meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Read the October 2022 MEED Business Review

3 October 2022

Download / Subscribe / Single-issue offer

Gulf countries are accelerating their non-oil diversification plans by investing in large-scale non-oil industrial complexes while also looking to boost existing industrial clusters. 

As part of their non-oil economic journey, regional governments are backing industries such as aluminium, steel, other metals and minerals, and industrial equipment manufacturing, as well as providing impetus to the hydrocarbon value chain – in the form of petrochemicals and their derivatives.

By doing so, they aim to attract foreign direct investments, drive national revenue, create jobs, improve workforce skills and usher in advanced technology. They also have economic targets to hit, such as Saudi Arabia’s National Industrial Development and Logistics Programme and the UAE’s Operation 300bn.

With more private entities and foreign industrial players joining with state entities to partake in the Gulf’s non-oil economic development campaign, MEED’s October 2022 issue of MEED Business Review takes stock of the level of investments and volume of projects being generated.

This month, MEED also presents its 2022 Power Developer Ranking, covering 93 independent power producer (IPP) and independent water and power producer (IWPP) schemes procured over the past two-and-a-half decades across the six GCC states.

With a net capacity of close to 10.5GW across 28 projects, Saudi Arabia-headquartered utilities developer and investor Acwa Power has managed to pull away and extend its lead over other developers in this year’s index.

Meanwhile, October’s 19-page Market Focus on Saudi Arabia finds high oil prices turbocharging the kingdom’s spending-heavy Vision 2030 plans.

We hope you enjoy the October 2022 edition of MEED Business Review – and if you're not already a subscriber, please do take advantage of our special offer allowing you to buy a single digital issue here.

 

Must-read sections in the October 2022 edition of MEED Business Review include:

> AGENDA: Gulf states diversify with purpose

> SEZs: Maximising the benefits of GCC economic zones 

> GAS: Gas becomes a key economic enabler

> OPINION: Europe’s plans will change world energy

> MEED COMMENTS: 

    > Frothy Dubai market attracts project prospecting

    > Power developers must confront new realities

> MONTHLY BRIEFING: 22 key developments in the region

> LEBANON: IMF warns of slow pace of reforms in Lebanon

> IRAQ: Iraq violence risk still high

> KUWAIT: Kuwait upstream awards expected to rise in 2023

> MEED 2022 POWER DEVELOPER RANKING:

    > Acwa Power widens lead in developer ranking

    > Renewables redraw future developer ranking

> LEADERSHIP: How family businesses can create a meaningful future

> INTERVIEW: Rene Matthies, Ewec’s CFO and executive director of corporate operations

> ISLAMIC FINANCE: Plugging the gap with Islamic finance

> MEED INSIGHT REPORT: Oil companies roll out new policies and investments

> PROPTECH: Enhancing the real estate marketplace

> SAUDI ARABIA MARKET FOCUS: Riyadh's finances and ambition align

    > ECONOMY | Saudi economy soars as globe flounders

    > GOVERNMENT | Riyadh looks to renew investor appetite

    > BANKING | Saudi lenders eye new growth opportunities

    > UPSTREAM | Aramco paces ahead with upstream projects

    > DOWNSTREAM | Downstream schemes register progress

    > CHEMICALS | Saudi Arabia accelerates chemical projects

    > POWER | Saudi Arabia needs to ramp up renewables

    > WATER | Riyadh to implement over $30bn of water projects

    > CONSTRUCTION | Major projects drive Saudi construction

> MARKET SNAPSHOT: Saudi Arabia hotels

> GULF PROJECTS INDEX: Gulf projects market continues to decline

> AUGUST 2022 CONTRACTS: Egypt tops regional ranking once more this year

> BUSINESS OUTLOOK: Finance, oil and gas, construction, power and water contracts

To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/10030871/main.gif
Marianne Makdisi

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

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Neom’s industrial pivot gathers pace

    1 October 2026

    Commentary
    Colin Foreman
    Editor

    Reprioritisation has been the buzzword in Saudi Arabia over the past two years and nowhere has that been more evident than at Neom. 

    The slowdown of development at The Line and the postponement of the 2029 Asian Winter Games at Trojena have dominated international headlines. As these projects scale back, Oxagon’s industrial and logistics base has become the $500bn gigaproject’s flagship development. There are tangible results: in August, the $8.5bn Neom Green Hydrogen project was commissioned, marking Neom’s most significant completion to date. 

    Construction activity elsewhere at Oxagon supports this trend. The AI data-centre campus being developed by Humain and DataVolt has broken ground on its first 100MW phase, backed by $5bn of investment and targeted for service in 2028. Neom has issued an expression of interest for a rail line linking the Port of Neom to Saudi Arabia Railways’ North-South network, tenders are out for an industrial wastewater plant and the upgrade of Highway 55, and the port itself is advancing towards a 2030 capacity target of 1.5 million TEUs. 

    The regional conflict that began in February has strengthened the business case by giving Oxagon’s Red Sea port added strategic weight as a second maritime gateway outside the Strait of Hormuz, at a time when Riyadh has committed to directing about 80% of the Public Investment Fund’s portfolio into domestic investment.

    These developments reflect a kingdom recalibrating rather than retreating

    Elsewhere, Saudi Arabia’s wider projects market is holding steady despite conflict-related disruption, with contract awards reaching $68bn so far this year. The regional power market is also diversifying, with Aljomaih, EDF and Kepco all more than tripling net capacity in recent years as Acwa retains its lead.

    These developments reflect a kingdom recalibrating rather than retreating, with priority given to projects capable of delivering commercial returns.

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

    Industry and logistics drive development at Neom; Saudi Arabia’s investment priorities realign amid conflict; MEED’s 2026 power developer ranking.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the October 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/20178338/main.gif
    Colin Foreman
  • Contractor wins Dammam airport water infrastructure deal

    1 October 2026

    Saudi Arabia-based Alkhorayef Water & Power Technologies has won an SR80m ($21.3m) contract to rehabilitate water and wastewater infrastructure at King Fahd International airport in Dammam in the kingdom’s Eastern Province.

    The contract was awarded by Dammam Airports Company (DACO), and work is scheduled to be completed within 18 months, the firm said in a disclosure to the Saudi Exchange (Tadawul) on 29 September.

    The scope covers the design, construction, supply, installation, replacement, rehabilitation and integration of water and wastewater infrastructure.

    It includes pumps, storage tanks and reservoirs, reverse osmosis facilities, piping and tie-ins, as well as electrical and instrumentation works.

    The award comes as DACO advances a wider programme of investment at King Fahd International airport.

    DACO signed more than SR1.2bn ($320m) in agreements in June covering airport infrastructure, including a new power station, a medium-voltage distribution network and upgrades to the existing electrical grid. 

    In September, it also appointed WSP Middle East, the regional arm of Canadian engineering firm WSP, to develop the airport’s expansion under its masterplan.

    The expansion is intended to increase annual passenger capacity to more than 19.3 million by 2030, with a longer-term target of 32 million passengers. 

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/20169118/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Kuwait tenders LNG project

    1 October 2026

     

    State-owned Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company (Kipic) has tendered a project to develop a reliquefaction unit at the Al-Zour liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal.

    The project focuses on developing a boil-off gas (BOG) unit at the terminal, with bids due on 22 December.

    A meeting for contractors to discuss the project is scheduled for 18 October.

    The project scope includes engineering, procurement and construction works, along with pre-commissioning, commissioning and performance testing services.

    The list of prequalified companies is:

    • Fluor (US)
    • GS Engineering & Construction (South Korea)
    • Tecnicas Reunidas (Spain)
    • Larsen & Toubro (India)
    • Hyundai Engineering (South Korea)
    • CTCI Corporation (Taiwan)
    • Daewoo Engineering & Construction (South Korea)
    • Hyundai Engineering & Construction (South Korea)
    • Saipem (Italy)
    • Samsung Engineering (South Korea)
    • Sinopec Engineering (China)
    • JGC Holdings (Japan)
    • KBR (US)
    • China National Petroleum Corporation (China)
    • Technip (France)

    A BOG unit at an LNG facility captures, compresses and processes natural gas vapours that evaporate from cryogenic storage tanks, enabling the gas to be recycled back into the system rather than flared.

    In April, MEED revealed that contractors expected the project to be worth about $200m.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/20168625/main2005.jpg
    Wil Crisp
  • Riyadh approaches contractors for 2km tower

    1 October 2026

     

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has reached out to contractors as part of a market-sounding exercise for the construction of the proposed 2-kilometre megatall tower project.

    MEED understands that a PIF subsidiary, the Tower District Real Estate Development Company, is undertaking the process.

    It is understood that several experienced international contractors, as well as some prominent local contractors, have been approached.

    The latest development follows PIF receiving offers in June last year from firms seeking a contract to provide project management consultancy (PMC) services for a new central business district (CBD) on the outskirts of Riyadh, which includes the proposed 2km tower.

    The PMC role covers both the tower and the surrounding district.

    Firms understood to have been invited to bid include US-based Aecom, Jacobs, Parsons and Turner, as well as the UK’s Mace.

    UK-based Foster & Partners is working as the architect for the tower after winning a design competition launched in late 2022.

    Record breaker

    The proposed tower would be more than double the height of the world’s tallest building, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, which stands 828 metres tall. It is expected to be at least several hundred metres taller than the 1,000-metre-plus tower under construction in Jeddah.

    Contractors that have priced megatall towers in the region say a 2km-tall structure could cost about $5bn to construct, depending on the final design.

    The 2km tower and the surrounding CBD – known as Project Rise – sit within a larger masterplanned development to the north of Riyadh called the North Pole.

    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/20156496/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Singapore’s Temasek plans Middle East expansion

    1 October 2026

    Singapore’s Temasek plans to open offices in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi early next year as it targets investment and partnership opportunities in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and the wider region.

    The state-owned investor had a net portfolio value of S$518bn ($401bn) as of 31 March 2026.

    It said the new offices will serve as regional hubs for Temasek and its portfolio companies, with some businesses expected to co-locate to work more closely with partners and pursue deals alongside the group. The openings are subject to regulatory approvals.

    Temasek said it will also step up engagement with institutions in Qatar, although it has not announced plans to establish an office there.

    The company said the expansion reflects its confidence in the region’s long-term fundamentals and the economic transformation being driven by national diversification programmes.

    It added that a presence in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi will also support investment activity beyond the region by improving access to opportunities across the wider Middle East, Central Asia and Africa.

    Several Temasek-owned or Temasek-backed companies are already active in the GCC, providing a platform for the group’s planned expansion.

    These include Singapore-headquartered engineering and consultancy firm Surbana Jurong, which has been involved in masterplanning and advisory work on major regional developments, alongside other portfolio companies with interests spanning infrastructure, logistics, financial services and technology.

    According to data from regional project tracker MEED Projects, Surbana Jurong is involved in several major projects in Saudi Arabia, including King Abdulaziz International airport (KAIA) in Jeddah, Jeddah Islamic Port, Red Sea Global’s Amaala masterplan, the Trojena dams scheme, Oxagon, King Salman International airport and Saudi Arabia Railway’s North-South Phosphate Railway 3.

    The firm has also worked on projects in the wider region, including the West Link project, Urban Loop, Musaffah Innovation District masterplan, Etihad Rail’s high-speed rail programme and Abu Dhabi airport’s Midfield Terminal.

    Surbana Jurong has also secured masterplanning contracts from Abu Dhabi’s Department of Municipalities & Transport and Abu Dhabi Ports.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/20157511/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal