meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Liquidity drives project finance appetite

27 October 2023

 

This report on project finance and PPP also includes: PPP activity rebounds in 2023

Activity in the Gulf region has triggered a boom in the project finance market, with Saudi Arabia leading the way on the back of schemes linked to its Vision 2030 strategy.

Deals are fanning out from power and water and infrastructure schemes into unexplored territory: hydrogen projects and ever-larger solar power plants have opened up opportunities for international and regional banks that are awash with liquidity and looking for long-term means to deploy it.

Deal advisers attest to the vibrancy of Saudi Arabia, the largest regional projects market with $1.2tn-worth of known work in the pipeline. The kingdom has seen the largest project financing this year, a facility worth at least $6bn arranged for the Neom green hydrogen project.

“Saudi Arabia is a market that really is firing on all cylinders,” says Rob Harker, a partner at law firm DLA Piper, which advised Neom Green Hydrogen Company in connection with its green hydrogen and ammonia project in Saudi Arabia.

“That demand is not limited to utility sector projects. In addition to the very large solar and wind projects – including a Saudi solar deal that is 1.1GW – we are also seeing a large volume of social infrastructure projects being procured across the GCC, including in education, healthcare, social accommodation and transport,” he adds. 

“Bank debt – both regional and international – is still the principal source of financing for these projects. However, robustly structured projects should also be attractive, particularly on a refinancing, to a capital markets issuance.”

Robust liquidity support

There is increased liquidity in the regional banking market, notes John Dewar, partner in international law firm Milbank’s global project, energy and infrastructure practice, which advised the export credit agencies (ECAs) and commercial banks in connection with Project Lightning, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s offshore power transmission project.

“With the bullish medium-term oil price outlook, there is significant liquidity in the Saudi and UAE bank markets, with these banks looking to on-lend their petrodollar deposits on a longer-term basis.”

This still poses some challenges. Analysts note that despite the bountiful credit availability, things can change.

“There is still a lot of liquidity in the system in the GCC, but some have voiced concerns that liquidity in the banking market could dry up in the future if they have to compete with projects that are much larger in scale,” says Christiane Kuti, a director at Fitch Ratings. 

“Overall liquidity in the market could get tight at some point, although we are not there at the moment.”

Even then, notes Kuti, a lower oil price could add impetus to the need to develop frameworks to make projects more bankable, and provide an opportunity for the capital market to play a bigger role.

Most of the larger deals are witnessing a heterodox mix of local and international banks participating. For example, a consortium of five local and international banks has agreed to provide $545m of financing for the Rabigh 4 independent water producer project in Saudi Arabia, with Standard Chartered Bank lining up alongside Bank of China and the local trio of Saudi National Bank, Riyad Bank and Saudi Investment Bank.

The Chinese bank presence is a pointer. “We have seen Chinese banks participating in project finance deals, and that is set to continue as they are not as constrained as some of the regional banks in terms of the tenor on which they can lend. Their ability to lend on a longer-term tenor is sometimes attractive for sponsors and developers,” a source tells MEED.

The flipside of this is that Chinese lenders are less knowledgeable about the market.

Global uncertainties

Despite the robust oil price climate, project financings across the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region have had to cope with a choppy global interest rate environment, with inflationary pressures also impinging.

Higher interest rates have militated against the use of capital market instruments in some regional deals. For Abu Dhabi’s subsea transmission system deal, which reached financial close earlier this year, higher interest rates were responsible for adding $200m to the $3.8bn deal.

This has implications for other projects that are seeking refinancing on the capital market. In Saudi Arabia, BlackRock-led investors in Saudi Aramco’s gas pipeline network attempted early in 2023 to raise $4.5bn from a sale of bonds to refinance a multibillion-dollar loan. The 10-year mature sukuk (Islamic bond) tranche spread placed it about 120 basis points above where Aramco bonds maturing in October 2030 were trading, according to Reuters’ calculations.

Another consortium led by US-based energy infrastructure investment firm EIG Global Energy Partners had also looked to the bond markets to refinance.

“The EIG and BlackRock-led consortiums investing in Saudi Aramco’s oil and gas pipelines infrastructure have been looking to refinance more than $20bn of acquisition debt,” says Dewar. 

“Both have been active in the bond market, but the interest rate environment has moved against bonds, so there has been an increasing focus by borrowers on accessing other longer-term liquidity sources, particularly from the highly liquid regional banks.”

Capital market instruments

For the moment, capital market instruments are largely confined to refinancing rather than greenfield projects. However, once some of these projects are financed, it could encourage others to lend on that basis.

“Once a project has been up and running, and it has got consistent revenue from the offtaker of the electricity or the water, and they are paying an index-linked revenue stream that is 100 per cent take or pay and insulated from the erosion of any inflationary pressures, that is very attractive for bondholders, pension funds and other institutions that want stable revenues,” says one industry insider.

Beyond the Gulf, Egypt has managed to attract project finance for its renewable energy schemes, with significant ECA support. In March 2023, a $690m non-recourse financing was arranged for the 500MW Gulf of Suez Wind 2 project in Egypt. 

The renewable energy push has continued after Cairo’s hosting of the 2022 Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (Cop27). The drive has included the Amunet wind and Abydos solar projects closed by Amea Power, as well as the Gulf of Suez Wind 2 project sponsored by Engie, TTC-Eurus and Orascom.

“They are both important deals in a global context because they mark the first occasions on which the Japanese ECAs have co-financed with the International Finance Corporation and the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development, respectively, opening up important new financing opportunities in emerging markets,” says Dewar.

Support from ECAs is particularly valued in Egypt, given the economic challenges the country is facing. 

A planned polypropylene complex due to be developed in Egypt’s Suez Canal Economic Zone has been put on hold, with the $1.7bn project developed by Red Sea Refining & Petrochemical Company having been affected by the depreciation of the Egyptian pound.

More regional financing

Another emerging theme will be for the larger Mena banks to play a bigger role in regional project financings.

The likes of First Abu Dhabi Bank have been active across GCC borders, including in Saudi Arabia. Given their healthy liquidity profiles, the biggest banks in the GCC are better positioned for longer-tenor project finance deals than ever before. 

Not that it will be plain sailing. Structural impediments will still have to be overcome.

For example, most Saudi banks still need to get consent from the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (Sama) to participate in dollar loans. “That can constrain their ability to operate outside the kingdom,” says Dewar. 

“There is a regulatory preference for them to make Saudi riyal loans rather than dollars. But because of the increase in dollar liquidity, there is much more availability in the Saudi market than there was a year ago.”

Project finance will remain a critical part of the funding mix in the Mena region. As Fitch Ratings notes, the significant growth needed to achieve the GCC’s investment requirements cannot be attained using traditional financing channels, such as on-balance-sheet funding by governments. Instead, there is a need to broaden the investor base, including through project financing.

The likelihood of a more benign global interest rate environment in 2024 should pave the way for a reassertion of capital market-based deals, making the next few months busy ones for banks and deal-makers across the Mena region.

 PPP activity rebounds in 2023 

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/11227315/main.gif
James Gavin

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

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Riyadh shifts bid deadline for King Salman Stadium works

    11 November 2026

     

    Saudi Arabia’s Sports Ministry has set a deadline of 1 December for a contract covering early works at the King Salman International Stadium in Riyadh.

    The tender scope encompasses enabling works, site preparation and initial construction activities. The tender was issued on 11 October, carrying an initial submission deadline of 19 November. Contractors previously submitted prequalification statements for the main design-and-build contract in February.

    Designed by US-based architectural firm Populous, the stadium will cover approximately 660,000 square metres (sq m), seat 92,000 spectators and stand adjacent to King Abdulaziz Park. Facilities will feature a 150-seat royal suite, 120 hospitality suites, 300 VIP seats and 2,200 dignitary seats.

    The broader masterplan encompasses more than 360,000 sq m of ancillary facilities, featuring two training fields, fan zones, a closed sports hall, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, an athletics track, and outdoor courts for volleyball, basketball and padel.

    Scheduled for completion by 2029, the venue will serve as the home base for the Saudi national football team and host the opening match and final of the 2034 Fifa World Cup.

    Saudi stadium plans

    In August 2024, MEED reported that Saudi Arabia plans to build 11 new stadiums and refurbish four existing venues for the 2034 tournament. Eight venues will be located in Riyadh, four in Jeddah, and one each in Al-Khobar, Abha and Neom.

    An additional 10 cities will host team base camps: Al-Baha, Jazan, Taif, Medina, AlUla, Umluj, Tabuk, Hail, Al-Ahsa and Buraidah. Across the kingdom, organisers plan to deploy 134 training sites, comprising 61 existing facilities and 73 new builds.

    Saudi Arabia was officially selected to host the 2034 Fifa World Cup during an online convention of member associations at the Fifa Congress on 11 December 2024.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/21325461/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Hormuz crisis sparks regional pipeline project boom

    11 November 2026

    Analysis
    Wil Crisp
    Oil & gas reporter

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    The ongoing disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab Al-Mandab Strait has sparked a regional pipeline project boom, as countries seek to diversify export routes for oil and gas.

    Since the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February, several major pipeline projects have been announced, while others are being revived or accelerated.

    Countries that are participating in this regional pipeline boom include Iraq, Syria and Egypt.

    While the regional conflict has changed the dynamics within the oil and gas sectors of each of these countries in different ways, all of them see major pipeline projects as a key part of their strategic response to the conflict.

    Iraqi expansion

    Iraq is one of the region’s oil exporters that has been hit the hardest by the disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

    Prior to the start of the regional conflict, the country was routing 94% of its total exports through the strait, with about 3.4 million barrels a day (b/d) being exported through its southern ports at the start of the year.

    At the same time, about 200,000 b/d was being exported via the Iraq-Turkiye Pipeline (ITP) in the north of the country.

    In the wake of the disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, Iraq has increased the volumes being exported via the ITP and has boosted its crude exports by truck through Syria.

    Earlier this month, domestic news outlets reported that Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Organisation is exporting 500,000 b/d through the ITP.

    The daily exports consist of 125,000 barrels of Kirkuk crude, 175,000-200,000 barrels of Kurdistan Region crude and about 200,000 barrels of Basra crude, according to the reports.

    The Basra oil reaches collection stations at Sarallu and Khurmala by truck and from there is pumped north to Ceyhan in Turkiye.

    The volume of crude exported from Iraq by truck to the Syrian port of Baniyas has risen significantly in recent months.

    In October, Youssef Qablawi, the chief executive of the state-owned Syrian Petroleum Company, said that about 1,000 trucks were transporting fuel oil to Syria each day, with each truck carrying about 220 barrels.

    This represents exports of 220,000 b/d, which is a significant volume for Iraq, but transporting crude by truck is much more expensive than using a pipeline.

    Because of this, Iraq sees pipeline projects as a long-term solution to its reliance on the Strait of Hormuz and is rapidly pushing ahead with projects that are designed to replace exports currently transported by road, as well as increasing the volumes that can be exported via both Syria and Turkiye.

    Earlier this month, MEED reported that the governments of Iraq and Syria, state-owned oil companies and a consortium led by Qatar’s UCC are currently discussing the terms of a deal for four interconnected pipeline packages that are expected to have a total value of about $5bn.

    Stakeholders expect a contract to be signed before the end of the year that will make the UCC-led coalition the selected developer responsible for tendering engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts for the project.

    The consortium includes US-based Chevron, investment company TI Capital and France’s TotalEnergies.

    The four pipeline routes that are being discussed are:

    • Basra to Najaf
    • Najaf to Haditha
    • Haditha to Fish Khapour
    • Haditha to Banias Port in Syria

    The proposed plan will use a fast-track framework to bring the pipelines online as quickly as possible.

    Red Sea route

    Iraq and Saudi Arabia are also considering reviving an old pipeline route between the Zubair oil field in Basra and the Red Sea port of Yanbu.

    Operations of this 1,568-kilometre (km) pipeline were halted in August 1990 following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and the onset of the Gulf War.

    At the end of October, Saudi Arabia granted preliminary approval to revive the joint oil export pipeline project, according to a report published by Saudi Arabia’s Shafaq News, which cited anonymous sources.

    If the pipeline is reinstated, it could allow Iraq to export oil via the Red Sea, reducing its reliance on the Strait of Hormuz.

    The pipeline was originally built at a cost of more than $2.6bn and featured a large network of storage tanks and offshore loading terminals.

    Syrian strategy

    In addition to its involvement in Iraq’s strategic export pipeline project, Qatar’s UCC is developing a pipeline project in Syria that will increase the country’s ability to deal with future supply disruptions.

    On 30 September, UCC announced that it has , which will extend 186km between Homs and Aleppo.

    The 36-inch pipeline will have a transmission capacity of up to 11 million cubic metres a day (cm/d) of gas and will connect gas networks in Jordan to those in Turkiye via Syria.

    In its announcement, UCC said that the project is scheduled for completion within 22 months and will contribute to strengthening Syria’s gas infrastructure; enhancing the capacity of its gas transmission network; and supporting regional connectivity with Jordan, Turkiye and Lebanon.

    Hisham Al-Saleh, Syrian Petroleum Company’s deputy chief executive for the gas sector, has said that the project includes the installation of three compressors in Furqlus, which will allow gas to be transported in both directions between Turkiye and Jordan.

    Speaking to the state-owned Syrian Arab News Agency, he said that the project will add an estimated 8 million cubic metres of storage capacity to the Syrian gas network, providing greater flexibility in managing gas production and use.

    Egyptian ambitions

    Egypt is also ramping up pipeline project activity in order to increase the number of oil and gas links that it has with neighbouring countries.

    The North African nation has long had ambitions to try and become a major regional energy hub.

    These plans have been given a boost by the ongoing disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, which has reduced exports from nations like Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

    Concerns about the reliability of exports from Iraq and the GCC have led to increased investment in oil and gas infrastructure in countries that are not reliant on these waterways to transport hydrocarbons.

    In recent months, significant progress has been made on an integrated project that was launched in order to export offshore gas reserves in Cyprus via Egyptian energy infrastructure.

    In October, Italian oil and gas company Eni signed the main EPC and drilling contracts for the project, which will develop the Cronos field.

    The project includes contracts with several companies that will develop infrastructure in both Egypt and Cyprus.

    The awards include a $170m contract that has been won by Egypt’s Petrojet for a new onshore gas pipeline in Egypt that will help to transport gas to Egypt’s Damietta liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility.

    Separately, US-based Baker Hughes signed a contract for the design, procurement and construction of subsea production systems, including associated equipment and control systems.

    In September, it was announced that US-headquartered McDermott will carry out offshore work for the project, including the transportation, installation and connection of subsea pipelines and equipment.

    The Cronos development project will significantly increase the volume of gas being imported into Egypt, where it can be exported as LNG as well as helping to meet domestic demand.

    On top of the major pipeline project allowing the importation of gas from Cyprus, Cairo is also looking at other regional pipeline projects, including gas links to Libya.

    In a statement released earlier this month, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said that a Libyan team will ​visit ⁠Cairo soon to continue technical talks about the gas pipelines, as well as other energy projects, with Egypt’s petroleum and electricity ministers.

    Pipeline problems

    While the planned oil pipeline projects in Iraq are seen as a possible solution to the disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, they are also likely to face problems relating to the importation of necessary equipment that would normally be shipped through the waterway.

    The Common Seawater Supply Project, designed to bring water from the sea to inject into oil fields, is currently behind schedule, largely because of problems importing the pipeline segments through the strait.

    This issue could plague other planned pipeline projects in Iraq if the disruption to shipping continues, forcing contractors to use other, more costly, import routes.

    Challenging conditions

    Even when Iraq’s major export pipeline projects are completed, they may fail to resolve the country’s oil export problems to the extent many are expecting.

    While the export pipelines will go some way towards diversifying away from reliance on exports through waterways where oil and gas tankers are vulnerable to militant attacks, many industry insiders say Iraq could just be replacing one vulnerable export route with another.

    Oil pipelines in the Middle East and North Africa region have a long history of suffering attacks and often stretch long distances through remote regions where they are difficult to defend.

    Ultimately, it is likely that finding a diplomatic solution to the regional conflict will be the only way that Iraq can reliably increase its oil exports in the long term.

     

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/21305172/main.jpg
    Wil Crisp
  • Saudi Arabia approves revival of Iraq oil pipeline

    11 November 2026

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Iraq and Saudi Arabia are considering reviving an old pipeline route between the Zubair oil field in Basra and Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea port of Yanbu.

    Operations of this 1,568-kilometre (km) pipeline were halted in August 1990 following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait and the onset of the Gulf War.

    At the end of last month, Saudi Arabia granted preliminary approval to revive the joint oil export pipeline, according to a report published by Saudi Arabia’s Shafaq News that cited anonymous sources.

    If the pipeline is reinstated, it could allow Iraq to export oil via the Red Sea, reducing its reliance on the Strait of Hormuz.

    The pipeline was originally built at a cost of more than $2.6bn and featured a large network of storage tanks and offshore loading terminals.

    Under current discussions, Iraq will be required to fund the restoration of its own section of the pipeline.

    The Middle East and North Africa region is currently experiencing a boom in pipeline project activity due to disruption to shipping as a result of the war that started when the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February 2026.

    As a result of the conflict, the shipping of gas, chemicals, oil and refined products has been disrupted in both the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab Al-Mandab Strait.

    Many countries, including Saudi Arabia and Iraq, see pipelines as a key way of diversifying export routes so that they are less reliant on shipping through these two waterways.

    MEED’s October 2026 report on Saudi Arabia includes:

    > COMMENT: Saudi projects hold steady
    > GOVERNMENT: Riyadh looks to reset its regional defence outlook
    > ECONOMY: Conflict bolsters case for Saudi economic diversification
    > BANKING: Saudi lenders readjust to lower lending and deposit climate
    > UPSTREAM: Aramco upstream spending gathers pace
    > DOWNSTREAM: Sabic steps up Saudi petchems investment
    > POWER: Saudi Arabia’s power award activity slows
    > WATER: Saudi water sector hits sharp slowdown
    > CONSTRUCTION: Saudi construction defies the headwinds
    > TRANSPORT: Saudi infrastructure pushes forward amid conflict
    > DATABANK: Saudi data indicates project spending shift

    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/21304885/main.jpg
    Wil Crisp
  • Dubai approves metro extension to Al-Maktoum airport

    10 November 2026

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Dubai’s Executive Council has approved a project to extend the Dubai Metro’s Route 2020 to Al-Maktoum International Airport City, with passenger services scheduled to begin operations in 2031.

    Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, announced the decision following a council meeting held during the UAE Government Annual Meetings 2026.

    The rail project forms part of a package of strategic schemes worth over AED11bn ($3bn) approved by the council.

    The wider approvals include a comprehensive framework to upgrade community facilities and public services by 2040, with priority given to residential communities for UAE citizens.

    The project approval follows the procurement of detailed design work for the rail link. MEED exclusively reported in September that Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) had awarded US-based engineering consultancy Aecom the design contract for the Route 2020 extension.

    The planned extension will run for about 3 kilometres from the existing Expo 2020 terminus station to connect directly with the West Terminal of Al-Maktoum International airport. The scheme will add two new stations to the network.

    The existing Route 2020 corridor is a 15km spur that branches off the Dubai Metro Red Line at Jebel Ali station. It comprises 11.8km of elevated viaduct and 3.2km of underground track, serving five elevated and two underground stations.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/21301168/main.png
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Bahrain tenders 100MW Bilaj Al-Jazayer solar project

    10 November 2026

     

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Bahrain’s Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) has issued a tender for the Bilaj Al-Jazayer independent power project (BAJ solar IPP), a utility-scale solar scheme with a planned capacity of at least 100MW.

    The project will be procured on a public-private partnership basis using a build-own-operate (BOO) model.

    The selected developer will develop, finance, design, construct, operate, maintain, decommission and restore the project site over a 25-year contract period.

    EWA has set a target commercial operation date of 31 December 2028.

    The scope includes photovoltaic generation facilities, utility-scale inverters, access roads and internal roads. The plant will use proven photovoltaic modules and inverters designed for Bahrain’s local operating conditions.

    The tender was published on 8 November. Companies have until 20 December to submit bids, with bid opening scheduled for 21 December.

    The tender requires an initial bond of BD300,000 ($796,000).

    The project will be awarded through a single-stage request-for-proposals process.

    Bidders will first be assessed against minimum eligibility requirements covering financial strength, project-financing capability and experience in large-scale solar developments before their technical and financial proposals are evaluated.

    A single bidder must demonstrate tangible net worth of at least $50m.

    In a consortium, each member must demonstrate net worth equivalent to its proposed shareholding in the $50m threshold, while the managing member must have a tangible net worth of at least $20m.

    The managing member must also have secured at least $150m of limited-recourse financing across three or more infrastructure projects during the past 10 years. It must hold at least a 15% equity stake in each reference project.

    Bidders or their engineering, procurement and construction contractors must demonstrate experience delivering either three grid-connected ground-mounted solar projects of at least 100MWac each globally, or two projects of at least 70MWac each in the GCC. The reference projects must be connected to the grid at 66kV or above.

    The BAJ solar IPP supports Bahrain’s target of sourcing 20% of its energy from renewable sources by 2035.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/21291585/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal