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  Humain tenders infrastructure for 6GW data centre campus

  4 May 2026

  Saudi artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure company Humain, owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), has issued a tender inviting firms to develop infrastructure for its planned 6GW hyperscale AI data centre campus in Riyadh.

  The project will be delivered on an early contractor involvement (ECI) basis. Under the ECI process, selected contractors are required to submit methodologies and design proposals, after which one team will be selected to deliver the construction works.

  Firms have until 8 May to submit proposals.

  The development will be built on a 24-square-kilometre site in the Al-Saad area in east Riyadh. It will be delivered in two phases across six plots, each with a capacity of 1GW.

  The scope of infrastructure work covers:

  • Construction of 380kV/132kV/33kV electrical distribution network, two substations with a capacity of 500MVA and 200MVA, bulk supply point (2,000MVA)
  • Water network and fire protection systems
  • Sewage treatment plant and wastewater network
  • Stormwater systems
  • Roads
  • Underground cable and fibre optic networks
  • Landscaping works

  The client is being supported by Canadian engineering firm Hatch, France’s Egis and US-based firm JLL.

  Humain was launched in May last year to operate and invest across the AI value chain.

  Humain is building full-stack AI capabilities across four core areas: next-generation data centres, hyper-performance infrastructure and cloud platforms, and advanced AI models, including Allam.

  Also in May 2025, Humain signed preliminary deals with US chipmakers AMD and Nvidia to build multibillion-dollar advanced digital infrastructure in the kingdom.

  AMD said it will invest up to $10bn to deploy 500MW of AI compute capacity in Saudi Arabia over the next five years.

  In October, PIF and Saudi Aramco signed a non-binding term sheet setting out key terms under which Aramco would acquire a minority stake in Humain, with PIF retaining majority ownership.

  

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Abu Dhabi selects consortium for 2.5GW Taweelah C IPP

  4 May 2026

  

   

  A consortium of Al-Jomaih Energy & Water Company (Saudi Arabia) and Sembcorp Industries (Singapore) has been selected to develop the Taweelah C independent power producer (IPP) project in Abu Dhabi.

  The consortium will sign a power purchase agreement (PPA) in mid-May, a source told MEED.

  The combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant will have a capacity of 2.5GW. It will be located at the Al-Taweelah power and desalination complex, about 50 kilometres northeast of Abu Dhabi city.

  It is understood that China Energy Engineering Corporation (CEEC) will be the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor.

  Last September, MEED reported that state offtaker Emirates Water & Electricity Company (Ewec) had received three bids for the facility.

  The bidders included:

  • Al-Jomaih Energy & Water Company / Sembcorp Industries
  • Sumitomo Corporation (Japan) / Korea Overseas Infrastructure & Urban Development Corporation / Korean Midland Power
  • Korea Western Power Company / Etihad Water & Electricity (UAE) / Kyuden International (Japan)

  At the time, Mohamed Al-Marzooqi, chief asset development and management officer at Ewec, said the bids would make Taweelah C “one of the lowest tariff CCGT projects in the region”.

  The carbon-capture-ready facility had been scheduled to begin commercial operations in the fourth quarter of 2028.

  This was based on the initial timeline for a PPA to be signed in the fourth quarter of 2025.

  Taweelah C is part of Ewec’s wider programme to support the UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative and the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy’s Clean Energy Strategic Target 2035.

  Ewec plans to raise solar power capacity to 18GW and wind capacity to 2.6GW by 2035, while reducing the carbon intensity of its power generation by more than half compared to 2019.

  Ewec is also expanding its low-carbon water desalination capacity, with the Taweelah reverse osmosis (RO) plant already operating as the world’s largest RO facility and additional projects, such as the Mirfa 2 RO and Shuweihat 4 RO, under way.

  By 2030, it expects 95% of Abu Dhabi’s installed water capacity to come from RO technology.

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  Mark Dowdall
• 
  Dubai launches Blue Line metro tunnelling works

  4 May 2026

  Dubai has announced the launch of tunnelling works for the Dubai Metro Blue Line extension project.

  In a post on X, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, announced the start of operations of the tunnel boring machine (TBM), which the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has named ‘Al-Wugeisha’.

  The TBM is 163 metres long, weighs more than 2,000 tonnes and will operate around the clock. The post added that its average excavation rate ranges from 13 to 17 metres a day.

  The Blue Line will connect the existing Red and Green lines. It will be 30 kilometres (km) long, with 15.5km underground and 14.5km above ground.

  The line will have 14 stations, seven of which will be elevated. There will be five underground stations, including one interchange station, and two elevated transfer stations connected to the existing Centrepoint and Creek stations.

  In December 2024, the RTA awarded a AED20.5bn ($5.5bn) main contract for the construction of the project to a consortium comprising Turkiye’s Limak Holding and Mapa Group, along with the Hong Kong office of China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC).

  The consortium is responsible for all civil works, electromechanical works, rolling stock and rail systems. After completing the project, it will assist with maintenance and operations for an initial three-year period.

  According to an official statement, the Blue Line will have a capacity of 46,000 passengers an hour in both directions.

  The project is scheduled for completion in September 2029.

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Firms submit Jeddah distribution centre bids

  4 May 2026

  

   

  Contractors submitted bids on 26 April for an estimated SR140m ($37m) contract to build a distribution centre in Jeddah.

  Saudi Logistics Services Company (SAL) launched the tender on 11 March, as previously reported by MEED. The project will cover an area of about 37,000 square metres. Egyptian firm Cosmos-E Engineers & Consultants has been appointed as the project consultant.

  This tender follows the start of construction by Egyptian contractor Rowad Modern Engineering, a subsidiary of Elsewedy Electric Group, on the expansion of SAL’s facilities at King Khalid International airport in Riyadh. The scope of work includes rehabilitating and upgrading existing infrastructure, as well as constructing new supporting facilities and services.

  SAL also launched the tendering process in September last year for its SR4.2bn ($1bn) logistics zone in northern Riyadh, MEED previously reported. UAE-based Global Engineering Consultants is the consultant for that development.

  The logistics hub aims to meet demand for customised warehouses near King Khalid International airport and the Riyadh Metro. The project aligns with Vision 2030 and the National Transport & Logistics Strategy, which aims to strengthen the kingdom’s logistics sector and enhance Saudi Arabia’s position as a global logistics hub.

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16670338/main.gif

  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Concerns increasing about delays to Iraq oil project

  4 May 2026

  

   

  Concerns are increasing among contractors about potential delays to PetroChina’s planned project to upgrade key infrastructure at Iraq’s Halfaya oil field, according to industry sources.

  The project, estimated at $200m, focuses on upgrading the utility system for the facility known as central processing facility 2 (CPF2).

  The project was tendered under the engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) contract model, and bids were submitted on 20 December 2025.

  One source said: “Bid evaluation is ongoing for this project. No decision has been made on the award and there are increasing concerns that there could be delays due to ongoing regional tensions.”

  Iraq’s oil and gas sector has been severely impacted by disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz since the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February.

  Speaking on 2 May, Iraq’s deputy oil minister ​Basim Mohammed said that the country was producing 1.5 million ​barrels a day (b/d), down from about 4.3 million b/d before the US and Israel attacked Iran.

  Halfaya is one of the Iraqi fields whose production has been significantly reduced.

  On 5 March, MEED revealed that Iraq had prepared a sweeping four-part emergency plan for a large-scale oil-field shutdown to address the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

  The second phase of the plan involved reducing production at Iraq’s Halfaya field by 50%.

  The scope of work for the project to upgrade the utility system at CPF2 includes:

  • Fresh water system modification
  • Oily water transfer facilities
  • A 3. 20” crude oil header replacement
  • Power plant fuel gas system upgrade
  • A new wet gas line from CPF1 to CPF2
  • A high-pressure fuel gas connection line
  • Backup cable installation
  • Adding process and utility facilities
  • Providing civil, structural and architectural services
  • Adding a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system
  • Piping, power supply and distribution infrastructure
  • Instrumentation and anti-corrosion systems

  Halfaya is located in the Maysan Governorate in southeastern Iraq and is one of the country’s seven giant oil fields.

  The field is operated by a partnership led by PetroChina, a subsidiary of CNPC. The partnership also includes France’s Total, Iraq’s state-owned South Oil Company and Malaysia’s Petronas.

  Projects to develop the Halfaya gas field have seen significant delays in recent years. Halfaya is the Maysan province’s largest field, with estimated reserves of 4.1 billion barrels.

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  Wil Crisp