Retal to develop Jeddah and Al-Khobar projects
26 April 2023
Saudi Arabia’s National Housing Company (NHC) and Al-Khobar-based property developer Retal Urban Development Company have signed a conditional agreement to develop residential villas for Jeddah’s Est Albuhirat masterplan.
Valued at SR418.3m ($112m), the planned project will cover an area of 98,000 square metres.
The construction is scheduled for completion 42 months after NHC hands over the land.
Proceeds from off-plan sales and internal funds will finance the project.
In February, Retal signed an agreement with NHC to develop Al-Fursan City in northeast Riyadh.
The deal was among 18 real estate development agreements signed for the district’s first phase.
MEED reported in June 2022 that Retal had signed a deal worth SR339.5m ($90.5m) with Roshn to purchase 372 plots within the Sedra community.
In January 2023, Retal inked another partnership with Roshn to deliver 103 homes at the Sedra community in the Saudi capital.
New real estate fund
Earlier in April, Retal set up a private real estate fund to develop projects in Al-Khobar.
The Rimal Park Fund will invest in a luxurious business complex and a mixed-use project. Both schemes will be developed on two adjacent land plots covering an area of 54,500 sq m.
The fund has an estimated cash and in-kind value of SR65m, representing 33 per cent of its equity.
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Saudi Arabia postpones 2029 Trojena Asian Winter Games26 January 2026
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Gulf projects index enters 2026 upbeat27 January 2026

MEED’s Gulf Projects Index expanded for the 10th consecutive month in the four weeks from 12 December to 9 January, rising by 1.3% or $62.5bn in value, driven by market developments in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
In the UAE, the market expanded by 2.8%, adding $31bn in value as a spate of new projects were initiated. These included the $8.1bn Mercedes-Benz Places real estate scheme announced by Dubai developer Binghatti and a $5bn expansion of Al-Maryah Island launched by Abu Dhabi’s Aldar and Mubadala. Dubai-based Aark Developers revealed plans for the $1.4bn Karl Lagerfeld Residences on Al-Marjan Island in Ras Al-Khaimah, while Adnoc Refining began front-end engineering and design for a $1.5bn naphtha-to-jet fuel project.
In Saudi Arabia, the overall size of the market in terms of tracked projects expanded by 1.1% to $22.5bn – contrasting with the slight slackening of project award activity in the kingdom in 2025.
The key projects behind the increase included an $11.6bn, 15-year commitment by China’s Xincheng Jiao Technology to invest in vehicle manufacturing in Jizan; an estimated $2.8bn solar plant to be developed by Bapco and Acwa Power; a $1.4bn Dammam data centre scheme under design by Khazna; and various other new project developments, alongside the tendering of four offshore oil and gas contracts by Saudi Aramco.
The Bahraini market then saw the revival of the study process for the Qatar-Bahrain causeway, adding $4bn in active value to the index, while the Omani market witnessed the launch of the $4bn Muscat Marine, Art & Digital District project.
The other Gulf markets either recorded little change, or, in the case of Qatar and Iran, saw minor contractions.
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Sobha announces Sobha Sanctuary project in Dubai26 January 2026
Dubai-based private real estate developer Sobha Realty has announced the launch of Sobha Sanctuary, its largest master-planned development in Dubai.
The site covers about 37.5 million square feet and is planned to serve around 20,000 families.
The project will include about 20,000 residential units, comprising 18,000 apartments and 2,000 villas.
The development will be delivered in phases. The first phase includes 250 villas.
Sobha Sanctuary is planned as a mixed-use development, with a hospital, two international schools, retail areas and a wellness centre.
The development will also include a central park, as well as a community mall with retail and dining outlets. The park will include facilities such as football grounds, running tracks, padel courts and a skate park.
Green corridors will connect the park to the wider site. A 6-kilometre (km) loop will run through the community, connecting to a larger mobility loop and a 9km wellness loop around the perimeter.
The latest announcement follows the launch of two other projects in the UAE, as MEED reported in October last year.
The developer announced the launch of Sobha AquaCrest, its second residential development within the Downtown Umm Al-Quwain masterplan.
The development, located in the northern emirate of Umm Al-Quwain, comprises five residential towers with a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and duplexes.
Sobha is also planning to build a 450-metre-tall residential tower called Sobha SkyParks on Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road.
The tower will have 109 floors and will be the tallest development in Sobha Realty’s portfolio.
The development will offer more than 684 residential units.
READ THE JANUARY 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFSaudi 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> BATTERIES: Batteries shape the region's energy future> 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 restraintTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15512604/main.jpeg -
Winter Games delay raises uncertainty for Saudi construction26 January 2026
Commentary
Yasir Iqbal
Construction writerSaudi Arabia’s decision to postpone the 2029 Asian Winter Games at Trojena can be viewed as the first officially acknowledged crack in the kingdom’s gigaproject ambitions.
Although the delay may be nothing more than pragmatic schedule management, in a market already sensitive to signals, an official postponement could have wider repercussions.
The Asian Winter Games is an international event that requires a greater level of transparency than many other projects in the kingdom. The award of the games, and the decision to postpone it, was made following a formal process involving the Olympic Council of Asia, meaning what might otherwise have been managed quietly and internally becomes a global announcement.
The delay raises questions about the future of projects already under execution at Trojena. This includes projects from dams, tunnels and other major infrastructure works to high-profile assets such as the Vault. A postponed anchor event does not automatically mean construction stops, but it will trigger uncertainty across the supply chain that some packages could be deferred, resized or, in a worst-case scenario, cancelled.
For the broader Saudi construction market, the delay heightens uncertainty about the future of other projects that may also be delayed. If investors and contractors start assuming that postponements are the new normal, bidding appetite, pricing and delivery risk premiums can all shift.
The fear is that delaying the Winter Games will trigger other high-profile cancellations. While that might not necessarily be the case, it could accelerate a sorting process. Projects that are less central to the national interest may find themselves competing harder for capital.
The industry will also point to the broader backdrop. According to data from regional project tracker MEED Projects, the value of contracts awarded on the kingdom's gigaprojects dropped by over 62% last year, from about $35bn in 2024 to $13bn in 2025, thus making the rescheduling feel more consequential.
Many in the industry will also argue that the decision is logical when other major events to be hosted by Saudi Arabia are considered. When Trojena was selected as the venue for the Asian Winter Games in 2022, Saudi Arabia had yet to secure the rights to host Expo 2030 and the 2034 Fifa World Cup. Those two large-scale events are much more high profile than the Winter Games, and also reset national priorities along with plans for capital allocation.
Ultimately, the Asian Winter Games are peripheral compared to the global weight of Expo 2030 and the 2034 World Cup. If confirmations on those two events had come before 2022, it is likely that Saudi Arabia would not have bid to host the event in the first place.
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UAE firm withdraws Yemen solar operations26 January 2026

UAE-based Global South Utilities (GSU) has completed the handover of the Aden and Shabwa solar power plants to Yemen’s Public Electricity Corporation, following an official request by Yemeni authorities for the withdrawal of all UAE companies from the country.
The move comes amid Yemen’s ongoing political fragmentation and security challenges, which have complicated foreign commercial and infrastructure operations in the country.
In a letter dated 22 January 2026, GSU said it had evacuated all operations and maintenance teams from the 120MW Aden solar plant and the 53MW Shabwa solar plant.
Both facilities were handed over fully operational and placed under the authority of the state-owned utility.
GSU operates solar power plants in Yemen with a combined capacity of 173MW. The company said the withdrawal of its technical teams was carried out to ensure personnel safety and to enable a structured and responsible transfer of assets.
“Global South Utilities did not suspend operations unilaterally or abruptly,” the company said. “Both power plants were handed over while operating at full technical capacity, under a formal handover process.”
GSU added that continuing to operate large-scale power facilities without specialised technical teams on the ground would pose operational risks and would not meet internationally recognised standards for energy facility operations.
Several projects are at advanced stages of development and have been paused following the company’s exit from the Yemeni market, including:
- Al-Mokha – phase 2 (40MW): 85% complete
- Al-Khokha (10MW): 80% complete
- Hays (10MW): 75% complete
- Socotra (10MW): 35% complete (civil works and procurement)
- Aden expansion (120MW): 35% complete (civil works and procurement)
In November, GSU announced $1bn-worth of new energy projects in Yemen to support the rebuilding of the country’s electricity sector.
The programme was expected to be delivered through solar and wind energy projects, battery energy storage systems and the development of distribution networks.
According to GSU, its $1bn energy project portfolio in Yemen covers 13 projects across six governorates, with a combined capacity exceeding 1,000MW.
In August, GSU began work on a 120MW expansion of the Aden solar photovoltaic plant, doubling its capacity to 240MW. The plant began operations last year with a 120MW first phase.
At the time, the company said phase two would begin commercial operations in 2026.
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Saudi Arabia postpones 2029 Trojena Asian Winter Games26 January 2026
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Saudi Arabia has confirmed the postponement of the 2029 Asian Winter Games, which were scheduled to be held at the Trojena mountain destination in Neom, in the northwest of the kingdom.
The confirmation came on 25 January, when the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the Saudi Olympic & Paralympic Committee (SOPC) released a joint statement saying that they have agreed to indefinitely postpone the event.
The OCA and SOPC have yet to announce a revised timeline or confirm whether another country will now host the event.
In October 2022, Trojena was chosen to host the Asian Winter Games in 2029, as MEED previously reported.
Construction is progressing on the Trojena Ski Village project; however, the overall infrastructure required for the venue to be ready remains behind schedule.
The most recent edition of the Asian Winter Games was held in February last year in the city of Harbin, China.
Japan held the first edition in 1986 and went on to host four of the previous editions of the event.
China has hosted three editions, while South Korea and Kazakhstan have each hosted the games once.
South Korea staged the Winter Youth Olympics in 2024, using mostly the same venues built for the 2018 Winter Olympics in the eastern province of Gangwon.
In August last year, MEED reported that high-level discussions had started regarding changing the 2029 Asian Winter Games venue, possibly from Saudi Arabia to South Korea.
According to reports in South Korean media, citing a senior Korean Sport & Olympic Committee official, the OCA had contacted the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee about the possibility of hosting the event.
The report added that the meeting was followed by an official letter sent by the OCA to South Korea.
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