONSTRUCTION: Reprioritisation underpins Saudi construction
> TRANSPORT: Riyadh pushes ahead with infrastructure development
> DATABANK: Saudi Arabia’s growth trend heads up

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13550738/main.jpg
Colin Foreman

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

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • WEBINAR: End-of-Year Mena Market Review

    13 November 2026

    Webinar: The big questions shaping the Gulf market. You decide what gets debated.
    Tuesday 24 November 2026  | 11:00 AM GST  |  Register now

    What makes this session particularly interesting is that the audience gets to decide the agenda. Registrants can vote for the topics they’d like Ed and Colin to debate, with the most popular questions forming the final shortlist for the live session.

    Topics in the ballot:

    • Is the Gulf trying to build too much, too quickly?
    • Saudi Arabia or the UAE: where would you place your next big bet?
    • Are gigaprojects the best use of public money?
    • Who is really responsible when projects go wrong?
    • Should the lowest-price tender become a thing of the past?
    • Can private capital take over from the government in financing infrastructure and diversification?
    • Is the Gulf’s AI and data centre boom a smart bet or the next overbuilding risk?
    • Should the Gulf double down on hydrocarbons to fund diversification?
    • Is localisation strengthening the economy or making delivery harder?
    • Are Gulf countries building complementary economies or competing for the same customers?

    The session will also feature live audience polling and Q&A, giving attendees an opportunity to share their views.

    Hosted by: 

    Edward James, head of content and analysis at MEED

    A well-known and respected thought leader in Mena affairs, Edward James has been with MEED for more than 19 years, working as a researcher, consultant and content director. Today, he heads up all content and research produced by the MEED group. His specific areas of expertise are construction, hydrocarbons, power and water, and the petrochemicals market. He is considered one of the world’s foremost experts on the Mena projects market. He is a regular guest commentator on Middle East issues for news channels such as the BBC, CNN and ABC News and is a regular speaker at events in the region. 

    Colin Foreman, editor of MEED 

    Colin Foreman is editor and a specialist construction journalist for news and analysis on MEED.com and the MEED Business Review magazine. He has been reporting on the region since 2003, specialising in the construction sector and its impact on the broader economy. He has reported exclusively on a wide range of projects across the region including Dubai Metro, the Burj Khalifa, Jeddah Airport, Doha Metro, Hamad International airport and Yas Island. Before joining MEED, Colin reported on the construction sector in Hong Kong.

    Click here to register

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/21380319/main.gif
    MEED Editorial
  • Syntys breaks ground on 20MW Qatar data centre

    13 November 2026

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Qatari data centre developer Syntys has broken ground on a 20MW facility to support hyperscale, cloud, artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced computing deployments.

    The groundbreaking ceremony took place on 12 November. It was attended by Qatar’s Communications & Information Technology Minister, Mohammed bin Ali bin Mohammed Al-Mannai, along with representatives from Ooredoo Group, Microsoft, Google, Kahramaa, the National Cyber Security Agency, Qatar Free Zones Authority and local banks.

    Syntys said the facility is being developed on an existing company campus, where power, fibre connectivity and an operational team are already in place. The company has yet to disclose the project value or planned completion date.

    The facility is designed to meet Tier 3 requirements and accommodate a range of rack densities, including higher-density configurations for graphics processing unit (GPU)-based AI and high-performance computing workloads.

    It will operate as a carrier-neutral facility, allowing customers to select connectivity providers and establish network resilience in line with their own technical and operational requirements.

    The project forms part of Syntys’ strategy to expand its Qatar platform through acquisitions and new development. Earlier this year, the company acquired QData QFZ, adding two operational, Tier 3-compliant, carrier-neutral facilities to its portfolio.

    Syntys now owns and operates four campuses in Qatar, allowing customers to establish primary and disaster-recovery environments at separate in-country locations.

    The company also designs and operates the facilities supporting Ooredoo’s sovereign AI cloud, which uses Nvidia Hopper GPUs.

    The development comes as Qatar implements its Digital Agenda 2030, which identifies digital infrastructure as one of six strategic pillars and targets about QR40bn ($11bn) in economic impact by 2030.

    The data centre is expected to support the growth of in-country digital services and enable sensitive workloads to remain within Qatar’s national borders.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/21378257/main1028.png
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Jereh wins $392m Bu Hasa oil field facilities project

    13 November 2026

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    The onshore oil and gas business of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc Onshore) has awarded China’s Jereh Group a contract valued at AED1.44bn ($392.1m) for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of wellhead surface facilities and flowlines at the Bu Hasa cluster of oil fields in Abu Dhabi.

    The cluster includes the Bu Hasa, Bida Al-Qemzan and Huwaila fields. The objective of the project is to build wellhead surface facilities and lay gathering flowlines that will connect new wells to the existing production network.

    The scope of work on the project also covers the design, fabrication and installation of:

    • production well module skids
    • gas lift skids, which inject gas into wells to help lift the oil
    • skid-mounted wellhead control panels
    • solar power units

    The framework agreement awarded by Adnoc Onshore on a call-off basis has a duration of 36 months, with an extendable option of 24 months, Jereh said in a filing with China’s Shenzhen Stock Exchange, where it is listed.

    Adnoc Onshore is Adnoc Group’s largest production subsidiary, accounting for about 2 million barrels a day (b/d) of crude and about 7 billion cubic feet a day of associated gas from four primary onshore asset clusters: Bab, Bu Hasa, North East Bab and South East.

    Maintaining and enhancing oil output levels at the Bu Hasa asset is critical to Adnoc Onshore’s contribution to parent company Adnoc Group’s target of expanding crude oil production capacity to 5 million b/d by 2027, an initiative known as Accelerated Integrated Programme 5. The state energy company’s total production capacity currently stands at approximately 4.85 million b/d.

    Prior to this contract, Adnoc Onshore selected Jereh Oil & Gas Engineering Company in 2024 for a project to digitally connect 2,443 wells at the Bab, Bu Hasa and South East cluster of onshore oil fields in Abu Dhabi for remote operations. The contract, formally awarded in 2025, was valued at $920m.

    Abu Dhabi contracts

    The contract for the Bu Hasa wellhead facilities and flowlines is among a trio of projects totalling approximately $2.7bn that has been awarded by Adnoc Group in recent weeks, Jereh announced in its stock market filing.

    The largest of the three contracts, valued at $1.7bn, is for the Ruwais Diyab unconventional gas development in Abu Dhabi. Awarded to Jereh on a design, build and operate model, the contract has a duration of 29 months for construction works and 60 months of operations, with up to two five-year extensions available.

    Adnoc achieved final investment decision on the Ruwais Diyab unconventional gas development project on 2 November, during the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference 2026.

    The project will deliver 345 million standard cubic feet a day (scf/d) of raw gas from 2029 over a 25-year period, with the potential to reach up to 1 billion scf/d in the future.

    The scope of work on the Ruwais Diyab project covers:

    • wellsite facilities
    • a central processing facility
    • gas gathering pipelines and product export pipelines
    • utilities

    The plant will treat the raw gas and recover the liquids produced with it. It will also treat produced water, which is the water that comes up from the wells with the gas, and recover sulphur. Finished products will be delivered to designated receiving facilities.

    When the operation period ends, Jereh will either hand the facilities over to Adnoc or decommission them and restore the site, as the contract and the owner require.

    The third contract covers Adnoc Onshore’s Bab and North East Bab 1 tie-in project, where the main scope of work involves tying in new oil producer wells and removing and modifying surface facilities at existing producer wells.

    The project’s scope also covers supporting works for water supply wells, water injection wells, disposal wells and water-alternating-gas injection wells. Several existing wells will also be upgraded with digital systems.

    Jereh said the value of its contract is $599m, with a duration of 60 months. Similar to the Bu Hasa project, this contract also uses a framework model wherein Adnoc Onshore will issue work orders in batches according to its execution plans.

    MEED previously reported that Adnoc Onshore had divided the scope of work on the Bab and North East Bab 1 tie-in project into 18 EPC packages. Along with Jereh, Adnoc Onshore has picked Abu Dhabi-based Robt Stone Middle East for a portion of work on the project.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/21355151/main3320.jpg
    Indrajit Sen
  • PDO awards contract for Al-Ghubar oil field project

    12 November 2026

     

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) has awarded the main contract for a project to build a facility to handle additional oil production from the Al-Ghubar field in the sultanate.

    The Al-Ghubar field is located in the Ghaba Salt Basin at Qarn Alam, within majority state-owned PDO’s Block 6 concession area.

    The Al-Ghubar gas-oil gravity drainage (GOGD) facility will be designed as a sour (hydrogen sulphide) facility and is expected to handle a maximum oil production rate of 1,800 standard cubic metres a day (cm/d), a total water flow rate of up to 10,421 standard cm/d and gas lift of up to 256,934 standard cm/d. Production from the planned Al-Ghubar GOGD facility will be exported to PDO’s main oil line.

    China-based Jereh Group has won the contract for the Al-Ghubar GOGD facility project, sources told MEED.

    A project kick-off meeting between PDO and Jereh has also recently taken place, the sources said.

    MEED previously reported that Jereh had emerged as the lowest bidder for the project.

    The following contractors, among others, are understood to have been bidding for the Al-Ghubar GOGD facility project:

    • Engineering for the Petroleum & Process Industries (Egypt) / Petrojet (Egypt)
    • GS Engineering & Construction (South Korea)
    • Jereh (China)
    • Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon (India)

    PDO floated the tender for the Al-Ghubar GOGD facility project in March, setting an initial bid submission deadline of 4 May, MEED previously reported.

    PDO later extended the deadlines for the submission of technical and commercial bids to 26 July and 7 August, respectively. Contractors submitted technical proposals by the revised deadline, according to sources.

    After receiving the technical bids for the project in July, PDO granted contractors until 16 August to submit commercial bids. It eventually extended the deadline to 1 September, with contractors submitting commercial proposals by that date, as MEED reported.

    The scope of work on the Al-Ghubar GOGD project covers the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of the following:

    • On-plot scope, consisting of:
      • Production separator  
      • Test separator  
      • Concentric wash tank
      • Wet oil pump
      • Water bath heater
      • Surge tank
      • Gas injection/gas lift compressor (centrifugal)
      • Utilities (instrument air compressors, chemical injection skids, drain system, vent system) 
      • Suction scrubber
      • Air coolers
      • Discharge scrubbers
      • Condensate flash drum
      • Atmospheric pressure knock-out drum 
      • Flare system
      • Gas heater
      • Water disposal pump
      • Oil shipping pump
      • 132kV substation and plant substation (housing 6.6kV and 415-Volt switchboard)
      • Control room
         
    • Off-plot scope consisting of:
      • Off-plot pipeline network (bulk header, test header, gathering infrastructure/ gathering line header, instrument air header, water disposal header)
      • Two remote manifold stations 
      • Tie-in connection to main oil line
      • Tie-in to gas network pipeline

    PDO previously intended to tender the Al-Ghubar GOGD project under its framework structure with selected EPC contractors, but ultimately tendered it separately.

    PDO is the operator of Oman’s Block 6 hydrocarbons concession, the sultanate’s largest and most prolific concession. Situated onshore and covering an area of 75,119 square kilometres, Block 6 contains 202 oil fields and 43 gas fields. PDO produces approximately 680,000 barrels a day of oil and condensates from the fields.

    The Omani government holds a 60% stake in PDO through Energy Development Oman. The other shareholders are UK-based Shell (34%), France’s TotalEnergies (4%) and Thailand’s state-owned PTTEP (2%).

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/21345337/main2647.jpg
    Indrajit Sen
  • Laing O’Rourke joins the international exit list

    12 November 2026

    Commentary
    Colin Foreman
    Editor

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Laing O’Rourke’s decision to seek a buyer for its Middle East business marks the end of an era for UAE construction.

    In the early 2000s, the contractor was among the leading names in the market. Its work at Dubai International airport, the Atlantis hotel on the Palm Jumeirah and the ski slope at Mall of the Emirates made it arguably the UAE’s most prominent contractor during the pre-global financial crisis construction boom.

    Its activities were not limited to Dubai. A partnering agreement with Aldar for Al-Raha Beach then made it the most active contractor in Abu Dhabi almost overnight.

    The global financial crisis changed its fortunes. The Aldar Laing O’Rourke joint venture ended. Unsettled by payment problems and wider stress in the industry, the company took a more cautious approach to clients and projects in the region. One executive at the time told MEED: “You might see lots of tower cranes, but none of them are doing work that we would want to do.”

    The contractor’s appetite partially returned in the late 2010s, when it won Al-Wasl Plaza at the Expo 2020 site in Dubai. It also became a leading player in the growing data centre market, delivering facilities for repeat clients, including Khazna and Equinix.

    Data centres have since been its focus. These are significant projects, but they lack the public profile of the airport, Atlantis and Al-Wasl Plaza. As its profile faded, the company sold its UAE joinery arm to Dubai-based Arco Turnkey Solutions in 2025.

    Laing O’Rourke now looks set to follow other international contractors that have, for various reasons, left the region, including Murray & Roberts, Balfour Beatty, Multiplex, Carillion and Bam. With a record £17.2bn order book anchored by UK and Australian infrastructure, the group’s priorities clearly lie elsewhere.

    Whoever buys the business will inherit strong data centre credentials. For much of the market, however, Laing O’Rourke will be remembered for the landmark projects that defined the UAE’s boom years.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/21344577/main.jpg
    Colin Foreman