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  UAE firm withdraws Yemen solar operations

  26 January 2026

  

   

  UAE-based Global South Utilities (GSU) has completed the handover of the Aden and Shabwa solar power plants to Yemen’s Public Electricity Corporation, following an official request by Yemeni authorities for the withdrawal of all UAE companies from the country.

  The move comes amid Yemen’s ongoing political fragmentation and security challenges, which have complicated foreign commercial and infrastructure operations in the country.

  In a letter dated 22 January 2026, GSU said it had evacuated all operations and maintenance teams from the 120MW Aden solar plant and the 53MW Shabwa solar plant.

  Both facilities were handed over fully operational and placed under the authority of the state-owned utility.

  GSU operates solar power plants in Yemen with a combined capacity of 173MW. The company said the withdrawal of its technical teams was carried out to ensure personnel safety and to enable a structured and responsible transfer of assets.

  “Global South Utilities did not suspend operations unilaterally or abruptly,” the company said. “Both power plants were handed over while operating at full technical capacity, under a formal handover process.”

  GSU added that continuing to operate large-scale power facilities without specialised technical teams on the ground would pose operational risks and would not meet internationally recognised standards for energy facility operations.

  Several projects are at advanced stages of development and have been paused following the company’s exit from the Yemeni market, including:

  • Al-Mokha – phase 2 (40MW): 85% complete
  • Al-Khokha (10MW): 80% complete
  • Hays (10MW): 75% complete
  • Socotra (10MW): 35% complete (civil works and procurement)
  • Aden expansion (120MW): 35% complete (civil works and procurement)

  In November, GSU announced $1bn-worth of new energy projects in Yemen to support the rebuilding of the country’s electricity sector.

  The programme was expected to be delivered through solar and wind energy projects, battery energy storage systems and the development of distribution networks.

  According to GSU, its $1bn energy project portfolio in Yemen covers 13 projects across six governorates, with a combined capacity exceeding 1,000MW.

  In August, GSU began work on a 120MW expansion of the Aden solar photovoltaic plant, doubling its capacity to 240MW. The plant began operations last year with a 120MW first phase.

  At the time, the company said phase two would begin commercial operations in 2026.

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

  Saudi Arabia courts real estate investment; EVs and battery production are key regional tech themes; Muscat holds a steady growth course despite headwinds

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

  > AGENDA: Saudi real estate to surge in 2026 > CITYSCAPE:  Investors focus on residential sector for new deals > TECH TRENDS: Key technology themes poised to shape 2026  > EVs: Middle East drives electric vehicle revolution > BATTERIES: Batteries shape the region's energy future > LEADERSHIP: Saudi Arabia accelerates its rail revolution  > INTERVIEW: Tabreed finishes the year on a high > CONTRACTORS: Managing risk in the GCC construction market > ECONOMIC ACTIVITY INDEX: UAE and Qatar emerge as markets to watch > AIRSHOW: Top deals signed at Dubai Airshow 2025 > MARKET FOCUS: Oman steadies growth with strategic restraint

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

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  Mark Dowdall
• 
  Oman signs PPAs for Misfah and Duqm power plants

  23 January 2026

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  Oman's Nama Power & Water Procurement (Nama PWP) has signed power purchase agreements (PPAs) for the development and operation of the Misfah and Duqm gas-fired independent power projects (IPPs).

  The two combined cycle gas turbine plants have been awarded to a consortium comprising Korea Western Power (Kowepo), Qatar’s Nebras Power, the UAE’s Etihad Water & Electricity (EtihadWE) and Oman’s Bhawan Infrastructure Services.

  The Misfah IPP will be led by Nebras Power and located in Wilayat Bousher in Muscat Governorate, with a planned capacity of 1,600MW.

  The Duqm IPP will be led by Kowepo and located in Wilayat Duqm in Al-Wusta Governorate, with a capacity of 800MW.

  According to Nama PWP, the total investment for the two projects is estimated at approximately RO1bn ($2.6bn)

  MEED reported in October that Nama PWP had received three bids for the development and operation of the gas-fired IPPs.

  The other bids included a consortium comprising China’s Shenzhen Energy Group and Oman National Engineering & Investment Company, and a lone bid from Saudi Arabia’s Acwa Power.

  Synergy Consulting is the financial advisor and lead advisor to Nama PWP for these projects.

  In November, Oman’s OQ Gas Networks received final investment approval to proceed with gas supply connections for the facilities.

  The Misfah IPP will receive 8.5 million cubic metres a day (cm/d) of natural gas. The Duqm IPP will be supplied with 4.5 million cm/d of natural gas.

  Both plants are scheduled to deliver early power by April 2028 and to reach full commercial operations in 2029.

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  Mark Dowdall
• 
  Chiyoda wins feed contract for North Field West LNG project

  23 January 2026

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  QatarEnergy has awarded Japan-based Chiyoda Corporation a contract for front-end engineering and design (feed) work on its North Field West liquefied natural gas (LNG) project.

  The North Field West project is the next phase of QatarEnergy’s North Field LNG expansion programme. The scheme will further increase Qatar’s overall LNG production capacity to 142 million tonnes a year (t/y) upon commissioning, which is scheduled for 2030.

  Chiyoda said in a statement that the feed contract for the project was awarded by QatarEnergy’s subsidiary QatarEnergy LNG, which is overseeing the North Field LNG expansion programme on behalf of its parent company. The Japanese firm has yet to provide further details about its contract.

  QatarEnergy announced the North Field West project, which is the third phase of its estimated $40bn North Field LNG expansion programme, in February 2024.

  The North Field West project will have an LNG production capacity of 16 million t/y, which is expected to be achieved through two 8 million t/y LNG processing trains, based on the two earlier phases of QatarEnergy’s LNG expansion programme. The new project will draw feedstock for LNG production from the western zone of the North Field offshore gas reserve.

  MEED recently reported that QatarEnergy had awarded a contract for the engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) of four offshore jackets and associated units at the North Field gas reserve in Qatari waters, as part of the wider North Field West project.

  US-headquartered McDermott International won the contract for the offshore jackets package, which is estimated to be valued at around $200m, according to sources. The new jackets to be installed will boost gas production from the North Field reservoirs, providing additional gas feedstock for the North Field West LNG project.

  Major projects under execution

  QatarEnergy is understood to have spent nearly $30bn on the first two phases of its North Field expansion programme – North Field East and North Field South – which will raise its LNG production capacity from 77.5 million t/y to 126 million t/y by 2028. Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) works on both projects are progressing.

  QatarEnergy awarded the main EPC contracts for the North Field East project in 2021. The project aimed to boost LNG output to 110 million t/y by 2025. The $13bn EPC package – covering the EPCI of four LNG trains, each with a capacity of 8 million t/y – was awarded in February 2021 to a consortium of Chiyoda and France’s Technip Energies.

  In May 2023, QatarEnergy awarded the $10bn main EPC contract for the North Field South project to a consortium of Technip Energies and Lebanon-based Consolidated Contractors Company.

  The contract includes two large LNG trains, each with a capacity of 7.8 million t/y.

  Once fully operational, the first two phases of the North Field expansion will add 48 million t/y of supply to the global LNG market.

  ALSO READ: QatarEnergy achieves strategic oil and gas goals in 2025

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  Indrajit Sen
• 
  Kuwait picks preferred bidder for real estate PPP

  22 January 2026

  

   

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  Local firm United Real Estate Company has bid the highest for a contract to develop the third phase of a waterfront real estate project located in the Sharq area of Kuwait City.

  The firm made the announcement in a filing with Boursa Kuwait, where it is listed.

  The commercial offers were opened on 21 January, after Kuwait’s Finance Ministry and the Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects had approved technical bids from seven groups for a contract to develop the project, as MEED reported.

  The scope includes rehabilitation, renovation, development, operation and maintenance and management of the project under a 15-year usufruct arrangement.

  The project covers an area of 384,385 square metres and is being developed on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis.

  The other groups that are bidding for the project include:

  • Mabanee / Al-Durra National Real Estate Company
  • Al-Tijaria Real Estate Company / Al-Mutajara Real Estate Company / Al-Salmiya Group for Development
  • Arkan Real Estate Company / National Investments / Real Estate House / Al-Safat Investment / Al-Buyout Holding / SAK Construction
  • National Real Estate Company / United Projects Company
  • Al-Hamra Group / Al-Hani Group
  • Aayan Real Estate Company / Al-Enmaa Real Estate Company

  UK analytics firm GlobalData expects Kuwait’s construction industry to grow by 5.1% in 2026-29, supported by government investment in the oil and gas sector aimed at raising production, as well as investment in the infrastructure sector.

  In the short term, growth will be boosted by planned expenditure under the 2025-26 budget, which was approved in March 2025.

  The construction industry in Kuwait is expected to record an annual average growth rate of 4.9% in 2026-29, supported by investments in renewable energy, transport and oil and gas projects.

  The commercial construction sector is expected to grow by 4.8% in 2026-29, supported by public- and private-sector investment in the construction of hotels, retail outlets and office buildings.

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Saudi Landbridge rail scheme to be delivered by 2034

  21 January 2026

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  Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) has said that it will deliver the Saudi Landbridge project through a "new mechanism" by 2034, after failing to reach an agreement with a Chinese consortium for the construction of the project.

  In an interview with local media, SAR CEO Bashar Bin Khalid Al-Malik said that the consortium failed to meet local content requirements, and the project will now be delivered in several phases through a different procurement model.

  The project has been under negotiation between Saudi Arabia and China-backed investors keen to develop it on a public-private-partnership basis.

  Al-Malik said that the project cost is about SR100bn ($26.6bn).

  It comprises more than 1,500 kilometres (km) of new track. The core component is a 900km new railway between Riyadh and Jeddah, which will provide direct freight access to the capital from King Abdullah Port on the Red Sea.

  Other key sections include upgrading the existing Riyadh-Dammam line, a bypass around the capital called the Riyadh Link, and a link between King Abdullah Port and Yanbu.

  The Saudi Landbridge is one of the kingdom’s most anticipated project programmes. Plans to develop it were first announced in 2004, but put on hold in 2010 before being revived a year later. Key stumbling blocks were rights-of-way issues, route alignment and its high cost.

  In April last year, MEED exclusively reported that SAR had issued a tender for the lead design consultancy services contract on the Saudi Landbridge railway network.

  MEED understands that the scope covered the concept design and options for the preliminary and issued-for-construction design stages on the network.

  MEED reported that the launch of a design tender directly by SAR suggested that Riyadh was looking at other options to develop it alongside the Chinese proposal.

  In December 2023, MEED reported that a team of US-based Hill International, Italy’s Italferr and Spain’s Sener had been awarded the contract to provide project management services for the programme.

  If it proceeds, the Saudi Landbridge will be one of the largest railway projects ever undertaken in the Middle East and one of the biggest globally. Based on typical design timeframes, tenders for construction are likely to be ready by mid-2026, although the question of how it will be financed will need to be answered before it can proceed to the next step.

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  Yasir Iqbal