Morocco to begin Nador IWP prequalification
31 January 2024
Morocco’s Office National de L’Electricite et de L’Eue Potable (Onee) is expected to issue the request for qualifications (RFQ) for the country’s second major independent water producer (IWP) scheme in Nador in the first half of 2024.
To be located in Morocco’s Oriental region, the seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plant is expected to cater to the cities of Nador, Oujda, Berkane, Taourirt and Saidia.
It is anticipated to have a capacity of 250,000 cubic metres a day (cm/d).
MEED reported in October that Onee had appointed US/India-based Synergy Consulting as the financial adviser for the Nador IWP project.
According to MEED Projects data, the expression of interest (EoI) request for the project was issued in 2022.
It is the second SWRO plant to be procured as an IWP by Onee, following the award last year of the $875m Grand Casablanca IWP contract to a team comprising Spain’s Acciona and the local firms Afriquia Gaz and Green of Africa.
Casablanca plant
In September last year, the Acciona-led consortium submitted a lower bid of MD4.48 ($c43.89) a cubic metre ($c/cm) for the contract to develop the first phase of the Grand Casablanca IWP project.
The other team that submitted a proposal, led by France’s Suez, offered a levelised water cost of MD6.5/cm.
The proposed Grand Casablanca SWRO project has a design capacity of 548,000 cm/d.
The build-operate-transfer contract is for 30 years, including a three-year construction period and 27 years of operation and management.
Onee expects to complete the commissioning of the Grand Casablanca SWRO plant by 2026.
The project’s second phase, with a capacity of 274,000 cm/d, has a 2030 target completion date.
Morocco plans to build the world’s largest seawater desalination plant in Casablanca, with a budget estimated at MD9.5bn ($1.05bn), according to a local report in March last year citing Morocco’s Equipment, Transport & Water Minister Abdelkader Amara.
The project aligns with Morocco’s National Water Plan 2020-50 and addresses the country’s scarce water supply.
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UAE maintains positive economic heading
30 April 2024
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Sources: IMF (April 2024), MEED Projects, MEED
MEED’s May 2024 special report on the UAE also includes:
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Read the May 2024 MEED Business Review
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Download / Subscribe / Guest programme The rising importance of natural gas as an energy transition fuel has led to strong growth in its demand worldwide.
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The best example is the $7.7bn of engineering, procurement and construction contracts awarded by Saudi Aramco in early April to expand the Fadhili gas plant.
In the latest issue of MEED Business Review, MEED's oil and gas editor Indrajit Sen discusses the steps the region is taking to cement its position as the world’s largest LNG supplier.
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This month's industry report features MEED's GCC construction contractor ranking for 2024. Using data from regional projects tracker MEED Projects, the ranking – which is topped by Nesma & Partners with $14.7bn of work at the execution stage – reveals a major change in construction activity in the GCC over the past year.
The May issue includes an interview with Omar Abduljabbar, CEO of Hail Region Development Authority, in which he reveals why Saudi Arabia's northwestern region of Hail is expected to become a key destination for tourism and investment in the coming years. We also talk to Etihad Water & Electricity chief executive Yusuf Al Ali about providing water and power with the lowest carbon possible in the UAE's northern emirates.
We hope our valued subscribers enjoy the May 2024 issue of MEED Business Review.
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> BANKING: UAE banks seize the moment
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Abu Dhabi holds Taweelah C roadshow
30 April 2024
Abu Dhabi state utility and offtaker Emirates Water & Electricity Company (Ewec) conducted an investor roadshow last week for its upcoming combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) independent power project (IPP).
Ewec met with at least six utility developers separately, according to sources familiar with the scheme.
MEED previously reported that Ewec is considering issuing a tender in the next few weeks for its first gas-fired IPP since 2020.
It is understood that the planned Taweelah C IPP is expected to have a generation capacity of roughly 2,700MW.
The power-purchase agreement (PPA) for Taweelah C is expected to expire by 2049, which is several years shorter than previous PPAs and in line with the UAE's plan to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
A team of UK-based Alderbrook Finance and US-based Sargent & Lundy are providing financial and technical advisory services to Ewec for the Taweelah C IPP.
The greenfield IPP is planned to reach commercial operation by 2027, according to a recent Ewec capacity procurement statement.
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The state utility is considering new gas-fired capacity in light of expiring capacity from several independent water and power producer (IWPP) facilities.
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Ewec and the developers and operators of these plants are expected to discuss whether a contract extension is possible before the expiry of the contracts. Unsuccessful negotiations will result in the dismantling of the assets at the end of the contract period.
In 2022, MEED reported that Abu Dhabi had wound down the operation of Taweelah A2, the region's first independent water and power project. The power and water purchase agreement supporting the project expired in September 2021 and was not extended.
Ewec awarded its last CCGT IPP nearly four years ago. Japan's Marubeni Corporation won the contract to develop the Fujairah F3 IPP in 2020.
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Region puts its priorities first
30 April 2024
Commentary
Colin Foreman
EditorRead the May 2024 issue of MEED Business Review
Contractors enjoyed a record year in 2023. In the GCC, there were $205bn of deals signed. The best total on record was achieved largely due to high levels of activity across all major markets.
At the start of this year, hopes were high that new records would be set again in 2024. Those aspirations look like they may be realised. According to regional projects tracker MEED Projects, by the end of the first quarter of this year there had been $47bn of awards in the GCC, some $10bn more than the $37bn of awards during the same period of 2023.
The strong start to the year comes despite some tempering of project ambitions, most notably in the region’s largest market, Saudi Arabia. In January, the kingdom’s Energy Ministry instructed Saudi Aramco to halt plans to increase its production capacity to 13 million barrels of crude oil a day.
The negative impact of that decision on the projects market, will be offset by gas projects. Gas is considered a vital transition fuel, and strong global demand growth is allowing Gulf producers to develop new projects worth billions of dollars each and consolidate their position as the world’s leading gas exporter. The best example is the $7.7bn of engineering, procurement and construction contracts awarded by Saudi Aramco in early April to expand the Fadhili gas plant.
For the construction sector, there has been a prioritisation of construction work for Saudi Arabia’s gigaprojects. As construction work in the kingdom ramps up, developers are focusing efforts on delivering the components of their projects that they consider to be a strategic priority, and are scaling back work on other elements.
Developers are also more proactively seeking external investment to help ease the spending burden of their vast projects.
As we move deeper into 2024, the key question will be whether these priority projects will be sufficient to achieve another record year. Unlike 2023, not everything is moving ahead, but very large projects are still proceeding.
Must-read sections in the May 2024 issue of MEED Business Review include:
> AGENDA: Region boosts LNG spending; Gulf players secure future of LNG projects
> CURRENT AFFAIRS: Algerian downstream sector faces setback; Progress on Kuwait oil mergers is overdue; Iranian attack on Israel rattles globe
INDUSTRY REPORT:
MEED’s GCC Contractor Rankings for 2024
> Construction step change boosts order books> SOUTH KOREA: South Korean appetite for Saudi projects grows
> IRAQ: Iraq remains tough to sell
> INTERVIEWS: Saudi Arabia's Hail capitalises on heritage; Northern emirates’ energy transition gathers pace
> GAS SPENDING: Aramco in hot pursuit of 2030 gas production goal
> UAE MARKET REPORT:
> COMMENT: Non-oil activity underpins UAE economy
> GVT & ECONOMY: Non-oil activity underpins UAE economy
> BANKING: UAE banks seize the moment
> UPSTREAM: Adnoc oil and gas project spending sees steep uptick
> DOWNSTREAM: UAE builds its downstream and chemical sectors
> POWER: UAE marks successful power project deliveries
> WATER: Dubai tunnels project dominates UAE pipeline
> DUBAI CONSTRUCTION: Dubai real estate boosts construction sector
> ABU DHABI CONSTRUCTION: Abu Dhabi makes major construction investments> MEED COMMENTS:
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> Net zero steps need recalibration
> Flooding spotlights Dubai construction
> Funding impacts Saudi projects> GULF PROJECTS INDEX: Saudi market returns to growth
> MARCH 2024 CONTRACTS: Iran gas contract boosts value of deals signed
> MARKET SNAPSHOT: Mena data centre projects
> OPINION: Rainmaking in the world economy
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Retal signs Roshn Sedra building construction deal
30 April 2024
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Saudi Arabia’s Retal Urban Development Company (Retal) has awarded a SR240m ($64m) contract to its subsidiary Building Construction Company.
The contract covers constructing eight residential buildings in Roshn’s Sedra housing community in Riyadh.
The contract duration is 26 months.
In November last year, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF)-backed gigaproject developer Roshn signed a SR374.76m ($100m) real estate development deal with Retal.
The agreement covers the purchase of land and the development of 363 housing units in Sedra.
The contract duration is three years, according to the official statement issued on Saudi Arabia’s stock exchange Tadawaul.
Retal was established in 2012 by the local Al Fozan Holding Company to develop real estate projects in the kingdom.
Created in 2018, Roshn aims to increase homeownership rates among Saudi citizens to 7%.
The company plans to develop more than 395,000 residential units in cities within Riyadh, Mecca, Asir and the Eastern Region.
Roshn is developing the Sedra community in northeast Riyadh. It is masterplanned to include 30,000 homes across eight phases.
MEED's April 2024 special report on Saudi Arabia includes:
> GVT & ECONOMY: Saudi Arabia seeks diversification amid regional tensions
> BANKING: Saudi lenders gear up for corporate growth
> UPSTREAM: Aramco spending drawdown to jolt oil projects
> DOWNSTREAM: Master Gas System spending stimulates Saudi downstream sector
> POWER: Riyadh to sustain power spending
> WATER: Growth inevitable for the Saudi water sector
> CONSTRUCTION: Saudi gigaprojects propel construction sector
> TRANSPORT: Saudi Arabia’s transport sector offers prospectshttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/11721631/main.jpg