meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Renewables supply chain takes shape

24 October 2023

Commentary
Jennifer Aguinaldo
Energy & technology editor

It is an open secret that the financial close and construction of most independent power producer projects in the Middle East and North Africa region – and elsewhere – were significantly delayed between 2020 and 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.

The China-centric nature of the supply chain, particularly for renewable energy components, triggered increases in solar panel and wind turbine component costs and engineering, procurement and construction expenses. The Russia-Ukraine war and the widespread economic uncertainty it caused subsequently triggered inflation. 

Utility clients also paused some projects to allow time to assess the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on their future and long-term demand.

Related read: Region turns into battery storage hotspot

Recent developments in the UAE and Saudi Arabia demonstrate their desire to minimise project delivery disruptions should similar events take place in the future, while also supporting their industrialisation strategies.

China's Trina Solar, Abu Dhabi Ports and Jiangsu Provincial Overseas Cooperation & Investment (Jocic) recently signed an agreement for Trina Solar to set up a solar production and supply chain hub in the UAE.

The plan entails setting up a production base for up to 50,000 tonnes of high-purity silicon, 30,000MW of silicon wafers and 5,000MW of battery modules across the solar industry chain. These are understood to be annual capacities for the plants.

In Saudi Arabia, the local Vision Industries and China's TCL Central New Energy Technology Company recently signed a joint development agreement for Saudi Arabia's first solar photovoltaic (PV) crystalline chip factory.

The project's first phase will have a design capacity equivalent to 20,000MW of solar PV production a year and will require an investment of more than $1bn.

Another Saudi-Chinese joint venture plans to build a wind turbine manufacturing facility at Oxagon in Saudi Arabia's Neom gigaproject development. The planned facility will have the capacity to manufacture wind turbines that can produce an equivalent of 3GW of electricity.

Vision Industries and China's Envision are investing in the wind turbine manufacturing plant project, which aims to cater to the growing demand for wind turbines in the broader Middle East and Africa region in light of widespread decarbonisation initiatives.

The first wind turbines are expected to roll out of production by the first quarter of 2025. MEED reported that it will require an investment of approximately $1.5bn.

The more than $120bn-worth of solar and wind power farms planned across the region – exclusive of the small and medium-sized commercial and industrial projects as well as those catering to the planned off-grid green hydrogen plants – can underwrite these investments, assuming all projects go ahead at some point in the future.

In June this year, the UAE tapped Belgium’s John Cockerill Hydrogen and the local firm Strata for the project to establish the country’s first electrolyser production plant.

With over $180bn-worth of integrated green hydrogen projects in the planning and design stages, primarily in Egypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and the UAE, locating an electrolyser plant in the region is imperative, given the need to scale up global production.

There have also been developments on the lithium and battery storage solutions front.

Australia-headquartered battery company EV Metals Group is developing an integrated battery chemicals complex on a 127-hectare plot in Yanbu Industrial City in Saudi Arabia, which is expected to house a lithium chemicals plant with scope to include a nickel chemicals plant and a cathode active materials plant. The estimated cost for phase one of the lithium chemicals plant is $1.3bn.

Another Chinese company, China’s Guangzhou Tinci Materials Technology, plans to build a lithium-ion battery materials plant in Morocco. The planned facility will produce the materials locally, which it will then export to Europe. Morocco’s ample phosphorite ore resources underpin Tinci’s plans.

Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) has also signed an agreement with US-based Ivanhoe Electric to undertake exploration of the Arabian Shield zone in Saudi Arabia for high-demand minerals. The Arabian Shield region – approximately the size of Switzerland – is understood to be rich in reserves of critical minerals such as copper, nickel, gold, silver and possibly lithium.

While these investments are a drop in the bucket compared to the national oil companies' multibillion-dollar investments to increase oil and gas production, they still represent a major change in strategy to support decarbonisation. 

Such investments in clean energy will only grow in the future if the countries in the region wish to maintain their status as global energy hubs.

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/11239920/main5013.gif
Jennifer Aguinaldo

Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • WEBINAR: Saudi Giga Projects: Market Update for Q3 2026

    8 July 2026

    Webinar: Saudi Giga Projects: Market Update for Q3 2026 
    Tuesday 21 July 2026 | 11:00 AM GST  |  Register now

    Agenda:

    • Saudi projects market outlook and giga projects update
    • 2026 contract awards, project activity and market performance
    • Giga project reprioritisation, funding allocation and delivery progress
    • Key project announcements, milestones and market developments to watch
    • Major contracts awarded across construction, infrastructure and utilities
    • Upcoming tenders and contract award opportunities over the next 6–12 months
    • Geopolitical risks and their impact on project execution and investment
    • Progress across NEOM, The Red Sea, Diriyah, Qiddiya and New Murabba
    • Major non-giga project opportunities and growth sectors across Saudi Arabia
    • Short-, medium- and long-term outlook for the Saudi projects market
    • Audience Q&A

    Hosted by: Yasir Iqbal, MEED's construction editor

    Click here to register

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17588750/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Saudi Arabia eyes investors for $136m ferris wheel project

    7 July 2026

    Saudi Arabia is seeking investors to fund a SR511m ($136m) ferris wheel project, known as the Hijaz Eye.

    The project will be located in Medina and will cover an area of more than 33,000 square metres (sq m).

    According to information listed on the Invest Saudi platform, a database of about 2,200 state investment opportunities, the project is expected to have a significant impact on the local economy, offering an internal rate of return (IRR) of over 25%, with a payback period of seven years.

    The tender prospectus does not disclose the ferris wheel's height.

    The pitch to investors describes it as "the best destination to get a bird's eye view of the city", and frames it as an attraction aimed at pilgrims, with the project designed to "enrich the experience of pilgrims" and address a "growing need to increase cultural communication among pilgrims".

    The Hijaz Eye project is part of a broader initiative to establish Saudi Arabia as a leading tourism hub in the Middle East, and reflects Riyadh's growing push to lean on private capital, rather than public financing, for large-scale tourism infrastructure.

    Ain Dubai parallels

    The Hijaz Eye would not be the first giant observation wheel to be built in the region. The UAE's Ain Dubai, on Bluewaters Island, is currently the world's tallest observation wheel, standing 250 metres high – nearly twice the height of the London Eye.

    It is designed to carry up to 1,750 visitors in 48 air-conditioned cabins.

    Ain Dubai's budget was originally estimated at about $272m. The attraction opened in October 2021, coinciding with Expo 2020 Dubai.

    The project used about 9,000 tonnes of steel, more than was used in the construction of the Eiffel Tower, and required some of the world's largest cranes to lift its 1,805-tonne hub and spindle assembly, which is comparable in weight to four Airbus A380 aircraft.

    Despite its scale, Ain Dubai's post-opening record has been uneven. The attraction has closed and reopened several times since its debut, including a widely publicised reopening in December 2024.

    For the Hijaz Eye, the experience of Ain Dubai underlines a message that operational reliability will be central to whether the project can deliver on its projected 25%-plus IRR.

    Project positioning

    The Hijaz Eye is being positioned as an anchor for a specific strategic gap, which includes extending the time and spending of religious visitors to Medina beyond prayer and pilgrimage.

    Domestic and religious tourism sit at the core of the kingdom's Vision 2030 strategy, and the numbers underline why Medina, rather than a leisure hub like Riyadh or Jeddah, is a logical testing ground for private-capital tourism infrastructure.

    In 2025, Saudi Arabia's Tourism Ministry recorded 14 million overseas visitors that visited the kingdom for religious purposes, roughly twice the number of leisure travellers and seven times that of business travellers.

    A further 14 million domestic tourists travelled for religious purposes, of which 6.5 million visited Medina specifically.

    Image credit: www.cranebriefing.com

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

    Stress test for Gulf aviation; Mixed performance as country outlooks diverge in the Levant; GCC tourism sector pivots from crisis to recovery mode.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the July 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17576184/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Worley announces Aramco project management consultancy deal

    7 July 2026

    Australian engineering firm Worley has announced it has been awarded a long-term agreement (LTA) by Saudi Aramco to support its projects within Saudi Arabia, mainly by providing project management consultancy (PMC) services.

    The five-year agreement is intended to support Aramco’s extensive capital programme – one of the largest sources of project investment globally, across the energy, chemicals and resources sectors, Worley said in a statement.

    Under the LTA, Worley will provide PMC services, including engineering and design, project development studies, detailed engineering, procurement support, project and construction management and technical expertise. It will also support capability building for local talent in Saudi Arabia.

    Worley was one of 11 local and foreign engineering firms selected by Aramco to create a new pool of PMC service providers, MEED reported in May.

    The Saudi energy giant signed LTAs with several companies for the PMC service providers pool at a ceremony at its Dhahran headquarters on 30 April. The agreements have a duration of five years, with an option to extend for a further three years. These companies were:

    • Engineers India (India)
    • Fluor (US)
    • IDOM (Spain)
    • KBR (US)
    • Kent (UAE)
    • Sinopec (China) / Sinopec Nanjing Engineering Company (China)
    • SNC Lavalin Fayez Engineering (Saudi Arabia) + McDermott (US)
    • Technip Energies (France)
    • Tecnicas Reunidas (Spain) / TR Saudia (local branch)
    • Wood (UAE)
    • Worley (Australia)

    “Importantly, this agreement supports Aramco to ensure critical infrastructure for ongoing energy, chemicals and resources supply for the domestic market in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as well as global markets,” Sydney-headquartered Worley said in a statement.

    Services will be delivered through Worley’s offices in Saudi Arabia and the UK, with support from global offices including the Global Integrated Delivery team.

    “The agreement requires Worley to leverage its digital capabilities, including artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, digital twins, robotics and automation, digital scanning, and smart energy solutions, to improve engineering delivery efficiency in compliance with Aramco’s engineering and information security standards,” the Australian Securities Exchange-listed company added.

    Pool of brownfield EPC contractors

    In addition to selecting firms for its PMC services pool, Aramco also created a group of brownfield engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors.

    Aramco awarded LTAs to the following 18 contractors for the brownfield EPC services at the same ceremony in Dhahran on 30 April:

    • Abdulhasan Group (Saudi Arabia)
    • Archirodon (Greece)
    • Bin Quraya (Saudi Arabia)
    • China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corporation (China)
    • Engineering for the Petroleum and Process Industries (Egypt)
    • Engineering Procurement & Project Management (Tunisia)
    • Gas Arabian Services (Saudi Arabia)
    • GS Engineering & Construction (South Korea) / GS Construction Arabia (local branch)
    • Kalpataru Projects International (India)
    • Kent (UAE)
    • Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon (India)
    • M R Al-Khathlan Company for Contracting (Saudi Arabia)
    • Max Streicher (Germany/Italy)
    • National Basics Company (Saudi Arabia)
    • New Horizons Contracting & Maintenance Company (Saudi Arabia)
    • Sinopec (China) / Sinopec Nanjing Engineering Company (China)
    • Technip Energies (France)
    • Tecnicas Reunidas (Spain) / TR Saudia (local branch)

    The scope of services covered under the LTA for brownfield EPC contractors includes the following activities across the kingdom’s Eastern Province and Shaybah areas:

    • Onshore oil/gas/water well tie-ins and hookups
    • Miscellaneous and capital projects
    • Site preparation
    • Power, communication, control, and security projects including Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (Scada) systems and remote terminal units (RTUs)
    • Project management, engineering, fabrication, coating, procurement, material management and direct construction services
    • Testing, pre-commissioning, commissioning and mechanical completion
    • Camp and office construction, operations and maintenance
    • Modifications, improvements and upgrades to existing onshore facilities
    • Fencing and general onshore civil and structural works

    The LTAs for brownfield EPC works span seven geographical zones:

    1. Northern Area Zone NA-1: Includes plants, pipelines, wells and miscellaneous projects in Manifa, Safaniyah, Wasit, Abu Hadriyah, Fadhili and Khursaniyah.
    2. Northern Area Zone NA-2: Encompasses plants, pipelines, wells and miscellaneous projects in Berri, Abu Ali Island and Qatif.
    3. Southern Area Zone SA-1: Covers plants, pipelines, wells and miscellaneous projects in Dammam, Abqaiq, Aindar, Shedgum and Farzan.
    4. Southern Area Zone SA-2: Comprises plants, pipelines, wells and miscellaneous projects in Haradh and Harmaliyah.
    5. Southern Area Zone SA-3: Spans plants, pipelines, wells and miscellaneous projects in Khurais/Mazalij/Abu Zifan, Central Arabia/Hawtah/Layl, and Nuayyim.
    6. Southern Area Zone SA-4: Incorporates plants, pipelines, wells and miscellaneous projects in Hawiyah and Uthmaniyah.
    7. Shaybah Area Zone SHYB-1: Focuses on plants, pipelines, wells and miscellaneous projects in Shaybah.

    In addition to the newly created LTA pools for PMC services and brownfield EPC works – and excluding the GES+ engineering group – Aramco maintains two LTA contractor groupings for offshore and onshore oil and gas capital projects.

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

    Stress test for Gulf aviation; Mixed performance as country outlooks diverge in the Levant; GCC tourism sector pivots from crisis to recovery mode.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the July 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17576189/main4243.jpg
    Indrajit Sen
  • Saudi Arabia sets July deadline for Taif International airport

    7 July 2026

     

    Saudi Arabia’s Matarat Holding, in collaboration with the National Centre for Privatisation & PPP (NCP), has set a deadline of 24 July for a contract to develop the new Taif International airport project in Mecca Province.

    The client has opted for a 30-year build-transfer-operate (BTO) contract model, including the construction period.

    In January, MEED reported that four consortiums and one standalone company had been prequalified to proceed to the next stage of the bidding process.

    These were:

    • Kalyon Insaat / AlBawani (Turkiye/local)
    • Mada International Holding / TAV Airports (local/Turkiye)
    • Tamasuk / Bengaluru International Airport (local/India)
    • Vision Invest / Asyad / DAA International (local/local/Ireland)
    • GMR Airports (India)

    The new Taif International airport will be located 21 kilometres southeast of the existing Taif airport and will have a capacity of 2.5 million passengers by 2030.

    In addition to a new airport terminal, the proposed design features a runway with a full-length parallel taxiway connecting to a single commercial apron.

    The scope includes facility buildings, utility networks, car parks and access roads, as well as provisions for additional expansions to meet future subsystem requirements.

    The new airport is expected to meet the projected increase in demand by 2055 and contribute to the economic development of the city of Taif and its surrounding areas, in line with the kingdom’s National Aviation Strategy.

    It is also expected to meet the needs of Umrah pilgrims, as an alternative within the region’s multi-airport system, which includes King Abdulaziz airport in Jeddah, Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz airport in Medina and Prince Abdulmohsen Bin Abdulaziz airport in Yanbu.

    Previous tenders

    The Taif, Hail and Qassim airport schemes were previously tendered and awarded as public-private partnership (PPP) projects using the BTO model.

    Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (Gaca) awarded the contracts to develop four airport PPP projects to two separate consortiums in 2017.

    A team of Turkiye’s TAV Airports and the local Al-Rajhi Holding Group won the 30-year concession agreement to build, transfer and operate airport passenger terminals in Yanbu, Qassim and Hail.

    A second team, comprising Lebanon’s Consolidated Contractors Company, Germany’s Munich Airport International and local firm Asyad Group, won the BTO contract to develop Taif International airport.

    However, these projects stalled following the restructuring of the kingdom’s aviation sector.

    Saudi Arabia has already privatised airports including the $1.2bn Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz International airport in Medina, which was developed as a PPP and opened in 2015.

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

    Stress test for Gulf aviation; Mixed performance as country outlooks diverge in the Levant; GCC tourism sector pivots from crisis to recovery mode.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the July 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17574264/main2939.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • KBR wins Iraq pipeline contract

    7 July 2026

    US-based KBR has been awarded a consultancy contract for a planned pipeline project that will extend from Basra in the south of Iraq to Haditha in Al-Anbar Governorate.

    Iraq’s cabinet, which met under Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi, has approved the award, according to a cabinet statement.

    State-owned Basra Oil Company (BOC), which manages the majority of Iraq’s southern oil fields, is now expected to sign a contract with KBR for the project.

    In April, Iraq announced the allocation of $1.5bn for the project, which is part of a larger scheme, estimated to be worth $5bn.

    The wider project includes additional pipeline links that will extend to Kirkuk in Northern Iraq and to Jordan.

    Earlier in July, Iraq's cabinet approved BOC signing a ​heads of agreement and a non-disclosure agreement with a consortium of companies to explore possible future oil pipeline projects, including the Basra-Haditha connection.

    The consortium includes US-based companies Chevron and TI Capital, as well as Qatar’s UCC.

    The consortium will prepare technical and financial feasibility studies for strategic export pipeline projects, according to a statement from Iraq’s cabinet.

    In June, Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi and US Special Presidential Envoy Tom Barrack agreed to advance the memorandum of understanding with TI Capital to rehabilitate a disused pipeline that extends from Kirkuk to Baniyas in Syria.

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

    Stress test for Gulf aviation; Mixed performance as country outlooks diverge in the Levant; GCC tourism sector pivots from crisis to recovery mode.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the July 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/17570453/main.jpg
    Wil Crisp