Middle East contract awards: February 2024

27 March 2024

 

In February, the Middle East and North Africa recorded $10.1bn of contract awards, well below the monthly average of $23.4bn over the past 12 months. 

Saudi Arabia led the contract awards activity with $5bn of deals inked in February. The biggest award was a $1.2bn contract signed by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City with the local Modern Building Leaders for the development of the City Park project located north of Riyadh. 

The kindgom also awarded a $1bn deal for the construction of a football stadium in Dammam, signed by Saudi Aramco with a joint venture of Belgian contractor Besix and the local Albawani. The facility will be used to host international tournaments such as the 2027 Asian Football Confederation Cup and the 2034 Fifa World Cup.

UAE

The UAE saw $3.1bn of deals signed in February, the largest of which was a $900m contract awarded by Emirates Water & Electricity Corporation to a team led by French utility developer EDF Renewables and including South Korea's Korea Western Power Company (Kowepo) for the 1,500MW Al Ajban solar photovoltaic independent power producer facility. 

Download the Middle East contracts awarded for February 2024
Oman

Oman recorded $580m of awards in February, the biggest a $210m contract inked by the Transport, Communications & Information Technology Ministry for the Al Batina Coastal Road phase one project. 

Qatar

Qatar saw $530m of contracts awarded, the biggest a $329m deal signed by Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa) with Egypt’s Elsewedy for the installation of low- and medium-power cables. 

Iraq

In Iraq, $440m of deals were inked in February, the largest a $240m contract awarded by Al Douh Iraqi Company for Cement Industries to China’s Sinoma Suzhou Construction for the construction of the Al Douh cement plant and clinker production facility in the Musanna province.

Kuwait

Kuwait recorded $144m of contracts signed, the biggest a $60m deal signed by the Public Authority for Housing Welfare with the local United Building Company for the construction of public buildings in Mutlaa Residential City.

Jordan

Jordan saw a single $107m deal awarded by the Water Authority of Jordan to the local Farhan & Fuad Abu Hamdan Contracting Company for the rehabilitation and expansion of the water supply system in the Dair Alla district and Al Karamah.  

Morocco

Morocco also recorded a single contract award in February, a $78m deal inked by the Agriculture & Fisheries Ministry for the interconnection works of the Oued El Makhazine dam with the Dar Khrofa dam. 

Related reads:

Bahrain

Bahrain saw $58m of deals signed, the biggest a $45m contract awarded by the Electricity & Water Authority to Switzerland-headquartered Hitachi Energy for the construction of transformer and reactor works for a new 400kV Jasra grid substation in the Northern Governorate region.

Egypt

Egypt rounded off the list of countries to award contracts in February, with a single $40m deal inked by Samsung Electronics with the local Hassan Allam Construction for the construction of a mobile phone factory on an area of 6,000 square metres in Beni Suef. 

For more up-to-date information about the region’s biggest projects, go to MEED Projects, which tracks trillions of dollars-worth of schemes.

MEED Projects is a subscriber-only service that provides comprehensive, up-to-date and accurate project information. It monitors industry and business development opportunities through market data tailored to your needs.

Be the first to know about new projects; we provide the data so you can win the business. If you would like to see a demo of MEED Projects, or just want to find out more, register your details online or call +971 (0) 4 818 0200.

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/11607233/main.gif
Sneha Abraham
Related Articles
  • 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 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, 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
  • Aldar and Arada to pursue Abu Dhabi projects

    1 October 2026

    UAE-based developers Aldar Properties and Arada have signed a partnership agreement targeting about AED15bn ($4bn) in development opportunities on Yas Island and in Abu Dhabi’s Seih Sdeirah.

    The deal includes a masterplan joint venture to develop a mixed-use community at Seih Sdeirah, on the Abu Dhabi-Dubai border, and Arada’s purchase of three residential plots on Yas Island from Aldar.

    The Seih Sdeirah project will cover up to 1.5 million square metres (sq m) and will include villas, townhouses, and retail and leisure facilities.

    Arada will lead development and construction management, while both firms will jointly brand and market the community.

    On Yas Island, Arada has bought two canal-facing plots totalling more than 27,500 sq m, with nearly 130,000 sq m of gross floor area, as well as a third residential plot.

    Aldar said the companies will explore further collaboration across sectors and locations in the UAE.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/20156829/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal