Read the November 2022 MEED Business Review
31 October 2022
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On 20 November, football’s 2022 World Cup in Qatar kicks off. The month-long tournament is the world’s most-watched single event. Football’s governing body expects 5 billion people to tune into this year’s tournament, up from 3.57 billion for the 2018 edition, which Russia hosted.
The event will confirm the Middle East region’s position as a global sporting hub. Over the past two decades, billions of dollars have been spent on infrastructure for sporting events including athletics, golf, motorsports, boxing and martial arts, swimming, football, cricket and an old regional favourite, horse racing.
These events have boosted the economic visions of the region’s leaders by giving projects an international profile and, in the case of deadlines, a firm completion date. On the more societal level, they open up countries to tourism and allow nations to showcase their hospitality.
More is coming. In 2020, Doha and Riyadh were picked to host upcoming editions of the Asian Games in 2030 and 2034. More recently, the Trojena mountain resort in the northwest of Saudi Arabia was selected to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games.
Even bigger events could join the list. Egypt has confirmed it will bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games, and there are reports of a joint bid for football’s 2036 World Cup by Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Greece.
MEED’s November 2022 edition of MEED Business Review discusses the important role that sport plays in the region’s social and economic development, and the spending required to build new venues and sporting facilities.
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Climate, construction and the environment are all challenges that lie ahead for Saudi Arabia's 2029 Asian Winter Games, writes MEED editor Colin Foreman. Read more |
November’s 19-page Market Focus on the UAE, meanwhile, finds the UAE working hard to maintain its economic winning streak and avoid the growing number of political and economic pitfalls in the world’s geopolitically fraught and recession-threatened business landscape.
This month, MEED also presents a special report on project finance and public-private partnerships (PPPs).
After a year of sluggish project spending in 2021, the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region has witnessed an uptick in activity in the past year, driving renewed demand for project financing.
This comes as a boon for arrangers, yet is not without challenges.
We hope you enjoy the November 2022 edition of MEED Business Review.

Must-read sections in the November 2022 edition of MEED Business Review include:
> AGENDA: Region pitches to be global sporting hub
> TROJENA: Saudi winter games challenges perceptions
> BIG INTERVIEW: Sultan Batterjee, CEO of Saudi Arabia’s IHCC
> OPINION: Gulf stands to benefit from global turmoil
> MEED COMMENTS:
> Global oil price to sustain project activity
> Energy firms step up renewable investments
> MONTHLY BRIEFING: 20 key developments in the region
> EGYPT/TUNISIA: Cairo and Tunis battle external pressures
> IRAQ/TURKIYE: Baghdad-Ankara relations remain rocky
> PROJECT FINANCE & PPP REPORT:
> Project finance activity tests regional capacity
> PPP market cools, but remains strong
> ABU DHABI REAL ESTATE: Taking Abu Dhabi’s success global
> INTERVIEW: Abdulrahman Abdulla al-Seiari, CEO of Adnoc Drilling
> AGRI-TECH: Riad Bsaibes, president and CEO of Amana Investments
> ENERGY TRANSITION: Energy transition faces litmus test
> INTERVIEW: Acwa Power to halve carbon intensity
> UAE MARKET FOCUS: UAE sidesteps the global economic crunch
GOVERNMENT | Abu Dhabi works to rebuild bridges- ECONOMY | UAE economy strengthens growth trajectory
- BANKING | Banks make hay while the sun shines
- UPSTREAM | Adnoc makes headway with upstream projects
- DOWNSTREAM | UAE sculpts next downstream growth phase
- POWER | UAE boosts its green credentials
- WATER | UAE plans $20bn of water projects
- CONSTRUCTION | Dubai construction sows seeds of recovery
- TRANSPORT | UAE leads regional rail resurgence
- DATABANK | UAE enjoys growth uptick with higher oil prices
> MARKET SNAPSHOT: Egypt projects
> MARKET TALK: Ansaldo Energia expands Middle East presence
> GULF PROJECTS INDEX: Gulf projects market returns to growth
> SEPTEMBER 2022 CONTRACTS: UAE records its biggest month of 2022
> BUSINESS OUTLOOK: Finance, oil and gas, construction, power and water contracts
Exclusive from Meed
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Eni completes $1bn Libya gas project20 October 2026
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Diriyah Company tenders East Wadi bridge20 October 2026
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Kuwait selects firms for power works at housing projects20 October 2026
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Taqa moves forward with Mirfa-Liwa scheme20 October 2026
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Related Articles
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Eni completes $1bn Libya gas project20 October 2026
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Libya’s Mellitah Oil & Gas Company, a joint venture of Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) and Italian oil and gas company Eni, has achieved mechanical completion on its Bouri gas utilisation project (GUP).
In a statement, Eni said that start-up procedures are currently under way, enabling the recovery of associated gas produced from the Bouri field, which is located in Libya’s western offshore area.
The main contract for the project, worth $1bn, was awarded to Italy’s Saipem in August 2023.
The project involved the construction and installation of the new Bouri gas recovery module and related tie-in infrastructure that enables the recovery and treatment of gas that was previously flared.
In its statement, Eni said that the project “represents one of the most significant emissions reduction initiatives in Libya’s energy sector”.
It also said that it would contribute to improving the environmental performance of the country’s production system by reducing greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 1.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.
The recovered gas will be supplied to the domestic market, adding about 700 million cubic metres a year and helping meet demand from the power generation sector.
The project will also support additional gas volumes available for export to Europe through the GreenStream pipeline.
Eni said: “The start-up of the Bouri GUP confirms the joint commitment of Eni and NOC to the development of Libya’s energy sector through initiatives that combine production growth, operational efficiency and environmental stewardship.
“The project is part of a broader strategy aimed at enhancing the value of the country’s gas resources while reducing the emissions intensity of upstream activities.”
Other key projects currently under way in Libya include the A&E Structures Project, which is focused on bringing new offshore gas resources onstream for both the domestic market and exports, as well as initiatives aimed at upgrading and optimising gas production and transportation infrastructures.
Eni has been present in Libya since 1959, and the company’s equity production in the country in 2025 amounted to approximately 162,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day.
The Bouri offshore field is part of Libya’s Block NC-41, located 120 kilometres north of the Libyan coast in the Mediterranean Sea.
It was first discovered in 1976 at a depth of 8,700 feet. It is estimated to contain 4.5 billion barrels in proven recoverable crude oil reserves and 3.5 trillion cubic feet of associated natural gas, with an annual production potential of 6 billion cubic metres.
The first development phase, costing nearly $2bn, was completed in 1990.
This was immediately followed by a second development phase, which entailed drilling 55 new wells and constructing three additional platforms. Production began from the oil platforms DP4 and DP3 in August 1998.
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Diriyah Company tenders East Wadi bridge20 October 2026

Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah Company has invited contractors to bid on the construction of the DG II East Wadi Bridge, a key crossing within Riyadh’s Diriyah master development.
The bridge will provide an arterial road connection linking the Diriyah Gate Phase 2 (DG II) Infrastructure Package 1 and Package 2 zones.
The project scope involves the construction of a 100-metre clear-span, 44-metre-wide, single-span post-tensioned concrete bridge structure with integrated abutments and four architectural towers.
The contract also encompasses approach slabs, access roads, pavements, associated earthworks, architectural finishes and cladding, mechanical, electrical and plumbing installations, utility interfaces, bridge parapets, vehicle restraint systems, waterproofing, testing and commissioning, and associated temporary works.
The client will supply the detailed engineering design, and the selected contractor will develop the construction methodology.
Diriyah Company issued the prequalification tender on 14 September, with submissions due by 10 December.
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Kuwait selects firms for power works at housing projects20 October 2026

Kuwait’s Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) has appointed contractors for works covering the supply and installation of 132kV underground cables at South Sabah Al-Ahmad Residential City.
The contracts relate to engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) packages for works for 28 main 132/11kV substations across four phases.
According to sources, Egypt’s Elsewedy Cables has won contracts for phases 1 and 3, while China’s TBEA Shandong Luneng Taishan Cable Company has won contracts for phases 2 and 4 of the development.
In April, MEED reported that PAHW had received at least five bids for each of the first two packages, with Elsewedy and TBEA offering $44m and $40.5m, respectively.
The first contract (phase 1) covers seven substations in zones N9, N7 and N5. The second contract (phase 2) covers seven substations in zones N10 and N5.
PAHW issued two further 132kV underground cable tenders for the South Sabah Al-Ahmad residential development at the end of May, as reported by MEED.
This included a contract (phase 3) covering the supply, extension and maintenance of 132kV underground cables linked to seven substations serving the N5, N6, N8 and N10 districts. Egytech Cables, a subsidiary of Elsewedy, submitted an offer of $39.95m, the lowest of four bids.
The other contract (phase 4) covers the supply, extension and maintenance of 132kV underground cables feeding eight main transformer substations serving the N1, N6 and N11 districts.
MEED reported in July that TBEA had submitted an offer of $44.06m for the contract.
South Saad Al-Abdullah
Separately, PAHW has appointed contractors for power transmission works at the South Saad Al-Abdullah residential development.
The local firm Sayed Hamid Behbehani & Sons has won a contract to supply, install and maintain 10 main 132/11kV transformer substations for the development’s third phase.
Another local firm, Al-Ahleia Switchgear, has won a contract to supply, install and maintain 10 main 132/11kV transformer substations for the project’s fourth phase.
As reported in August, the contractors submitted bids of $104.2m and $103.3m, respectively.
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Taqa moves forward with Mirfa-Liwa scheme20 October 2026

Taqa Transmission and Taqa Distribution are advancing a major water transmission and distribution scheme serving Mirfa, Madinat Zayed and Liwa in Abu Dhabi, sources told MEED.
The project, originally estimated to cost $775m, has been in procurement for several years. According to sources, a request for proposals has been issued, with bids due on 5 January 2027.
The initial submission deadline was 11 November, before it was extended.
The project was previously tendered in December 2024, with contractors submitting bids for transmission and distribution packages in January 2025. As of August, the bids were still under evaluation. It is unclear whether the latest tender represents a revised procurement process for the same scheme.
The project comprises a water transmission system from Mirfa, alongside distribution networks serving farms and settlements in the western region.
According to details seen by MEED, the latest scope includes a pumping station at Mirfa with a capacity of 128 million imperial gallons a day, about 125 kilometres of transmission pipelines to Muzairah, with branches to Madinat Zayed and Liwa Summit, and storage tanks at the three locations.
The distribution network is divided into four geographic clusters covering Liwa East, Liwa West, Madinat Zayed and Seih Al-Kheir. The works include associated pipelines, pumping stations and storage facilities.
The earlier procurement was structured as an engineering, procurement and construction scheme, divided between transmission and distribution works.
As MEED understands, the latest tender is being pursued under a design, build and operate model, which extends the contractor’s responsibilities to operating the infrastructure after construction.
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Contractors prepare prices for Adnoc Onshore field facilities project20 October 2026

Contractors are preparing commercial bids for Adnoc Onshore’s project to build on-plot and off-plot facilities at the Rumaitha and Shanayel fields in Abu Dhabi’s North East Bab oil field cluster.
The project will enhance and sustain crude output at Rumaitha and Shanayel at 45,000 barrels a day (b/d), supporting Adnoc’s Accelerated Integrated Programme 5 (AiP5) drive to lift capacity to 5 million b/d by 2027.
Adnoc Onshore issued the main tender for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) works on 19 June. Contractors submitted technical bids by 5 August, sources told MEED.
The on-plot works include adding a crude processing train, produced water treatment and reinjection systems, surface water pumps, and multi-stage gas compression and dehydration units. Works also include utilities, safety and control systems, modifications to existing Phase 1 units and 220kV power infrastructure.
The off-plot scope includes installing and tying in new gas-lifted producer and water-injection wells, as well as building and expanding wellhead clusters. Contractors will also lay crude-gathering, water-injection and gas-export pipelines connecting to the Adnoc Gas network and extend 33kV overhead power lines across the fields.
The tender follows Adnoc Onshore’s shift in strategy for the wider North East Bab development – comprising the Al-Nouf, Rumaitha and Shanayel fields – after scrapping an earlier engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCm) approach. MEED reported in December that the operator had cancelled an off-plot EPCm contract awarded to China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corporation (CPECC) in October 2024. Adnoc later cancelled a separate on-plot EPCm tender that it received bids for in the second quarter of 2025.
In addition to the North East cluster, Adnoc Onshore continues to make progress on EPC works for another similar project to build off-plot facilities at the South East cluster of oil fields in Abu Dhabi, which is also integral to Adnoc Group’s AiP5 campaign.
The South East cluster comprises the Asab, Mender, Qusahwira, Sahil and Shah fields and accounts for approximately a third of Adnoc Onshore’s oil production capacity.
MEED previously reported that Adnoc Onshore awarded CPECC the EPC works for the South East off-plot facilities project, with the contract value estimated at around $1.2bn.
CPECC is also performing EPC works on the South East on-plot facilities project in a consortium with Greece-headquartered Archirodon. Adnoc Onshore awarded an estimated $1.5bn contract for that project to the consortium in December 2024, with EPC works scheduled for completion in 2027.
ALSO READ: Adnoc Onshore seeks bids for Bu Hasa field EOR project
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