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Read the April 2025 MEED Business Review

3 April 2025

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Governments in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region are digging deep to find solutions to the challenges posed by booming populations and rapidly growing cities. It is hoped that by expanding their underground infrastructure, major urban
centres such as Dubai, Riyadh and Doha can alleviate the mounting pressure that is being put on their existing transport and utility networks.

Subterranean transport projects, such as the high-profile Dubai Loop scheme being planned by the Roads & Transport Authority in partnership with Elon Musk's The Boring Company, or the recently completed metro systems in Riyadh and Doha, promise to tackle urban congestion and slash commute times. Meanwhile, through large-scale underground utilities schemes like the Dubai Strategic Sewerage Tunnels project, the traditional wastewater network can be upgraded without disturbing the existing cityscape.

As a result, while governments globally are curtailing public infrastructure spending to reduce public debt, GlobalData has revealed that the Mena region has a tunnel construction pipeline worth $128.6bn.

In the April edition of MEED Business Review, we take an in-depth look at the various subterranean transport and utility projects that are in the pipeline in the Mena region, and examine the outlook for major tunnelling projects globally. 

MEED's latest issue also includes a comprehensive report on the region's tourism and hospitality sector, as Saudi Arabia strives to join Qatar and the UAE as one of the GCC’s leading leisure tourism destinations. Indeed, the kingdom dominates when it comes to hospitality-linked project activity, with contracts worth a total of $4.4bn awarded last year.

Saudi Arabia is also the focus of this month’s exclusive 21-page market report, which finds the kingdom looking forward to a positive year in 2025. As Riyadh takes the diplomatic initiative, particularly as an intermediary in the Ukraine conflict, the kingdom's non-oil economy is also going from strength to strength.

Although lower oil prices are expected to slightly dent revenues this year, Saudi Aramco is planning sustained capital expenditure and remains intent on projects to expand the production of high-value petrochemicals. Meanwhile, 2025 is expected to be a year of stable profitability for Saudi Arabia’s banks, and is set to be the busiest year ever for the power sector. Construction awards also remain up as Riyadh shifts its focus to delivering the infrastructure and transport projects that are needed for the kingdom’s hosting of upcoming international events.

This issue is also packed with analysis. We find out how BP’s planned $25bn investment in Iraqi oil fields will benefit Chinese contractors, round up the top five GCC data centre projects, look at why the rapid deployment of low-cost solar power is causing a surge in battery energy storage demand, and discover that Riyadh's need to diversify its sources of project financing has led to a sharp rise in the value of public-private partnerships in Saudi Arabia.

In the April issue, the team also speaks exclusively to CEO of Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management UK and global head of infrastructure and structured finance, Jean-Francis Dusch, about Saudi infrastructure investment opportunities; and talks to Mark Thomas, group CEO of Bapco Energies, about how the state energy conglomerate plans to secure Bahrain’s hydrocarbons potential.

We hope our valued subscribers enjoy the April 2025 issue of MEED Business Review. 

 

Must-read sections in the April 2025 issue of MEED Business Review include:

> AGENDA: 
> Traffic drives construction underground
> Muted public spending hinders global tunnelling

> CURRENT AFFAIRS:
> Chinese contractors to benefit from BP’s investment in Iraq

INDUSTRY REPORT:
Tourism and hospitality
> Beaches and luxury drive regional tourism
> Region’s hotel projects pipeline balloons

> INTERVIEWS:
> Investing in Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure opportunities
> Securing Bahrain’s hydrocarbons potential

> DATA CENTRES: GCC’s top five data centre projects

> POWER: GCC battery storage pipeline hits over 55GWh

> SAUDI PPPs: Rise in PPPs reflects Saudi budgetary pragmatism

> SAUDI ARABIA MARKET REPORT: 
> COMMENT: Riyadh enjoys buoyant fortunes
> GOVERNMENT: Riyadh takes the diplomatic initiative
> ECONOMY: Saudi Arabia’s non-oil economy forges onward
> BANKING: Saudi banks work to keep pace with credit expansion
> UPSTREAM: Saudi oil and gas spending to surpass 2024 level
> DOWNSTREAM: Aramco’s recalibrated chemical goals reflect realism
> POWER: Saudi power sector enters busiest year
> WATER: Saudi water contracts set another annual record
> CONSTRUCTION: Reprioritisation underpins Saudi construction
> TRANSPORT: Riyadh pushes ahead with infrastructure development
> DATABANK: Saudi Arabia’s growth trend heads up

> MEED COMMENTS: 
> Saudi Arabia is high-rise capital of the world
> Dubai needs to deliver more metro lines
> US and UAE power play gains momentum
> Libya’s new oil licensing round could be make or break

> GULF PROJECTS INDEX: Gulf index sees minor correction

> FEBRUARY 2025 CONTRACTS: Project awards slump notably in February

> ECONOMIC DATA: Data drives regional projects

> OPINION: Is this the end for Middle East studies?

> BUSINESS OUTLOOK: Finance, oil and gas, construction, power and water contracts

To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
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    It will be five times the size of the existing Dubai International airport and have the world’s largest passenger handling capacity of 260 million passengers a year. For cargo, it will have the capacity to handle 12 million tonnes a year.

    The construction works on the first phase of the project are expected to be completed by 2032.

    Dubai approved the updated designs and timelines for its largest construction project in April last year.

    The government of Dubai said that the plan is for all operations from Dubai International airport to be transferred to Al-Maktoum International airport within 10 years.

    The government statement added that the project will create housing demand for 1 million people around the airport.

    In September last year, MEED exclusively reported that a team comprising Austria’s Coop Himmelb(l)au and Lebanon’s Dar Al-Handasah had been confirmed as the lead master planning and design consultants on the expansion of Dubai’s Al-Maktoum International airport.

    Project history

    The expansion of Al-Maktoum International airport is a long-standing project. Also known as Dubai World Central (DWC), it was officially launched in 2014 with a different design from the one approved in April 2024. Back then, it involved building the biggest airport in the world by 2050, with the capacity to handle 255 million passengers a year.

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  • Siemens Energy signs preliminary 14GW Iraq pact

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    Germany’s Siemens Energy and Iraq’s Electricity Ministry have signed a preliminary agreement to add 14GW of electricity generation capacity to Iraq’s grid.

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  • Abu Dhabi hopes bigger is better with Disney theme park

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    Ever since Aldar Properties first launched the Yas Island project with its Yas Marina Circuit for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2006, Abu Dhabi has been steadily adding theme parks to the island’s roster of attractions. First, there was the Ferrari theme park, then came a water park, a Warner Bros theme park and, most recently, SeaWorld. 

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