meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Riyadh confirms capital expenditure cuts

7 May 2025

 

Saudi Arabia has reported a 19% drop in government capital expenditure (capex) during the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year. Capex spending in Q1 2025 was SR27.8bn ($7.4bn), down from SR34.5bn in Q1 2024.

The Ministry of Finance reported the drop in expenditure in its Quarterly Budget Performance Report for Q1 2025.  

The government’s reduction in capex occurred at the same time as a drop in contract awards. According to regional projects tracker MEED Projects, there was a significant reduction in contract awards during Q1 2025.

There were $16.9bn of contract awards in the kingdom during Q1 2025, which includes private and public sector clients – including the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and its subsidiary development companies, as well as public-private partnership (PPP) projects.

The number of contract awards has also declined. According to MEED Projects, there were 108 contract awards during Q1 2025, which is down from 191 during Q1 2024 and 186 in Q4 2024.

Big deals

The largest project deal during Q1 2025 was the $2.2bn PPP deal awarded by Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC) to develop and operate the kingdom’s second independent water transmission pipeline (IWTP). The project involves building a 587-kilometre pipeline that can transmit 650,000 cubic metres a day of water between Jubail in the Eastern Province and Buraydah in the Qassim region. A developer team comprising local companies Aljomaih Energy & Water, Nesma Company and Buhur for Investment Company was selected for the project.

Only two other contract awards were valued at over $1bn. Saudi Aramco awarded Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon, a subsidiary of India’s Larsen & Toubro Group, a $1.5bn contract to build a large-scale carbon capture and storage hub in Jubail Industrial City.

Gigaproject developer Diriyah Company awarded the other $1bn-plus deal. It awarded a joint venture of local firm El-Seif Engineering & Contracting, Beijing-headquartered China State Construction Engineering Corporation and Qatari firm Midmac Contracting a $1.3bn contract to build the Royal Diriyah Opera House.

The total value of contract awards in Q1 2025 was down by almost half compared to the $33.5bn of contract awards made during Q1 2024. On a quarterly basis, the drop is more than 60% compared to the $42.7bn of contract awards made during Q4 2024.

Budget deficit

For the broader economy, Saudi Arabia ran a deficit of SR58.7bn during Q1 2025, which was fully financed through borrowing, as there were no withdrawals from government reserves.

Public debt increased in both domestic and external components. Domestic debt closed at SR797bn, and external debt closed at SR531.7bn, indicating active debt management strategies to finance the deficit.

Most recently, the National Debt Management Centre announced the closure of its April 2025 issuance under the government’s Saudi riyal-denominated sukuk programme, with a total allocation amounting to SR3.710bn.

The sukuk issuance was structured into four distinct tranches to cater to varying investor needs. The first tranche, valued at SR1.315bn, is set to mature in 2029. The second tranche, amounting to SR80m, will mature in 2032. The third tranche, with a size of SR765m, is scheduled for maturity in 2036, while the fourth tranche, the largest at SR1.55bn, will mature in 2039.

In Q1 2025, total revenues reached SR263.6bn, with oil revenues accounting for SR149.8bn. This signifies a notable 18% decrease in oil revenues compared to the same period in 2024.

Also, oil income in the first quarter of this year accounted for 56% of total government revenues, down from 62% in the same period last year.

The slide in oil revenues is mainly due to lower crude oil prices, with the first quarter average for global benchmark Brent declining by 15% to around $75 a barrel compared to the same period in 2024.

Oil production

Oil production cuts by the Opec+ alliance also led to a fall in oil revenues for Saudi Arabia. The kingdom’s crude output declined by 1% in the first quarter to 8.95 million barrels a day (b/d), according to Opec data.

Saudi Arabia and Russia-led Opec+, however, began unwinding 2.2 million b/d of oil production cuts from April, with the coalition recently announcing a further output hike of 411,000 b/d in June. This move could result in an increased oil market share for Saudi Arabia, bringing in more oil revenues for the kingdom in the second quarter.

Non-oil revenues increased by 2%, reaching SR113.8bn, indicating some success in diversification efforts. Taxes on goods and services and other revenues contributed to this rise.

Total expenditures stood at SR322.3bn, which was a 5% increase on Q1 2024. Although capex decreased, other areas of spending increased.

Social spending

Notably, social benefits saw a significant 28% increase, reflecting the government’s commitment to social welfare programmes. Compensation of employees and use of goods and services also experienced increases.

For sectors, health and social development saw a 19% increase in actual expenditure compared to Q1 2024. This indicates a strong focus on these areas. Public administration also experienced a notable 14% increase.

Sectors such as municipal services and economic resources recorded slight decreases in spending.

The Finance Ministry report also provides insights into the government’s reserves and current account balances, with closing balances of SR393bn and SR91bn, respectively.

MEED’s April 2025 report on Saudi Arabia includes:

> 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

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/13822355/main.gif
Colin Foreman

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

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • 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
  • Oman outlines grid plan for four 1GW solar IPPs

    7 July 2026

    The Oman Electricity Transmission Company (OETC) has outlined the planned grid connection schedule for four 1GW solar independent power projects (IPPs) that will support the sultanate's renewable energy expansion through 2030.

    The projects are detailed in OETC's Five-Year Annual Transmission Capability Statement (2026-30), which sets out the transmission infrastructure required to integrate new generation capacity into the national grid.

    According to the report, the first of the four gigawatt-scale projects, the Adam solar IPP, is scheduled for integration in 2028.

    Oman’s Nama Power & Water Procurement Company (Nama PWP) issued a request for qualification for the development of the Adam solar IPP in June.

    OETC said it expects the 1GW Al-Kamil 2 solar project to be integrated in 2030 through the planned Sadaf 400kV grid station. The 1GW Dhofar solar IPP and 1GW Mahadha solar IPP are also scheduled for integration in 2030.

    Before the gigawatt-scale projects are connected, several smaller utility-scale solar schemes are expected to enter service.

    The first is the 500MW Ibri 3 solar project, supported by the Al-Sebkha 400kV switching station. Construction began on Ibri 3 in January.

    The report says this will be followed by the Al-Kamil 1, Sinaw and Marsa solar IPPs.

    The power purchase agreement for the 500MW Al-Kamil IPP was recently signed by a separate consortium comprising France's EDF Power Solutions, Oman National Engineering & Investment Company and the local OQ Alternative Energy.

    Nama PWP has issued a supervisory consultancy tender for the 280MW Marsa IPP in North Al-Batinah Governorate, with a bid submission deadline of 26 July.

    The transmission statement says about 70 transmission projects are expected to enter service between 2026 and 2030.

    The programme is intended to increase transmission capacity, connect new renewable generation, strengthen grid reliability and support electricity demand growth across the sultanate.

    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/17564537/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall