meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Mena power rides high into 2024

29 December 2023

 

The Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region’s power generation and transmission sector awarded an estimated $25.3bn-worth of contracts between January and November 2023.

While this pales in comparison to the record high of $37.7bn awarded in 2015, it is up 38 per cent on the previous full year 2022, according to MEED Projects.

Year-on-year, the value of awarded power generation contracts increased by 40 per cent to reach $19bn, outperforming the transmission sub-sector growth by nine percentage points.

Saudi Arabia accounted for 60 per cent of the awarded power contracts in 2023. These include the contracts to develop four independent power projects (IPPs) that use combined-cycle gas turbines (CCGT), the first to be procured since the kingdom awarded the contract to develop the 1,500MW Al-Fadhili IPP to France’s Engie in 2016.

The Taiba 1 and 2 and Qassim 1 and 2 IPP projects each have a generation capacity of 1,800MW and require a combined investment of $7.8bn, of which roughly 80 per cent is accounted for by engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) costs.

The kingdom also awarded an EPC contract for the 1,200MW expansion of a power plant complex in Jubail during the year.

On the renewable energy front, the principal buyer, Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC), and the Public Investment Fund awarded some 6.7GW of solar photovoltaic (PV) IPP projects.

The uptick in awards marks a major improvement after a year of tepid renewables project activity in 2022, barring the solar and wind farm projects being developed as part of the large-scale green hydrogen and ammonia project in Neom.

The transmission and distribution sub-sector contributed to Saudi Arabia’s sterling market performance this year, delivering contracts worth over $3.5bn.

The kingdom’s electricity grid is expected to continue to be upgraded to accommodate growing renewable energy capacity and the rise in electricity demand as Vision 2030-related projects enter the execution phase.

The plan to accelerate electricity trade with its GCC neighbours and other countries in the region, such as Egypt and Iraq, is also anticipated to encourage future grid investments. 

The award of the $2bn multi-utilities package for the Amaala development project also stood out, not least due to the inclusion of a 700 megawatt-hour battery energy storage system to enable the hotels within the development to be completely off-grid.

Unlike in the previous two years, Kuwait, the UAE and Oman also tendered or awarded substantial power generation contracts in 2023.

Nama Power & Water Procurement Company awarded the contracts to develop the second and third utility-scale solar PV schemes in the sultanate, Manah 1 and 2, each with a capacity of 500MW, in the first half of the year.

In September, Dubai Electricity & Water Authority awarded the contract to develop the sixth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid solar complex.

Looking forward

The Mena power sector is expected to maintain its momentum into 2024, if the final quarter of 2023 is anything to go by.

Saudi Arabia is likely to continue dominating power project activities, with other states such as the UAE, Oman, Morocco, Egypt, Kuwait and Qatar offering significant opportunities for developers and EPC contractors.

Saudi Arabia’s SPPC has held a market-sounding event for the four solar IPPs under the fifth round of the kingdom’s National Renewable Energy Programme (NREP), while bid evaluation is still under way for the three wind IPPs under the NREP’s round four.

The tender documents are also being prepared for two CCGT projects in Riyadh, PP15 and Al-Khafji, with each expected to have a capacity of 3.6GW.

Qatar and Kuwait are advancing the procurement process for independent water and power producer (IWPP) projects that were held back over the past few years.

Abu Dhabi has initiated the procurement process for its fourth solar PV IPP and first twin battery energy storage facilities. 

It will also almost certainly kick off the procurement process for one or two thermal power plants in the months ahead in anticipation of the need to replace expiring gas-fired capacity.

North Africa

The procurement of renewable energy plants, particularly in the North African states, led by Egypt and Morocco, is also expected to ramp up, in part due to their goals to develop green hydrogen hubs and export clean energy to Europe.

“Morocco is definitely going to be a major market from 2024 and onwards, with several IPPs in the planning and study stage,” says a senior partner with a transaction advisory firm.

Expectations also continue to thrive for many thermal projects planned in Libya and solar PV IPPs in Iraq, despite political uncertainties. 

For Iraq in particular, the external pressure to rely less on Iranian electricity imports will provide impetus to its solar and CCGT capacity programmes.

The future trend for levelised costs of electricity is likely to remain mixed over the coming months

LCOE trend 

The future trend for levelised costs of electricity (LCOEs) – or the pre-agreed, long-term tariffs an offtaker pays utility developers for their plants’ electricity output – is likely to remain mixed over the coming months, according to a region-based expert.

“The LCOEs for CCGTs are likely to remain stable next year, while solar LCOEs could slightly decline, compared with those seen in 2023,” the source tells MEED.

Supply chain constraints for gas turbines remain a concern for future CCGT power plants, given what is understood to be a long lead time for delivery and the production capacity constraints in the EU plants of the leading suppliers such as Germany’s Siemens Energy and the US’ GE.

While this opens opportunities for gas turbine manufacturers based in China, it is foreseeable that there remains a dominant preference for EU-made products across the Mena region, particularly in the GCC states.

The same expert argues, however, that the massive increase in gas turbine demand may be temporary, with demand likely to start petering off sometime after 2024, when clients and utility developers alike will have to consider the impact of these assets, whose concession agreements extend between 25 and 30 years, to their net-zero commitments.

As previously cited, Saudi Arabia will continue to dominate the region’s power sector project activities in the foreseeable future. Its ambition for renewable energy sources to account for half its capacity by 2030 and the Vision 2030-related plans to build off-grid developments such as Neom, the Red Sea and Amaala, as well as its multibillion-dollar industrialisation programme, will drive this.

According to MEED Projects data, Iran, Algeria, Kuwait, the UAE and Qatar are the other key markets for projects in the bidding stage. Morocco, Egypt, Kuwait and the UAE are the most promising markets for projects outside Saudi Arabia in the study, design or prequalification stage.

Overall, the net-zero commitments made by key states such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and plans to build green hydrogen valleys from Abu Dhabi to Morocco, in addition to an endemic rise in electricity demand as populations and economies grow, will likely keep the overall power sector buoyant over the coming years, barring any major events, like the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 or the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022. 

Sustainability drives water investments

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/11336705/main.gif
Jennifer Aguinaldo

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

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Opec+ approves fourth consecutive oil output quota hike

    8 June 2026

    The Opec+ alliance of oil producers has agreed a fourth increase in its oil output targets in as many months, even though the conflict involving Iran, the US and Israel is still preventing several members from pumping more crude.

    The war has disrupted oil flows via the Strait of Hormuz, creating a severe supply crisis. Key Opec+ members, including Saudi Arabia, have been unable to supply customers in full since the end of February. The crisis for Opec+ deepened when the UAE left Opec after almost 60 years of membership.

    Seven core members of Opec+ – which comprises Opec countries and a group of non-Opec states led by Russia – raised their output quotas from April to June by almost 600,000 barrels a day (b/d).

    In practice, however, the group’s production has fallen sharply due to export cuts by Gulf members, averaging 33.19 million b/d in April compared with 42.77 million b/d in February, according to Opec figures.

    At the latest meeting of Opec+ oil ministers on 7 June, the seven members agreed to increase targets by 188,000 b/d from July, Opec said in a statement. This matches the June hike, which was adjusted down from monthly increases of 206,000 b/d in April and May to take account of the UAE’s exit.

    Iraq’s oil output quota will rise by 26,000 b/d from July under the agreement, an oil ministry spokesperson told Iraq’s state news agency.

     

    On 5 June, oil prices fell to about $93 a barrel as traders gained confidence that renewed conflict between the US and Iran was becoming less likely. Prices were close to $72 before the war began on 28 February.

    Brent crude rose sharply at the start of this week after Iran launched ballistic missiles at Israel on the night of 7 June, heightening fears that US-Iran peace talks might once again collapse. Israel has since retaliated with strikes in western and central Iran, despite calls from US President Donald Trump not to respond to the Iranian missiles.

    Brent crude jumped by around 4.5% early on 8 June and was trading at $97.52 a barrel as of 11am GST.

    The seven key Opec+ members are increasing production as part of the gradual unwinding of a 1.65 million b/d production cut agreed in 2023 by the coalition, which at the time included the UAE.

    From July, the seven have about 567,000 b/d of the original cut left to return to the market – taking into account the UAE’s exit from 1 May – according to Reuters calculations.

    That would imply the remainder of the cut will be unwound by the end of September if Opec+ maintains monthly hikes of about 188,000 b/d in August and September.

    The seven of the 21 Opec+ members who met on 7 June were Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Algeria, Kazakhstan, Russia and Oman. In recent years, only these seven – plus the UAE when it was a member– have been involved in the group’s output-policy decisions.

    In a separate meeting on Sunday attended by all Opec+ members, ministers made no change to the group-wide output policy in place until the end of 2026, Opec+ said in another statement.

    Opec+ is also reviewing members’ oil production capacity to use as a reference for 2027 production baselines, from which quotas are set. On Sunday, the group reaffirmed the importance of completing the assessment, the statement said.

    ALSO READ: UAE to continue working with Opec, energy minister says

     

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

    GCC looks beyond the Strait; Iraq’s reform window narrows as fiscal assumptions shatter; MEED Top 100 companies.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the June 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17143267/main.jpg
    Indrajit Sen
  • Deme wins dredging work for Tunisian ports

    8 June 2026

    The Office de la Marine Marchande et des Ports (OMMP) has awarded Belgium’s Deme a contract to carry out dredging and marine works at three ports in Tunisia.

    The project covers works at Sousse, Menzel Bourguiba/Bizerte and Rades/La Goulette. Deme will first construct containment dykes at the ports of Menzel Bourguiba and Sousse. The two ports are located more than 200 kilometres apart, which the contractor says will require careful planning, coordination and optimised logistics.

    The second phase involves extensive dredging works at all three locations, for which Deme will deploy a trailing suction hopper dredger.

    The project will use three distinct approaches to sustainably and efficiently manage dredged material, tailored to the characteristics of each location.

    In Sousse and Menzel Bourguiba, the material will be reused for land reclamation. In Bizerte, a combined approach will be adopted, with part of the material used for reclamation at Menzel Bourguiba and the remainder disposed of offshore. In Rades and La Goulette, all dredged material will be pumped ashore to a designated area.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17143268/main.jpg
    Colin Foreman
  • Egypt firm wins South Med desalination design contract

    8 June 2026

    Cairo-headquartered Engineering Experience Group (EEG) has won a design and engineering services contract for the planned South Med seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant in Al-Dabaa, Egypt.

    The South Med project will have a production capacity of 160,000 cubic metres a day.

    Located in Egypt’s Matrouh governorate on the Mediterranean coast, it is being developed for the Engineering Authority of the Armed Forces’ Water Management Department.

    Local firm Elsewedy Electric Infrastructure previously announced it was the main engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the project.

    In a company publication, Elsewedy indicated that project activities are expected to run from 2026 to 2028, suggesting commercial operations could begin around 2028.

    As MEED understands, Elsewedy has engaged EEG to provide engineering services. The scope includes detailed design, shop drawings, as-built documentation, project coordination and 3D building information modelling services.

    The company said the work will cover electrical, instrumentation and control systems, architecture, structural and steel works, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, wet and dry utilities, roads and landscaping.

    According to company data, the desalination sector accounts for about 25% of EEG’s water projects portfolio. The company said it has completed about 72 projects in the water sector to date, including wastewater treatment, industrial wastewater treatment, water treatment and desalination schemes.

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

    GCC looks beyond the Strait; Iraq’s reform window narrows as fiscal assumptions shatter; MEED Top 100 companies.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the June 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17143025/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Israel strikes Iranian petrochemicals complex

    8 June 2026

    Israel has hit Iran’s Mahshahr petrochemicals complex in the country’s Khuzestan province, according to the Israeli military and reports in Iranian news outlets.

    The Israeli military said that it was targeting Karun Petrochemical Company.

    In a separate statement, Mahshahr Petrochemical Special Economic Zone said that workers at the site had been evacuated.

    Karun Petrochemical Company produces a range of products.

    It has the nameplate capacity to produce 40,000 tonnes a year (t/y) of toluene diisocyanate (TDI) and 40,000 t/y of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI).

    It also has the capacity to produce 30,000 t/y of aniline and 92,300 t/y of nitric acid (HNO3).

    TDI and MDI are both used primarily as building blocks to create polyurethane products.

    TDI is mostly used to make flexible polyurethane foams and MDI is usually used to create rigid foams, adhesives, sealants and elastomers.

    Aniline is also used to make urethane polymers, as well as being used in the dye industry, where it is a precursor to indigo, which is used to dye jeans blue.

    Nitric acid is a highly corrosive mineral acid and its main industrial use is to produce fertilisers.

    The Mahshahr petrochemicals complex is one of the most important petrochemical complexes in Iran. It was previously hit by Israel in strikes in April, forcing evacuations.

    On 4 April, Israeli forces targeted at least eight major petrochemical complexes in the Mahshahr region, along with critical supporting infrastructure, including power plants that supply electricity to the industrial zone.

    Mahshahr accounts for approximately 28% of Iran’s petrochemicals production.

    Iran’s petrochemicals industry is the country’s second-largest source of export revenue after crude oil.

    The country has a nominal production capacity of about 95 million t/y of petrochemicals, although actual output prior to the latest conflict was significantly lower due to persistent shortages of electricity and natural gas.

    Iran has invested tens of billions of dollars in developing its petrochemicals infrastructure, and if facilities are severely damaged, rebuilding would pose a major financial and technical challenge.

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

    GCC looks beyond the Strait; Iraq’s reform window narrows as fiscal assumptions shatter; MEED Top 100 companies.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the June 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17142886/main.jpg
    Wil Crisp
  • Ora awards Unec a $517m UAE construction deal

    8 June 2026

    Egypt’s Ora Developers has awarded local contractor United Engineering Construction (Unec) a AED1.9bn ($517m) main works contract for the first phase of the Bayn mixed-use development in Ghantoot, between Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

    The 31-month construction contract covers 614 residential units, including townhouses and standalone villas, across Cluster B (Y Waterway), Cluster C (Y Lagoon) and Cluster D (Y Lagoon 2). The scope also includes associated infrastructure and landscaping works.

    In a statement, Ora said mobilisation started immediately, with construction commencing on 1 June. The programme includes interim milestones for each cluster.

    In December last year, NMDC Group won a AED142m contract to execute enabling works for the Bayn masterplan.

    UK-based firm Mace has been appointed to lead the overall project management. Canadian firm WSP will serve as the masterplan, infrastructure, landscape and water bodies design consultant.

    US-based Aecom will provide construction supervision services. Hong Kong’s 10 Design is the project’s architectural concept design consultant. Local firm Dewan Architects & Engineers is the project’s design consultant and architect of record. The UK’s Currie & Brown is the cost consultant.

    MEED reported in April that Ora Developers signed a land acquisition agreement with Abu Dhabi-based developer Modon Holding to acquire an additional 4.8 million square metres (sq m) of land in Ghantoot. The acquisition will increase the Bayn masterplan from 4.8 million sq m to 9.6 million sq m.

    Ora added that total investment in the masterplan is expected to reach AED30bn on completion.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17142916/main.jpg