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• 
  Qiddiya receives high-speed rail PPP prequalifications

  1 May 2026

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  Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for Riyadh City, in collaboration with Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) and the National Centre for Privatisation & PPP, received prequalification statements from firms on 30 April for the public-private partnership (PPP) package of the Qiddiya high-speed rail project in Riyadh.

  This follows the submission of prequalification statements for the engineering, procurement, construction and financing (EPCF) package on 16 April, as reported by MEED.

  The prequalification notice was issued on 19 January, and a project briefing session was held on 23 February at Qiddiya Entertainment City.

  The Qiddiya high-speed rail project, also known as Q-Express, will connect King Salman International airport and the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) with Qiddiya City. The line will operate at speeds of up to 250 kilometres an hour, reaching Qiddiya in 30 minutes.

  The line is expected to be developed in two phases. The first phase will connect Qiddiya with KAFD and King Khalid International airport.

  The second phase will start from a development known as the North Pole and travel to the New Murabba development, King Salman Park, central Riyadh and Industrial City in the south of the city.

  In November last year, MEED reported that more than 145 local and international companies had expressed interest in developing the project, including 68 contracting companies, 23 design and project management consultants, 16 investment firms, 12 rail operators, 10 rolling stock providers and 16 other services firms.

  In November 2023, MEED reported that French consultant Egis had been appointed as the technical adviser for the project. UK-based consultancy Ernst & Young is acting as the transaction adviser, and Ashurst is the legal adviser.

  Qiddiya is one of Saudi Arabia’s five official gigaprojects and covers a total area of 376 square kilometres (sq km), with 223 sq km of developed land. 

  

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Saudi Arabia launches $2bn Jawharat Al-Arous project

  1 May 2026

  Saudi Arabia has launched Jawharat Al-Arous, an SR8bn ($2bn) private-sector-led residential development in north Jeddah.

  The scheme covers 107 million square metres and comprises 18 residential neighbourhoods planned to accommodate more than 700,000 residents. It will provide more than 80,000 residential and commercial plots.

  The masterplan also includes 41 government-backed infrastructure and service zones to support large-scale urban expansion.

  The project was unveiled by Mecca Region Governor Khalid Al-Faisal and will be overseen by Saud Bin Mishaal Bin Abdulaziz.

  According to a recent report by real estate firm Cavendish Maxwell, Jeddah’s residential stock stood at about 1.09 million units at the end of 2025, following the completion of around 4,000 units that year.

  An expanding pipeline of about 18,000 units in 2026 and 22,000 units in 2027 is expected to bring total stock to around 1.14 million units by 2027, gradually adding supply without destabilising market equilibrium.

  GlobalData expects the Saudi construction industry to grow by 3.6% in real terms in 2026, supported by increased foreign direct investment (FDI) and investment in the housing and manufacturing sectors.

  The residential construction sector is forecast to grow by 3.8% in real terms in 2026 and to record an average annual growth rate of 4.7% between 2027 and 2030, supported by Saudi Vision 2030’s goal of increasing homeownership from 65.4% in 2024 to 70% by 2030, including through the delivery of 600,000 homes by 2030.

  ---

  MEED’s April 2026 report on Saudi Arabia includes:

  > COMMENT: Risk accelerates Saudi spending shift
  > GVT &: ECONOMY: Riyadh navigates a changed landscape
  > BANKING: Testing times for Saudi banks
  > UPSTREAM: Offshore oil and gas projects to dominate Aramco capex in 2026
  > DOWNSTREAM: Saudi downstream projects market enters lean period
  > POWER: Wind power gathers pace in Saudi Arabia
  > WATER: Sharakat plan signals next phase of Saudi water expansion
  > CONSTRUCTION: Saudi construction enters a period of strategic readjustment
  > TRANSPORT: Rail expansion powers Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure push

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

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Damage to US bases in region expected to cost more than $15bn

  1 May 2026

  The $25bn estimate a Pentagon official gave US lawmakers on 29 April did not include the cost of repairing damage to US bases in the Middle East, and the real cost of the war is likely to be between $40bn and $50bn, according to CNN.

  That would put the cost of repairing bases and replacing destroyed assets at between $15bn and $25bn.

  Jules Hurst III, the Pentagon official serving as the agency’s comptroller, told the House Armed Services Committee that “most” of the $25bn he cited had been spent on munitions. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth declined to say whether the figure included repairs to damaged US bases.

  Iranian strikes across the Gulf in the early days of the war significantly damaged at least nine US military sites in 48 hours, hitting facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, the UAE and Qatar.

  Six US servicemembers were killed in an attack on a command post in Kuwait, and 20 more were injured.

  Three sources told CNN that the figure provided to the House Armed Services Committee did not include the cost of rebuilding US military installations and replacing destroyed assets.

  One source said the true cost would likely be between $40bn and $50bn.

  US contractors such as KBR and Fluor, as well as local firms, are likely to be among the leading contenders for contracts to repair and rebuild US bases in the region.

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  Wil Crisp
• 
  Regional war boosts oil and gas pipeline project activity

  1 May 2026

  There has been a surge of interest in oil and gas pipeline projects in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region as a result of the US and Israel’s attack on Iran on 28 February and the subsequent disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

  Projects collectively worth more than $43bn are being accelerated as countries that normally export oil and gas from the Gulf through the Strait seek alternative routes, and other countries seek to boost profits amid high energy prices.

  Some of the key pipelines that have advanced in recent weeks involve Iraq, Algeria and Morocco.

  Due to the current high-price environment and a new awareness of the importance of diversifying export routes, it is likely that other pipeline projects in the region will also see milestones announced over the coming weeks.

  Iraqi oil

  One of the projects seeing accelerated progress is Iraq’s planned $5bn Basra-Haditha crude oil pipeline.

  Last month, Iraq announced it was setting up a high-level commission to oversee the development of the project.

  The decision was made at a meeting held on 26 April, attended by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and the Minister of Petroleum Hayyan Abdul Ghani Al-Sawad, as well as other officials and consultants.

  The commission will be chaired by the undersecretary of the Oil Ministry and include advisers to the prime minister, along with director-generals from the Oil Ministry and the Industry & Minerals Ministry.

  Al-Sudani said the pipeline project will increase flexibility in transporting crude oil to the Turkish port of Ceyhan, as well as the Syrian port of Baniyas and Jordan’s port of Aqaba.

  The pipeline is also expected to strengthen supply to refineries in central and northern Iraq and support higher domestic refining output.

  The meeting also approved allocating $1.5bn to the project this year, with funding provided through the Iraq-China oil-for-infrastructure mechanism, according to a statement issued by the Petroleum Ministry.

  Earlier this month, Iraq’s Council of Ministers approved amendments allowing the Oil Ministry to directly invite specialised companies to bid for the 685-kilometre pipeline.

  The pipeline is expected to have a capacity of up to 2.25 million barrels a day.

  Iraq’s oil and gas sector has been devastated by the disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, with oil exports collapsing by about 80%.

  As well as the Basra-Haditha crude oil pipeline project, Iraqi officials have also discussed other potential pipeline projects to help the country diversify export routes.

  These include a pipeline from Basra to the port of Duqm in Oman that would bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

  This project would entail significant logistical challenges and remains at an early conceptual stage.

  Morocco and Algeria

  While neither Morocco nor Algeria is reliant on the Strait of Hormuz as an export route for oil and gas, both countries are using the current period of high prices as an opportunity to push ahead with ambitious gas pipeline plans.

  Speaking at the end of last month at a conference in Ethiopia, the Algerian Minister of Energy and Renewable Energy, Mourad Adjal, said that Algeria was accelerating the development of the planned Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP) project, which is estimated to be worth $13bn.

  “Algeria is working alongside its partners Nigeria and Niger to advance the Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline project, which is expected to play a key role in consolidating energy integration at both the regional and continental levels,” he said.

  Adjal told the conference that Algeria’s president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, places importance on continental cooperation and sees Africa as “a priority focus” within Algeria’s national strategy for developing international partnerships.

  In March this year, Algeria’s Sonatrach sent a delegation to Niger to advance the TSGP project.

  At the time, officials said that the visit was focused on technical and operational details ahead of the pipeline project’s launch.

  The project will connect Nigeria’s gas fields in Warri to Algeria’s Hassi RMel, linking into existing pipelines that supply European markets.

  In March last year, UK-based Penspen was awarded a contract to provide a feasibility study update for the TSGP.

  Spanning more than 4,000km from Nigeria to Algeria, the pipeline is jointly sponsored by Nigerian National Petroleum Company, Algeria’s Sonatrach and Niger’s Sonidep.

  The planned project will facilitate the transportation of up to 30 billion cubic metres of natural gas a year across West and North Africa, ultimately linking to European markets.

  The TSGP project was initiated by the collaborative efforts of Nigeria and Algeria in 2002, with Niger admitted in 2008 as a co-sponsor.

  In 2006, Penspen delivered the original feasibility study for the project, finding the pipeline to be technically and economically feasible and reliable.

  African rivals

  Rabat’s plans for the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP), estimated to be worth $25bn, are seen by some as a rival to the TSGP.

  Under current plans, the proposed gas pipeline will extend for 6,900km, including onshore and offshore segments.

  The Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP) will link gas deposits in Nigeria, Senegal and Mauritania to 10 neighbouring African nations.

  According to the plan, the project’s northern terminus will connect to the existing Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline, which links Morocco and Spain.

  Late last month, Morocco’s state-owned agency for oil, gas and mineral resources said it was preparing to launch a fundraising campaign for the pipeline, which will transport West African gas to the coast of the Mediterranean.

  This will be the first time the Office National Des Hydrocarbures & Des Mines (Onhym) has sought to raise capital since it was restructured as a joint-stock company in February.

  While Algeria’s TSGP would connect Nigerian fields to European markets via a shorter desert route, crossing fewer countries, Moroccan authorities have stated that they believe their planned coastal route would offer benefits.

  Onhym has said that the longer route would boost electrification and energy access for the participating West African nations.

  Pipeline logistics

  All three of the major pipeline projects that have seen renewed interest over recent weeks have a long history of delays and setbacks.

  These delays have clearly illustrated that planning long pipeline projects, especially when they cross multiple countries, can be logistically complex.

  While the current period of elevated energy prices and the prospect of high returns on investment should motivate cooperation on these projects, it remains to be seen whether the problems that have previously created delays can be overcome.

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  Wil Crisp
• 
  Morocco seeks financing for $25bn gas pipeline

  1 May 2026

  Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

  Morocco’s state-owned agency for oil, gas and mineral resources is preparing to launch a fundraising campaign for its planned $25bn gas pipeline to transport West African gas to the Mediterranean coast, according to officials.

  This will be the first time the Office National Des Hydrocarbures & Des Mines (Onhym) has sought to raise capital since it was restructured as a joint-stock company in February.

  The restructuring was implemented to try to bolster the agency’s “capacity to structure partnerships, mobilise diversified funding and support large-scale projects”, according to a company statement.

  Under current plans, the proposed gas pipeline will extend for 6,900 kilometres, including onshore and offshore segments.

  The Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP) will link gas deposits in Nigeria, Senegal and Mauritania to 10 neighbouring African nations.

  According to the plan, the project’s northern terminus will connect to the existing Maghreb-Europe Gas Pipeline, which links Morocco and Spain.

  In its statement, Onhym described the planned pipeline as a “major opportunity” to unlock some of the world’s largest untapped gas reserves, saying it would improve “Euro-African energy security”.

  Last month, Omco, Morocco’s gas-transport firm, said that a final investment decision (FID) for the first phase is expected to be finalised before the end of this year.

  Also last month, Amina Benkhadra, the director-general of Onhym, said that Nigeria and Morocco were planning to sign an intergovernmental agreement to formalise the legal and regulatory framework for the pipeline.

  Benkhadra said that the agreement would establish a “high authority” for the pipeline.

  This body will be based in Nigeria and include ministerial representatives from each participating country to ensure political coordination.

  To navigate global financing challenges and complex cross-border logistics, the project is expected to be developed in stages rather than waiting for a single FID.

  Early phases will link Morocco to gas fields in Mauritania and Senegal, while southern segments will connect Ghana to Cote d’Ivoire and eventually to Nigeria.

  The pipeline is being designed with an annual capacity of 30 billion cubic metres a year, according to officials

  Half of that volume is earmarked for Morocco’s domestic needs and exports to Europe, which has sought to diversify its energy sources following geopolitical disruptions.

  To manage construction, a joint-venture project company will be formed between Onhym and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company.

  Feasibility studies for the pipeline were completed last year.

  Onhym awarded UK-based Penspen the phase 1 front-end engineering and design (feed) contract for the project in 2019.

  Then, in 2022, Onhym awarded Australia’s Worley the phase 2 feed contract.

  At the time, Worley said that the overall feed services would be managed by Intecsea, its offshore engineering consultancy business headquartered in the Netherlands.

  It also said that Advisian, its global consulting business, will provide research connected to the acceleration of electrification and the feasibility of energy self-sufficiency in the region.

  Its UK and Madrid offices would analyse the possibility of using renewable energy resources to power the pipeline.

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  Wil Crisp