Region records record monthly contract awards
22 November 2023

In October, the Middle East and North Africa recorded the largest-ever monthly value of contract awards since MEED began analysing regional contract awards in January 2014.
The $37bn of deals signed were driven by multibillion-dollar awards by regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and followed on from the $25bn of awards in September – the second-largest monthly awards value so far in 2023.
UAE
The UAE recorded $21bn of deals signed, spurred by two contract awards by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) worth a total of $16.9bn in the gas sector. The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts were awarded for work on the Hail and Ghasha offshore sour gas field development project.
An $8.2bn deal was signed with a consortium of Abu Dhabi’s NMDC Energy, formerly National Petroleum Construction Company, and Italian contractor Saipem for the offshore EPC package. The scope of work broadly involves EPC of offshore facilities, including facilities on artificial islands and subsea pipelines.
Meanwhile, Italy-headquartered Tecnimont was awarded the $8.7bn onshore EPC contract. This involves the EPC of onshore facilities including carbon dioxide (CO2) and sulphur recovery and handling.
Other sectors are also poised for project activity in the coming years. MEED reports that the prospects for the rest of this year are promising for the UAE’s construction sector, with nearly $8bn of contracts at the bid evaluation stage and another $2bn at the main contract bid and prequalification stages.
The UAE’s aviation sector is also set for growth, with plans being considered to restart the AED120bn ($33bn) expansion of Dubai’s Al-Maktoum International airport.
An expansion of Sharjah International airport is planned to increase its capacity from eight to 20 million passengers a year. Sharjah Civil Aviation Authority is expected to award the estimated AED2.5bn main construction works package by the end of this year.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia awarded the second-largest value of deals in October, with $13bn of awards. Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) signed four deals, each worth $1.56bn, for the Qassim and Taiba independent power producer (IPP) projects.
China’s Sepco 3 will undertake the EPC contract for the 1,800MW Qassim 1 IPP and 1,800MW Taiba 1 IPP projects. The firm partnered with a team of Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) and Acwa Power, which won the contracts to develop the two IPP contracts.
A team comprising the local Al-Jomaih Energy & Water, France’s EDF and the local Buhur for Investment won the contract to develop the 1,800MW Taiba 2 IPP and 1,800MW Qassim 2 IPP schemes.
Each project will be developed on a build-own-operate (BOO) basis and will be 100 per cent owned by the successful bidders.
Download the Middle East contracts awarded for October 2023 |
It is also confirmed that the kingdom is the sole bidder to host football’s 2034 World Cup, which will give the projects market a long-term pipeline of work.
In addition, more firms have approached Jeddah Economic Company to take part in the tender for the contract to complete the world’s tallest tower, the 1,000-metre-plus-tall Jeddah Tower project in Saudi Arabia.
Egypt
In October, Egypt recorded $776m of deals signed, the biggest being a $640m contract awarded by the National Authority for Tunnels (NAT) to the local Orascom Construction for the civil works for the Cairo Metro line four package CP402.
Kuwait
Kuwait awarded $714m of deals in October, led by a $540m contract awarded by Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) for constructing crude debottlenecking facilities for the SGC Metering 2 project for East Kuwait area two.
Meanwhile, MEED reports that Kuwait’s Central Agency for Public Tenders (Capt) is preparing to tender five projects for KOC, which could have a total value of $3.5bn, according to industry sources.
Oman
Oman recorded $513m of deals signed in October, with the largest a $310m contract let by the Ministry of Culture, Sports & Youth to a joint venture of the local Saif Salim Issa al-Harrasi and Turkish Sembol Construction for the design-and-build of its cultural complex. The complex comprises three buildings located next to the Ministry of Labour to the south of the Sultan Qaboos Highway and opposite the Muscat International airport development.
Iraq
Iraq awarded $494m of contracts in October, with the biggest a $448m deal signed by the Ministry of Energy with the local Socar for the second phase of the 750MW Nassiriyah gas-fired power plant.
Meanwhile, MEED reports that the procurement process is understood to be under way for projects to convert solid waste to energy in Baghdad. According to local media reports, some 42 companies have expressed an interest or have been prequalified to bid for the contracts.
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Qatar
Qatar recorded two awards worth a total of $154m in October, both let by the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) to the local Generic Engineering Technologies & Contracting for work at the Lusail Formula 1 and MotoGP race circuit.
Several companies are preparing to bid for the contract to develop Qatar’s Facility E independent water and power producer (IWPP) project. General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa) expects to receive proposals for the contract by 14 December.
Bahrain
Bahrain saw $98m of deals signed in October, the biggest of which was a $60m contract awarded by the Electricity & Water Authority (EWA) to South Korea’s Taihan Electric Wire Company for cable works at the 400kV Jasra Grid substation.
Tunisia
Tunisia awarded $97m of deals in October. The largest was a $72m contract that Tunisia National Water Distribution Utility (Sonede) awarded to India’s Wabag for the Bejaoua water treatment plant.
Tunisia is also moving ahead with green hydrogen plans, with Germany’s Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) awarding a contract for a detailed pre-feasibility study of the country’s green hydrogen and derivatives initiative.
Jordan
Jordan rounds off the list of countries to record contract awards in October, with $64m of deals signed. The biggest was a $40m contract signed by the Jordan Valley Authority and the Ministry of Water & Irrigation to expand pumped capacity from the King Abdullah Canal to the Wadi al-Arab dam.
Green hydrogen plans are also progressing in the country. MEED reports that a consortium of Ireland’s Amarenco and Switzerland-based H2 Global Energy has signed an agreement with the Ministry of Energy & Mineral Resources (MEMR) to develop a green hydrogen and ammonia production facility.
Jordan has also secured a $53m grant for the Aqaba-Amman water desalination and conveyance (AAWDC) project, the tender closing date for which has been extended to 4 December.
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Egypt seeks to accelerate gas pipeline project with Libya10 November 2026
Egypt aims to accelerate a range of energy projects with Libya, including gas pipeline links, according to a statement from the Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.
Other projects include a scheme to refine Libyan crude in Egypt and an electricity interconnection.
Abdelatty’s comments came in a ministry statement after a meeting with Libya’s acting oil and gas minister, Khalifa Abdulsadek, in the Libyan capital of Tripoli.
Egypt is currently trying to address an energy squeeze that has escalated due to elevated global liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran in February of this year.
In his statement, Abdelatty called for cooperation on petroleum products and the completion of projects to refine Libyan oil in Egypt and re-export it.
He also said that Abdulsadek would visit Cairo soon to continue technical talks with Egypt’s petroleum and electricity ministers.
The statement did not provide details on costs or the status of the projects.
Plans for new gas pipeline links with Libya are just one of several ambitious gas pipeline plans Egypt is pursuing.
In October, the Italian oil and gas company Eni signed the main engineering, procurement, construction and drilling contracts for a project to export gas from reserves in Cyprus using a major pipeline to Egypt.
The project includes contracts with several companies that will develop infrastructure in both Egypt and Cyprus.
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Omani company signs Kuwait drilling contract10 November 2026
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Under the terms of the deal, MBPS will supply and operate three newly built 1,000-horsepower land rigs for drilling and workover operations, according to a company statement.
The UAE-based oil field services company Adnoc Drilling is a majority shareholder in MBPS.
The chief executive of MBPS, Salim Al-Harthy, said: “This is another important milestone for MBPS and a strong reflection of KOC’s confidence in our capabilities.
“It further strengthens our presence in Kuwait and our commitment to delivering safe, reliable and efficient drilling and workover services across the region.”
He : “My sincere appreciation to KOC for their continued trust, and to our MBPS team for their hard work and dedication in making this possible.”
In October last year, KOC said it planned to spend KD1.2bn ($3.92bn) on its exploration drilling programme through 2030.
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Adnoc Drilling wins $315m Kuwait offshore rig deals10 November 2026
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Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc Group) subsidiary, Adnoc Drilling, has been selected for two offshore drilling rig contracts in Kuwait with a combined maximum value of KD96.55m ($315m), according to documents published by Kuwait’s Official Gazette.
The Higher Purchasing Committee of state-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) has given approval for its subsidiary Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) to award the contracts to the Abu Dhabi-listed drilling contractor after Adnoc Drilling submitted the lowest compliant bids.
While the maximum combined contract value has been confirmed as KD96.55m ($315m), the individual contract values, rig identities, durations and expected commencement dates have not been disclosed.
The approval comes as Kuwait moves to expand offshore exploration and development following a series of discoveries in its territorial waters.
It is currently unclear how Kuwait will provide security for its planned offshore oil and gas projects in the Gulf, adding uncertainty to the outlook for these plans.
On 5 October, KPC chief executive Shaikh Nawaf Al-Sabah reiterated the company’s commitment to developing three major offshore oil discoveries in the region.
KPC initially launched the Al-Seef project to develop the three fields in February, just weeks before the US and Israel attacked Iran, triggering a regional war that has sparked a crisis in Kuwait’s oil and gas sector.
The regional conflict has seriously disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key export route for Kuwaiti oil.
The war has also led to dozens of attacks on Kuwaiti oil and gas infrastructure, with at least one causing damage to a Kuwaiti offshore platform.
This attack took place on 12 July, when a drone struck a KOC offshore drilling platform in Kuwaiti territorial waters, causing damage to the platform and injuring one worker.
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Aramco-backed firm tenders logistics hub expansion9 November 2026

Asmo, the logistics joint venture of Saudi Aramco and DHL Supply Chain, has set a 15 November deadline for a contract to expand the logistics complex at King Salman Energy Park (Spark) in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.
The logistics hub will add over 124,000 square metres (sq m) at Spark.
Al-Khobar-based engineering firm House of Consulting Office is the project consultant.
The tender for the expansion works comes shortly after Asmo awarded an estimated SR820m ($218m) contract to build the logistics complex’s first phase in May this year.
The overall project will feature a 43,000 sq m, temperature-controlled Grade A warehouse; more than 3,000 sq m of offices and staff amenities; 5,300 sq m dedicated to chemicals storage; and an open yard covering about 1.2 million sq m.
Asmo signed an agreement with Bahrain‑headquartered Arcapita Group Holdings in February to deliver the project at Spark.
Planned for large-scale industrial use, the site is expected to incorporate advanced warehouse and building management systems, end-to-end digital connectivity, automation and robotics.
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The development aims to support the next stage of Saudi Arabia’s logistics and supply chain expansion.
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According to a statement, “the scheme will be executed via a forward-funding model, underscoring a long-term commitment to national infrastructure”.
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Prequalification begins for multibillion-dollar Dubai road9 November 2026

Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has begun prequalifying contractors for a design-and-build contract for a multibillion-dollar new road that will run parallel to Sheikh Zayed Road.
Contractors have until 30 November to submit their prequalification statements.
The latest development follows contractors’ expressions of interest for the project on 10 October, as MEED reported.
The project’s scope covers about 30 kilometres (km) of works. These include about 15km of viaduct along First Al-Khail Street and more than 14.5km of bridge ramps, along with other associated infrastructure works.
The project is another significant initiative aimed at alleviating pressure on the existing Sheikh Zayed Road section from Hadiqa Street to Hessa Street.
Dubai has previously explored bold concepts to expand capacity on Sheikh Zayed Road, including proposals to introduce double-decker sections to add extra lanes without widening the existing corridor.
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The plans ultimately became standalone schemes, with subsequent efforts focusing instead on corridor-wide upgrades, interchange improvements and complementary public transport expansions to manage demand more sustainably.
The latest project aligns with Dubai’s continued investment in upgrading and expanding its road network to keep pace with rapid population growth and rising commuting demand.
Planning for growth
Dubai launched the 2040 Urban Master Plan in March 2021, referencing studies indicating that the emirate’s population will reach 5.8 million by 2040, up from 3.3 million in 2020. The daytime population is set to increase from 4.5 million in 2020 to 7.8 million in 2040.
In December 2022, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, approved the 20-Minute City Policy as part of the second phase of the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan.
In addition to the road projects, the RTA’s Dubai Metro Blue Line extension and Dubai Metro Gold Line form part of Dubai’s plans to improve residents’ quality of life by cutting journey times, as outlined in the policy.
The policy aims to ensure residents can meet 80% of their daily needs within a 20-minute journey, on foot or by bicycle. This goal will be achieved by developing integrated service centres with all necessary facilities and increasing population density around mass transit stations.
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