Related Articles

• 
  Kuwait refinery project on track for year-end completion

  23 September 2026

  

   

  A $65m project to replace a substation at the Mina Al-Ahmadi (MAA) refinery is on schedule to be mechanically complete before the end of the year, according to industry sources.

  The project is being executed by India’s Larsen & Toubro (L&T), which was awarded the contract in October 2024.

  One source said: “This project is approaching completion and is currently on schedule to be completed before the end of the year, although it could still see delays related to the ongoing regional conflict.”

  The client is state-owned downstream operator Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC).

  Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water & Renewable Energy (MEW) is also involved in the project and will provide final approvals and sign-off.

  The scope of the project includes:

  • Construction of a substation
  • Installation of transformers
  • Installation of medium-voltage switchgear
  • Installation of low-voltage auxiliary systems
  • Installation of network protection systems
  • Installation of disconnecting switches
  • Installation of surge arrestors
  • Installation of feeder breakers and cubicles
  • Installation of low-voltage A/C and D/C equipment
  • Installation of battery banks and battery chargers
  • Installation of related relay and control panel boards
  • Installation of fire alarm and fire protection equipment
  • Installation of a SCADA system
  • Installation of cables
  • Civil works
  • Associated facilities

  The current project to replace a substation at the MAA refinery closely resembles another project tendered by KNPC more than a decade ago, which L&T also won.

  On 18 May 2015, KNPC signed a contract with L&T to build a new 240MW substation at the MAA refinery, valued at KD21.866m.

  The new substation, known as M20, was designed to replace an existing substation that was considered old and obsolete.

  Mohammed Al-Mutairi, who was KNPC’s chief executive at the time, said the substation building would be explosion-proof and use state-of-the-art control systems.

  He said the station’s capacity would increase from 180MW to 240MW, supplying most of the refinery’s electricity needs.

  Given the similarities between the two projects, L&T has been able to reuse some designs, creating efficiencies, according to industry sources.

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19911319/main.jpg

  Wil Crisp
• 
  Contractors prepare Oxagon Highway 55 bids

  23 September 2026

  

   

  Contractors are preparing to submit bids on 28 September for a design-and-build contract for permanent upgrade works on Highway 55 in the kingdom’s Oxagon region.

  The first phase of the project includes constructing 14 kilometres of road, with two lanes in each direction. It also includes one bridge and three interchanges.

  The project duration is 22 months.

  Highway 55 connects the Red Sea coast with the mainland in northwestern Saudi Arabia. It is currently the only road providing north-south connectivity between Duba and the Neom region.

  MEED reported exclusively in August 2025 that contractors had submitted responses to an expression of interest notice that Neom had issued earlier that month.

  The project is expected to support cargo movement from Duba Port to other parts of the kingdom and the wider region.

  Last year, Neom tested a pilot initiative by handling a shipment that travelled from Cairo via the Port of Safaga, across the Red Sea to the Port of Neom, and then inland to Erbil, Iraq.

  In a statement, Neom said: “The shipment travelled through an intermodal corridor spanning over 900 kilometres, marking a significant milestone in the kingdom’s transformation into a regional and global logistics hub.”

  The Port of Neom is located on the Red Sea near the Arar border, a key entry point into Iraq.

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19907876/main.jpg

  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Jedco maps next phase of Jeddah airport expansion

  22 September 2026

  

   

  Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

  Jeddah Airports Company (Jedco) has outlined plans for the next phase of expansion at King Abdulaziz International airport (KAIA) in Jeddah.

  The programme comprises six upcoming contractor packages spanning airside works, terminal upgrades and utilities as Jedco advances its long-term expansion plans.

  The opportunities include airfield rehabilitation; a five-year construction framework covering multiple workstreams and facility types; a Terminal 3A (T3A) package; Terminal 1 (T1) optimisation; a fuel farm; and Concourse C works.

  The packages cover terminal buildings and ancillary facilities, runways, taxiways and aprons, hangars, fuel systems, airside facilities, supporting infrastructure and utility networks.

  Tendering and award activity will be staggered over the next two years. Airfield rehabilitation is targeted for Q3 2026. The construction framework is scheduled for Q4 2026 and will run for five years.

  The T3A package is planned for Q1 2027 and will be delivered under an early contractor involvement contract. Local contractors are encouraged to bid as part of a joint venture with an experienced international partner.

  T1 optimisation is planned for Q4 2027, the fuel farm for Q2 2027, and Concourse C – currently the latest of the six milestones – for Q2 2028.

  The new packages add detail to Jedco’s wider expansion plans disclosed in 2023, when it was reported that the company would invest SR115bn ($31bn) to increase KAIA’s capacity to 114 million passengers a year, with an overall completion target of 2031.

  Jedco has recently awarded several significant contracts linked to the airport’s upgrade programme.

  In November 2024, a joint venture of local Algihaz Contracting and Turkey’s TAV was awarded a contract to rehabilitate the South Terminal to serve Umrah and Hajj pilgrims, with Singapore’s Surbana Jurong acting as consultant.

  Earlier that year, Jedco also awarded France’s Alstom a contract to increase the capacity of the Innovia automated people mover at Terminal 1, including new cars and upgrades to signalling, communications and controls.

  Surbana Jurong is expected to play a leading role in future KAIA expansion plans and is currently providing technical advisory and project management consultancy for more than 100 capital projects for Jedco, valued at over SR6bn ($1.6bn).

  These upgrades are expected to boost KAIA’s annual capacity in line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and National Aviation Strategy, enhancing the experience for domestic travellers and millions of Hajj and Umrah pilgrims.

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19877992/main.jpg

  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Contractor wins $105m Medina university hospital deal

  22 September 2026

  

   

  Riyadh-based construction firm Al-Mansouria General Contracting Company has been awarded a SR396m ($105.6m) contract to complete the remaining construction works on the Taiba University Hospital project in Medina.

  The contract scope includes structural completion, remaining civil works, mechanical, electrical and plumbing installations, specialised clinical fit-outs and medical gas infrastructure to bring the long-stalled facility into operation.

  Located on King Khalid Road along Medina’s Third Ring Road, the teaching hospital will have a capacity of 563 beds.

  The contract duration is three years, with delivery targeted for late 2029.

  The latest award follows a prolonged procurement cycle that began more than a decade ago as part of a public budget drive to expand Saudi Arabia’s higher education infrastructure.
  

  The project’s first phase was initially signed in December 2011 with local firm Al-Muhaidib Contracting under a SR500m ($133.3m) contract.

  Groundbreaking for the eight-storey complex took place in July 2013. The project covers a gross floor area of more than 200,000 square metres.

  Progress stalled shortly thereafter due to reported structural delays and the reallocation of public capital budgets across the kingdom’s social infrastructure pipeline.

  ---

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

  Nuclear power ambitions gather pace; Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive despite war; Region invests in raising gas processing capacity.

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

  > AGENDA: Gulf nuclear revival takes shape > MARKET FOCUS: Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive under fire > INDUSTRY REPORT: Gas processing takes centre stage in Mena region > INTERVIEW: Emsteel persists with business productivity and efficiency > TUNNELS: The Gulf’s next construction boom is happening underground

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

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19870032/main.jpg

  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Oman tenders Thumrait Industrial City infrastructure

  22 September 2026

  

   

  Oman’s Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (Madayn) has tendered an estimated RO15m ($39m) contract to develop infrastructure for Thumrait Industrial City.

  The tender was issued on 14 September, with bids due by 12 November.

  The scope covers site-wide utilities and services, including an internal road network, stormwater channels and culverts. It also includes installing sewerage and water networks, along with landscaping works.

  In addition, Madayn intends to build plug-and-play industrial units and a facilities building.

  The first phase of the development will cover about 120,000 square metres (sq m).

  Thumrait Industrial City is located in Oman’s Dhofar Governorate and spans an area of more than four million sq m.

  The project location is close to concession blocks, quarry sites and the Najd agricultural areas. It is positioned to attract industrial investments in sectors such as mining and minerals processing (including gypsum and cement), food production, and a range of light and general manufacturing activities.

  In March, Madayn said it is preparing to invest more than RO245m ($637m) to upgrade and expand infrastructure across its industrial cities between 2026 and 2030, as part of efforts to attract new investment and advance economic diversification.

  According to media reports, Madayn chief executive Dawood Bin Salim Al-Hadabi said the programme is part of an expanded, phased plan aligned with Oman Vision 2040 and the authority’s long-term Madayn 2040 strategy.

  The objective is to deepen Oman’s industrial base and spread growth across the sultanate’s governorates.

  Madayn said the pipeline comprises about 90 strategic projects to improve industrial-city infrastructure, extend serviced land and increase the overall ease of doing business for investors.

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19866218/main.jpg

  Yasir Iqbal