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• 
  Saudi Landbridge rail scheme to be delivered by 2034

  21 January 2026

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  Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) has said that it will deliver the Saudi Landbridge project through a "new mechanism" by 2034, after failing to reach an agreement with a Chinese consortium for the construction of the project.

  In an interview with local media, SAR CEO Bashar Bin Khalid Al-Malik said that the consortium failed to meet local content requirements, and the project will now be delivered in several phases through a different procurement model.

  The project has been under negotiation between Saudi Arabia and China-backed investors keen to develop it on a public-private-partnership basis.

  Al-Malik said that the project cost is about SR100bn ($26.6bn).

  It comprises more than 1,500 kilometres (km) of new track. The core component is a 900km new railway between Riyadh and Jeddah, which will provide direct freight access to the capital from King Abdullah Port on the Red Sea.

  Other key sections include upgrading the existing Riyadh-Dammam line, a bypass around the capital called the Riyadh Link, and a link between King Abdullah Port and Yanbu.

  The Saudi Landbridge is one of the kingdom’s most anticipated project programmes. Plans to develop it were first announced in 2004, but put on hold in 2010 before being revived a year later. Key stumbling blocks were rights-of-way issues, route alignment and its high cost.

  In April last year, MEED exclusively reported that SAR had issued a tender for the lead design consultancy services contract on the Saudi Landbridge railway network.

  MEED understands that the scope covered the concept design and options for the preliminary and issued-for-construction design stages on the network.

  MEED reported that the launch of a design tender directly by SAR suggested that Riyadh was looking at other options to develop it alongside the Chinese proposal.

  In December 2023, MEED reported that a team of US-based Hill International, Italy’s Italferr and Spain’s Sener had been awarded the contract to provide project management services for the programme.

  If it proceeds, the Saudi Landbridge will be one of the largest railway projects ever undertaken in the Middle East and one of the biggest globally. Based on typical design timeframes, tenders for construction are likely to be ready by mid-2026, although the question of how it will be financed will need to be answered before it can proceed to the next step.

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Firms submit bids for Dorra gas scheme PMC

  21 January 2026

  

   

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  Engineering firms have submitted bids to Al-Khafji Joint Operations (KJO) for a tender covering project management consultancy (PMC) for the multibillion-dollar Dorra gas field facilities development project.

  MEED reported last March that KJO was pushing forwards with a project to produce gas from the Dorra offshore field, located in Gulf waters in the Neutral Zone shared by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

  KJO has divided the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) scope of work on the project to produce gas from the Dorra field into four EPC packages – three offshore and one onshore.

  The broad scope of services under the tender involves providing PMC for EPC works for the Dorra gas facilities development project.

  Firms submitted bids for the PMC tender by the deadline of 19 January, sources told MEED.

  KJO issued the tender for PMC services for EPC works on the Dorra gas facilities development project on 29 September. Engineering firms were initially given until 24 November to submit bids for the tender, with that deadline then extended until 15 December and then finally until 19 January, according to sources.

  Sources said that the following firms, among others, are understood to be bidding for the PMC tender:

  • Fluor (US)
  • KBR (US)
  • Kent (Saudi Arabia/UAE)
  • Tecnicas Reunidas (Spain)
  • Wood (UK)
  • Worley (Australia)

  KJO hosted a job explanation meeting with the bidders for the tender on 15 October, the sources said.

  KJO offshore and onshore facilities

  KJO, which is jointly owned by Aramco subsidiary Aramco Gulf Operations Company (AGOC) and KPC subsidiary Kuwait Gulf Oil Company (KGOC), is moving forward with its Dorra gas field facilities project. KJO has divided the project’s scope of work into four EPC packages – three offshore and one onshore.

  Indian contractor Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon (L&TEH) has won package 1 of the Dorra facilities project, which covers the EPC of seven offshore jackets and the laying of intra-field pipelines. The contract awarded by KJO to L&TEH is estimated to be valued between $140m and $150m, MEED reported in October.

  Contractors are presently preparing to submit bids for the remaining three packages — offshore packages 2A and 2B, and onshore package 3 by 26 January, sources told MEED. KJO has extended the bid submission deadlines for these packages multiple times.

  The EPC scope of work for package 2A includes Dorra gas field wellhead topsides, flowlines and umbilicals. Package 2B involves the central gathering platform complex, export pipelines and cables. Package 3 includes the EPC of onshore gas processing facilities.

  Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are pressing ahead with their ambitious plan to jointly produce 1 billion cubic feet a day (cf/d) of gas from the Dorra gas field, located in the waters of their shared Neutral Zone. Discovered in 1965, the Dorra gas field is estimated to hold 20 trillion cubic metres of gas and 310 million barrels of oil.

  Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have been producing oil from the Neutral Zone – primarily from the onshore Wafra field and offshore Khafji field – since at least the 1950s. With a growing need to increase natural gas production, both countries have been working to exploit the Dorra offshore field, understood to be the only gas field in the Neutral Zone.

  The Dorra facilities project is one of three major multibillion-dollar projects launched by subsidiaries of Saudi Aramco and Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) to produce and process gas from the Dorra field that have been advancing over the past few months.

  AGOC onshore Khafji gas plant

  Meanwhile, AGOC has extended the bid submission deadline for seven EPC packages as part of a project to construct the Khafji gas plant, which will process gas from the Dorra field onshore Saudi Arabia, until 22 April.

  MEED previously reported that AGOC had issued main tenders for the seven EPC packages earlier in 2025. Contractors were initially set deadlines of 24 October for technical bid submissions and 9 November for submission of commercial bids, which was then extended by AGOC until 22 December.

  The seven EPC packages cover a wide range of works, including open-art and licensed process facilities, pipelines, industrial support infrastructure, site preparation, overhead transmission lines, power supply systems, and main operational and administrative buildings.

  France-based Technip Energies has carried out a concept study and front-end engineering and design (feed) work on the entire Dorra gas field development programme.

  Progress has been hampered by a geopolitical dispute over ownership of the Dorra gas field. Iran, which refers to the field as Arash, claims it partially extends into Iranian territory and asserts that Tehran should be a stakeholder in its development. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia maintain that the field lies entirely within their jointly administered Neutral Zone – also known as the Divided Zone – and that Iran has no legal basis for its claim.

  In February 2024, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia reiterated their claim to the Dorra field in a joint statement issued during an official meeting in Riyadh between Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud.

  Since that show of strength and unity, projects targeting production and processing of gas from the Dorra field have gained momentum.

  KGOC onshore processing facilities

  KGOC has initiated early engagement with contractors for the main EPC tendering process for a planned Dorra onshore gas processing facility, which is to be located in Kuwait.

  KGOC is in the feed stage of the project, which is estimated to be valued at up to $3.3bn, and is now expected to issue the main EPC tender in the second quarter of this year, MEED recently reported.

  The proposed facility will receive gas via a pipeline from the Dorra offshore field, which is being separately developed by KJO. The complex will have the capacity to process up to 632 million cf/d of gas and 88.9 million barrels a day of condensates from the Dorra field.

  The facility will be located near the Al-Zour refinery, owned by another KPC subsidiary, Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company (Kipic).

  A 700,000-square-metre plot has been allocated next to the Al-Zour refinery for the gas processing facility, and discussions regarding survey work are ongoing. The site may require shoring, backfilling and dewatering.

  The onshore gas processing plant will also supply surplus gas to KPC’s upstream business, Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), for possible injection into its oil fields.

  Additionally, KGOC plans to award licensed technology contracts to US-based Honeywell UOP and Shell subsidiary Shell Catalysts & Technologies for the plant’s acid gas removal unit and sulphur recovery unit, respectively.

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  Indrajit Sen
• 
  Libya announces $2.7bn Misurata Port expansion

  21 January 2026

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  Libya has announced the $2.7bn expansion of Misurata Port, led by Terminal Investment Limited.

  The consortium comprises Switzerland's Mediterranean Shipping Company and Qatari firm Maha Capital Partners.

  The project is being implemented under a public-private partnership model, and is the first of its kind in the country's non-oil sector

  The expansion aims to increase the port's container-handling capacity to 4 million containers a year.

  Misurata Free Zone (MFZ) is Libya’s largest free zone, spanning an area of 2,576 hectares.

  According to an MFZ statement, the expansion includes:

  • Expanding container-handling capacity to accommodate larger vessels and more complex logistics chains;  
  • Integrating port operations with MFZ’s industrial ecosystem to support small and medium-sized entities, manufacturing and value-added services;
  • Deploying modern terminal equipment and digital systems;  
  • Enhancing safety, performance and environmental standards in line with global benchmarks;
  • Creating long-term employment opportunities.

  The Libyan Prime Minister’s Office said the expanded port is expected to generate around $600m in annual operating revenues, create about 8,400 direct jobs and support nearly 60,000 indirect jobs.

  The investment scope includes:

  • Five ship-to-shore (STS) gantry cranes
  • 10 mobile harbour cranes 
  • Eight rubber-tired gantry (RTG) cranes  
  • 32 reach stackers
  • Eight other pieces of equipment, like trucks and forklifts

  The project's first phase will raise container-handling capacity to 1.5 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEU), increase throughput by 7% and develop and manage berths to 2,000 metres in total.

  It also includes installing six RTG cranes and three STS cranes, developing 56 acres of container yards, building a 2,096-square-metre (sq m) refrigerated container warehouse and constructing an additional 7,500 sq m facility.

  An advanced terminal operating system will also be implemented.

  The second phase will add a further 2.5 million TEUs of capacity, construct a 2,500-metre breakwater, build a new 1,200-metre berth and a new 60-acre container yard, and deepen the port to 17 metres.

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Adnoc Gas stalls decision on Ruwais NGL project

  21 January 2026

  

   

  Adnoc Gas is understood to be considering next steps regarding the progress of its project to install a fifth natural gas liquids (NGL) fractionation train at its Ruwais gas processing facility in Abu Dhabi.

  The fifth NGL fractionation train will have an output capacity of 22,000 tonnes a day (t/d), or about 8 million tonnes a year.

  Adnoc Gas, the natural gas processing business of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc Group), has adopted the design-update competition model to deliver the Ruwais NGL Train 5 project, MEED previously reported.

  Contractors participating in the design-update competition for the project submitted commercial bids for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) works by the deadline of 8 December, as part of the design‑update competition.

  The design-update competition model involves the project operator selecting contractors to execute front-end engineering and design (feed) work on the project. The operator selects the contractor with the most competitive feed proposal to execute EPC works on the project, while also compensating the other contestants for their work.

  Since receiving commercial bids from contractors in early December, however, Adnoc Gas is understood to have gone back to the drawing board to decide on the next course of action, according to sources.

  Sources attribute the delay in contractor selection to bids received by Adnoc Gas that exceeded its budget.

  In January 2025, MEED reported that Adnoc Gas had selected the following contractors to participate in the design-update competition for the Ruwais NGL Train 5 project:

  • JGC Corporation (Japan)
  • Technip Energies (France)
  • Tecnimont (Italy)

  MEED previously reported that participants had submitted technical proposals for feed work on 6 October.

  The Ruwais NGL Train 5 project represents the second phase of Adnoc Gas’ Rich Gas Development programme and is estimated to be valued at $3.5bn-$4bn, according to the company’s chief financial officer, Peter Van Driel.

  In a call with journalists in November to discuss Adnoc Gas’ financial results for the third quarter of 2025, Van Driel said Adnoc Gas was expected to achieve a final investment decision on the Habshan 7 gas train project in the first half of 2026.

  ALSO READ: Adnoc Gas capex budget to rise to $28bn by 2029

  The scope of work on the Ruwais NGL Train 5 project covers the EPC of the following units:

  • NGL fractionation plant with a capacity of 22,000 t/d, including NGL fractionation facilities, downstream treatment units, sulphur recovery units, product storage, loading facilities and associated utilities, flares and interconnection pipelines with existing facilities;
  • Two propane liquefied petroleum gas storage tanks and one paraffinic naphtha storage tank;
  • Buildings – a central control building, outstations, substations and plant amenities;
  • Electrical power connections. Power is to be sourced from the nearby Transco substation via a direct underground cable to the plot location.

  Adnoc Gas requires the feed on the project to be updated based on the design of Ruwais NGL Train 4, which has an output capacity of 27,000 t/d and was commissioned in 2014.

  In December 2021, MEED reported that Adnoc Gas, then operating as Adnoc Gas Processing, had awarded Indian contractor Larsen & Toubro Hydrocarbon Engineering the main contract for a project to enhance the capacity of its NGL trains 1-4 at the Ruwais complex.

  Adnoc Gas business

  Adnoc Group announced the creation of Adnoc Gas through the merger of its subsidiaries Adnoc Gas Processing and Adnoc LNG in November 2022. Adnoc Gas began operating as a commercial entity on 1 January 2023.

  The consolidation of Adnoc’s gas processing and liquefied natural gas (LNG) operations into Adnoc Gas has created one of the world’s largest gas-processing entities, with a processing capacity of about 10 billion standard cubic feet of gas a day at eight onshore and offshore sites, which include its Asab, Bab, Bu Hasa, Habshan and Ruwais plants.

  The company also owns a 3,250-kilometre (km) gas pipeline network to supply feedstock to its customers in the UAE. This sales gas pipeline network is being expanded to over 3,500km through the estimated $3bn Estidama project.

  The company will also acquire its parent Adnoc Group’s 60% share in the Ruwais LNG terminal project at cost in the second half of 2028. UK energy producer BP, Japan’s Mitsui & Co, UK-based Shell and French energy producer TotalEnergies are the other shareholders in the project, holding 10% stakes each.

  Adnoc Gas share sale

  In February 2025, Adnoc Group completed a marketed offering of approximately 3.1 billion shares in Adnoc Gas, raising $2.8bn from the exercise.

  The offering consisted of 3,070,056,880 shares, representing 4% of the issued and outstanding share capital of Adnoc Gas.

  Following the marketed offering of shares, Adnoc Group continues to hold the majority 86% of shares in Adnoc Gas.

  The parent entity listed 5% of Adnoc Gas’ shares on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange in March 2023, in an initial public offering from which it raised about $2.5bn.

  Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) owns the remaining 5% shares in Adnoc Gas.

  ALSO READ: Contractors submit prices for Habshan 7 project to Adnoc Gas

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

  Saudi Arabia courts real estate investment; EVs and battery production are key regional tech themes; Muscat holds a steady growth course despite headwinds

  Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the January 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

  > AGENDA: Saudi real estate to surge in 2026 > CITYSCAPE:  Investors focus on residential sector for new deals > TECH TRENDS: Key technology themes poised to shape 2026  > EVs: Middle East drives electric vehicle revolution > BATTERIES: Batteries shape the region's energy future > LEADERSHIP: Saudi Arabia accelerates its rail revolution  > INTERVIEW: Tabreed finishes the year on a high > CONTRACTORS: Managing risk in the GCC construction market > ECONOMIC ACTIVITY INDEX: UAE and Qatar emerge as markets to watch > AIRSHOW: Top deals signed at Dubai Airshow 2025 > MARKET FOCUS: Oman steadies growth with strategic restraint

  To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here

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  Indrajit Sen
• 
  Riyadh begins Qiddiya high-speed rail prequalification

  20 January 2026

  

   

  Saudi Arabia's Royal Commission for Riyadh City, in collaboration with Qiddiya Investment Company and the National Centre for Privatisation & PPP, have started the prequalification process for the development of the Qiddiya high-speed rail project in Riyadh.

  The prequalification notice was issued on 19 January, with a submission deadline of 17 March.

  The clients are considering undertaking the project using a public-private partnership (PPP) model or under an engineering, procurement, construction and financing basis.

  Firms have been asked to prequalify for either of the two models.

  The Qiddiya high-speed rail project will connect King Salman International airport and King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in Riyadh with Qiddiya City.

  Also known as Q-Express, the railway line will travel at speeds of up to 250 kilometres an hour, reaching Qiddiya in 30 minutes.

  The line is expected to be developed in two phases. The first phase will connect Qiddiya with KAFD and King Khalid International airport.

  The second phase will start from a development known as the North Pole – which is understood to include the Public Investment Fund’s proposed 2-kilometre-tall tower – and travel to the New Murabba development, King Salman Park, central Riyadh and Industrial City in the south of Riyadh. 

  In November last year, MEED reported that over 145 local and international companies had expressed their interest in developing the project.

  These included 68 contracting companies, 23 design and project management consultants, 16 investment firms, 12 rail operators, 10 rolling stock providers and 16 other services firms.

  In November 2023, MEED reported that French consultant Egis had been appointed as the technical adviser for the project.

  UK-based consultancy Ernst & Young is acting as the transaction adviser on the project. Latham & Watkins is the legal adviser.

  Qiddiya is one of Saudi Arabia’s five official gigaprojects and covers a total area of 376 square kilometres (sq km), with 223 sq km of developed land. 

  ---

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

  Saudi Arabia courts real estate investment; EVs and battery production are key regional tech themes; Muscat holds a steady growth course despite headwinds

  Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the January 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

  > AGENDA: Saudi real estate to surge in 2026 > CITYSCAPE:  Investors focus on residential sector for new deals > TECH TRENDS: Key technology themes poised to shape 2026  > EVs: Middle East drives electric vehicle revolution > BATTERIES: Batteries shape the region's energy future > LEADERSHIP: Saudi Arabia accelerates its rail revolution  > INTERVIEW: Tabreed finishes the year on a high > CONTRACTORS: Managing risk in the GCC construction market > ECONOMIC ACTIVITY INDEX: UAE and Qatar emerge as markets to watch > AIRSHOW: Top deals signed at Dubai Airshow 2025 > MARKET FOCUS: Oman steadies growth with strategic restraint

  To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here

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  Yasir Iqbal