Related Articles

• 
  Aramco evaluates bids for three key offshore tenders

  19 August 2025

  

  Saudi Aramco is currently evaluating bids for three tenders related to the engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) of key infrastructure at the Abu Safah, Berri, Karan, Marjan and Safaniya offshore oil and gas fields in Saudi Arabia.

  According to sources, the tenders are listed as CRPOs 162, 163 and 164 on Aramco’s Contract Release and Purchase Order (CRPO) system.

  Contractors in Aramco’s Long-Term Agreement (LTA) pool of offshore service providers submitted technical bids for these CRPOs by 16 July, and commercial bids by 29 July, sources told MEED.

  The summarised EPCI scope for the three tenders is as follows:

  CRPO 162:

  Abu Safah and Berri fields: replacement of two rigid pipelines – a 30-inch pipeline stretching 23.98 kilometres, and a 20-inch pipeline, 10.23km-long; replacement of one flexible 10-inch pipeline that spans 5.1km; modification work on topsides.

  CRPO 163:

  Marjan and Safaniya fields: replacement of seven rigid pipelines covering a total length of 26.93km; and modification work on topsides.

  CRPO 164:

  Karan field: installation of a new 15kV submarine composite power cable with a length of approximately 45km.

  Aramco's LTA pool of offshore service providers comprises the following entities:

  • Saipem (Italy)
  • McDermott International (US)
  • Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon (LTEH, India) / Subsea7 (UK)
  • NMDC Energy (UAE)
  • Lamprell (UAE/Saudi Arabia)
  • China Offshore Oil Engineering Company 
  • Dynamic Industries (US)
  • Sapura Energy (Malaysia)
  • TechnipFMC (France) / MMHE (Malaysia)
  • Hyundai Heavy Industries (South Korea)

  Aramco renewed its LTAs in April with the following contractors, whose contracts had either lapsed or were close to expiry:

  • Saipem
  • McDermott International
  • Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon / Subsea7
  • NMDC Energy
  • Lamprell
  • China Offshore Oil Engineering Company

  Offshore contract awards rebound

  Concerns had grown in Saudi Arabia’s offshore market as EPCI contract awards stalled earlier this year.

  Aramco spent a record $5bn on offshore EPCI contracts in 2024 and was expected to exceed that in 2025. However, it did not award any CRPO in the first half of the year, fuelling concern among contractors and suppliers.

  In July, Aramco dispelled speculation by selecting contractors for five CRPOs – numbers 150, 157, 158, 159 and 160 – worth over $3bn. These involve EPCI work and infrastructure upgrades at the Abu Safah, Berri, Manifa, Marjan and Zuluf offshore fields.

  Furthermore, frontrunners have emerged for four more CRPOs that are part of a large-scale project to expand infrastructure at the Zuluf offshore field development. The tenders are CRPOs 145, 146, 147 and 148, and their combined value is estimated to be almost $6bn.

  Although official contracts for these CRPOs have yet to be issued, Aramco is expected to formally award the jobs to the contractors it has selected from its LTA pool within the third quarter.

  When these contract awards take place, Aramco will have almost doubled its capex on offshore projects this year compared to 2024, marking yet another year of robust upstream project spending.

  Furthermore, it is understood there are at least seven more CRPOs – including 162, 163 and 164 – that LTA contractors are preparing bids for.

  

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  Indrajit Sen
• 
  Neom seeks firms for Oxagon highway upgrade

  19 August 2025

  

   

  Saudi Arabia’s Neom has invited firms to express interest in a contract for permanent upgrade works on Highway 55 in the Oxagon region.

  The expression of interest notice was issued on 12 August, with a submission deadline of 20 August.

  The scope of work includes the construction of 22 kilometres (km) of road, with three lanes in each direction. It also covers two bridges and four interchanges.

  The upgrade works have been divided into two sections: the north and south sections, each comprising 11km of roadway, one bridge and two interchanges.

  The contract duration is 34 months from the start of construction.

  Highway 55 connects the Red Sea coast with the mainland in northwestern Saudi Arabia. It currently serves as the only road providing north-south connectivity between Duba and the Neom region.

  The project is expected to support the movement of cargo vehicles from Duba Port to other parts of the country and the wider region.

  In July, Neom tested a pilot initiative by handling a shipment that travelled from Cairo via the Port of Safaga, across the Red Sea to the Port of Neom, and then inland to Erbil, Iraq.

  In a statement, Neom said: “The shipment travelled through an intermodal corridor spanning over 900 kilometres, marking a significant milestone in the kingdom’s transformation into a regional and global logistics hub.”

  The initiative was conceptualised by the Port of Neom and jointly undertaken with the Logistics Partnership Council.

  According to Neom, the initiative “more than halved the transit time between key regional trading hubs linking Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iraq”.

  The Port of Neom is located on the Red Sea near the Arar border, a key entry point into Iraq.

  Neom said the pilot lays the foundation for a scalable model to enhance inland logistics connectivity within the region. The initiative could be expanded further to support transit trade and contribute to the Saudi Vision 2030 goal of building a diversified economy.

  

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14496538/main.jpg

  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Masdar and partners close financing for 2GW Saudi solar plant

  19 August 2025

  Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) and consortium partners GD Power and Korea Electric Power Corporation have reached financial close for the 2GW Al-Sadawi solar photovoltaic project in Saudi Arabia.

  The project is part of the National Renewable Energy Programme, which is led and supervised by the Saudi Ministry of Energy.

  Financing facilities have been secured with eight leading regional and international banks. The funds will cover a substantial portion of the project’s estimated $1.1bn cost.

  The Al-Sadawi independent power producer project marks a key milestone in Saudi Arabia’s ambition to achieve 50% renewable energy in its energy mix by 2030.

  The plant will be one of the world’s largest solar installations and is expected to significantly reduce carbon emissions in the kingdom.

  Located in the Eastern Province, the project will be developed on a build, own and operate basis. A 25-year power purchase agreement was signed with Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) in late 2024.

  The plant is expected to begin early generation at full capacity in early 2027, with commercial operations targeted for the same year.

  The participating banks in the Al-Sadawi financing include Standard Chartered Bank, Kexim, ADCB, BNP Paribas, ADIB, Bank of China, HSBC and Societe Generale.

  

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14496290/main.jpg

  Mark Dowdall
• 
  Local contractor submits lowest bid for Dubai water pipeline

  19 August 2025

  Green Oasis General Contracting Company has submitted the lowest bid for a tender to supply, install, test and commission glass-reinforced epoxy (GRE) water transmission pipelines in Dubai.

  The project is part of Dubai’s ongoing efforts to enhance its water transmission infrastructure.

  The bidders and their total prices are:

  • Green Oasis General Contracting Company: AED289.57m ($78.7m)
  • Gulf Petrochemical Services (Section A only): AED147.33m ($40.1m)
  • Oman International Telecommunication: AED393.09m ($106.8m)
  • Tristar Engineering & Construction: AED409.48m ($111.2m)
  • Alnasr Contracting Company: AED427.14m ($115.9m)
  • Dineshchandra R. Agrawal Infracon Private: AED438.03m ($118.9m)

  The tender was issued by Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (Dewa), with a bid submission deadline of 14 August 2025.

  The project is expected to be completed over 18 months with an additional 60-day buffer period.

  By using GRE technology, the project reduces maintenance needs compared with traditional piping, improving cost-effectiveness over the system’s lifecycle.

  Some bidders offered a lower conditional price if multiple sections of the project are awarded, including Alnasr Contracting, Dineshchandra R. Agrawal and Oman International Telecommunication. Gulf Petrochemical Services, meanwhile, only quoted for Section A of the project rather than the entire scope.

  All approved bids were submitted online, and each bidder provided the required bank guarantees for the tender.

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14496126/main.jpg

  Mark Dowdall
• 
  Lowest bidder emerges for Kuwait’s Doha desalination plant

  19 August 2025

  Kuwait-based Heavy Engineering Industries & Shipbuilding Company has submitted the lowest bid for a tender to supply, install, operate and maintain the second phase of the Doha seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant in Kuwait.

  The project scope includes the installation of reverse osmosis desalination facilities, along with alkalinisation equipment for the treated water.

  The bidders and their prices are:

  • Heavy Engineering Industries & Shipbuilding Company: KD114.28m ($373.2m)
  • Cox Water SL: KD164.80m ($538.1m)
  • Orascom Construction: KD174.13m ($568.4m)

  The tender was issued by Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water & Renewable Energy, and the deadline closed on 5 August 2025.

  The Doha SWRO desalination plant is part of Kuwait’s broader programme to expand water production capacity and reduce reliance on thermal desalination methods.

  In April, MEED reported that Kuwait had retendered the contract for the facility.

  The ministry had previously cancelled the initial tender in June last year. 

  When it was first tendered, the Doha SWRO phase two project was expected to have a capacity of 60 million imperial gallons a day (MIGD).

  The Ministry of Electricity & Water awarded South Korea’s Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction – now known as Doosan Enerbility – a $422m contract in May 2016 to build the 60 MIGD Doha 1 SWRO plant.

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  Mark Dowdall