Read the October 2023 MEED Business Review
3 October 2023
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As work on the 1,000-metre-plus Jeddah Tower gets back on track, Saudi Arabia is set to steal the title of world’s tallest tower from Dubai.
It was a landmark moment for Saudi Arabia’s construction sector in mid-September when Jeddah Economic Company invited firms to bid for a contract to complete the world’s tallest tower project.
Work on the tower “is back in full [swing]”, a source close to the project told MEED.
When completed, Jeddah Tower will be the first structure in history to exceed 1 kilometre in height. Designed to have 170 storeys, it will out-tower Dubai’s Burj Khalifa by more than 172 metres and will put Saudi Arabia firmly in the spotlight.
MEED editor Colin Foreman provides exclusive details on the kingdom's tall tower plans in the latest issue of MEED Business Review.
He also comments on why Saudi Arabia will be seeking to escape the economic curse of record-breaking towers.
This month's exclusive 21-page market report also focuses on Saudi Arabia as Riyadh acts on multiple fronts to elevate its global influence, from international sports investment to cultivating geopolitical soft power.
MEED's latest issue is packed with analysis on topics including building the world's biggest urban park, tunnelling, the GCC rail project, joining Brics and the project's shaping Dubai's future.
MEED has also interviewed experts in the market including Parsons’ Martin Boson and Engie's Francois-Xavier Boul.
This month's industry report, meanwhile, presents MEED's annual power developer ranking, complete with league tables and analysis.
We hope our valued subscribers enjoy the October 2023 issue of MEED Business Review.

Must-read sections in the October 2023 issue of MEED Business Review include:
> AGENDA: Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Tower reaches for new heights
> SKYSCRAPERS: Top 10 tallest towers in the region
> TALL TOWER PLANS: Saudi seeks to escape economic curse of record-breaking towers
> CURRENT AFFAIRS: Brics tilts balance of regional interests
> RAIL: Risks remain for GCC railway project
> KING SALMAN PARK: Riyadh builds the world’s largest urban park
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INDUSTRY REPORT: MEED's 2023 power developer ranking |
> TUNNELS: Tunnelling projects take the front seat
> INTERVIEW: Parsons’ Martin Boson on long-term opportunities in the Saudi market
> DUBAI PROJECTS: Ten projects that will shape Dubai’s future
> GIGAPROJECTS: Saudi Arabia gigaprojects tracker
> INTERVIEW: Engie stages GCC renewables comeback
> OIL: Development of Dorra field may stoke tensions
> SAUDI ARABIA MARKET FOCUS:
> COMMENT: Riyadh reshapes its global role
> POLITICS: Saudi Arabia looks both east and west
> SPORT: Saudi Arabia’s football vision goes global
> ECONOMY: Riyadh prioritises stability over headline growth
> BANKS: Saudi banks track more modest growth path
> UPSTREAM: Aramco focuses on upstream capacity building
> DOWNSTREAM: Saudi chemical and downstream projects in motion
> POWER: Riyadh rides power projects surge
> WATER: Saudi water projects momentum holds steady
> GIGAPROJECTS: Gigaproject activity enters full swing
> TRANSPORT: Infrastructure projects support Riyadh’s logistics ambitions
> MEED COMMENTS:
> Iraq approval could lead to Exxon’s exit
> McDermott financial restructuring is imperative
> Region becomes battery storage hotspot
> Kuwait wastewater projects keep pace
> GULF PROJECTS INDEX: Gulf index rises 2 per cent in September
> AUGUST 2023 CONTRACTS: Region records $14bn of deals signed
> MARKET SNAPSHOT: Mena oil and gas
> OPINION: Region to mark golden jubilee of 1973 war
> BUSINESS OUTLOOK: Finance, oil and gas, construction, power and water contracts
Exclusive from Meed
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UAE GDP projection corrects on conflict24 April 2026
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April 2026: Data drives regional projects24 April 2026
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Boutique Group tenders Tuwaiq Palace hotel in Riyadh24 April 2026
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Firms announce 129MW Dubai data centre24 April 2026
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Iraq signs upstream oil contract24 April 2026
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April 2026: Data drives regional projects24 April 2026
Click here to download the PDF
Includes: Commodity tracker | Top 10 global contractors | Brent spot price | Construction output
MEED’s May 2026 report on the UAE includes:
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Boutique Group tenders Tuwaiq Palace hotel in Riyadh24 April 2026

Saudi Arabia’s Boutique Group, backed by the sovereign wealth vehicle Public Investment Fund (PIF), has retendered a contract to convert Tuwaiq Palace in Riyadh into a hotel.
Contractors have been given a deadline of 31 May to submit proposals.
The scheme comprises 40 hotel rooms and suites and 56 one- and two-bedroom villas.
According to regional projects tracker MEED Projects, the contract was first tendered in 2022.
In January of that year, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman launched Boutique Group to manage and convert historic and cultural Saudi palaces into ultra-luxury hotels.
Boutique Group’s first phase covers three palaces, two of which are under construction. Al-Hamra Palace in Jeddah is being converted to include 33 suites and 44 villas. In July 2023, MEED reported that Jeddah-based Al-Redwan Contracting was appointed the main contractor for the Al-Hamra Palace conversion.
The other project is the Red Palace in Riyadh, which will feature 46 suites and 25 guest rooms. In 2023, local contractor Mobco won the contract to undertake the project.
In 1957, the Red Palace became the headquarters of the Council of Ministers for 30 years, and later served as the main office for the Board of Grievances until 2002.
Jordan-headquartered Dar Al-Omran is acting as supervision consultant on all three projects.
Photo credits: Omrania
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Firms announce 129MW Dubai data centre24 April 2026
Dubai’s Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ) has signed a joint-venture agreement with Netherlands-headquartered data centre developer Volt to build a new artificial intelligence (AI)-ready data centre in the emirate.
Planned for Dubai Silicon Oasis, the development will take the form of a campus covering up to 60,000 square metres.
The project will be delivered in two phases, starting with 29MW of immediately available capacity, followed by a second phase adding a further 100MW of committed power.
Under the arrangement, DIEZ will supply the land and essential infrastructure, while Volt will finance and develop the project, lead construction, and manage the design, leasing, implementation and day-to-day operations.
French firm Schneider Electric, which has its regional headquarters in Dubai Silicon Oasis, will support the development by supplying advanced electrical systems, power distribution capabilities and smart data centre infrastructure.
The GCC currently has more than 174 active data centre projects, representing over $93bn in investment, led by international players such as AWS, Google and Huawei, alongside regional developers including Khazna and Moro, supported by government-led localisation strategies.
More than a dozen large-scale facilities valued at over $100m each are currently under tender, with further packages expected to reach the market over the next six to 12 months.
The UAE is one of the leading data centre markets, with hyperscale campuses, sovereign cloud initiatives and edge data centre deployments underway.
Data centre development is closely aligned with the UAE’s digital economy and AI roadmap, as well as the wider smart city programme.
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Iraq signs upstream oil contract24 April 2026
State-owned Iraqi Drilling Company (IDC) has signed a contract with China’s EBS Petroleum for a project to drill 17 horizontal wells in the southeastern portion of the East Baghdad field.
Mohamed Hantoush, the general manager of IDC, said the contract signing came after a “series of successful achievements” by the company at the field.
The achievements included the completion of a project to drill 27 horizontal wells and another project to drill 18 horizontal wells, according to a statement released by Iraq’s Ministry of Oil.
In January, Iraq’s Midland Oil Company (MOC), in collaboration with EBS Petroleum, completed the country’s longest horizontal oil well in the southern part of the East Baghdad field.
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