Related Articles

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  UAE firm wins Sphere Abu Dhabi LED display contract

  20 October 2026

  UAE-based audiovisual and digital signage contractor Blue Rhine Industries (BRI) has been appointed to install and commission the external LED display for the Sphere Abu Dhabi project on Yas Island.

  The firm was awarded the subcontract by the scheme’s main contractor, Alec Engineering & Contracting, a subsidiary of the UAE-based Alec Holdings. 

  The scope covers the installation of the external light-emitting diode (LED) display, known as the Exosphere, across the facade of the 112-metre-high building. 

  The award forms part of the main construction contract for the estimated $1.7bn entertainment venue, which is scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2029.

  In May, Alec Holdings confirmed that Alec Engineering & Contracting had received the letter of award for the main construction package.

  MEED previously reported that Alec was the selected contractor and had carried out pre-construction work on the scheme.

  The project is being developed by Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture & Tourism (DCT Abu Dhabi) in partnership with the US-based Sphere Entertainment. The parties finalised an agreement granting DCT Abu Dhabi the exclusive rights to build and operate the entertainment venue in the UAE capital, marking the first Sphere development outside the US.

  The venue is located on a plot between Yas Mall and SeaWorld Abu Dhabi.

  Designed to mirror the scale of the original Sphere in Las Vegas, the facility will have a capacity of up to 20,000 people and will host concerts, sporting events, and cultural exhibitions.

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Eni completes $1bn Libya gas project

  20 October 2026

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  Libya’s Mellitah Oil & Gas Company, a joint venture of Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) and Italian oil and gas company Eni, has achieved mechanical completion on its Bouri gas utilisation project (GUP).

  In a statement, Eni said that start-up procedures are currently under way, enabling the recovery of associated gas produced from the Bouri field, which is located in Libya’s western offshore area.

  The main contract for the project, worth $1bn, was awarded to Italy’s Saipem in August 2023.

  The project involved the construction and installation of the new Bouri gas recovery module and related tie-in infrastructure that enables the recovery and treatment of gas that was previously flared.

  In its statement, Eni said that the project “represents one of the most significant emissions reduction initiatives in Libya’s energy sector”.

  It also said that it would contribute to improving the environmental performance of the country’s production system by reducing greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 1.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.

  The recovered gas will be supplied to the domestic market, adding about 700 million cubic metres a year and helping meet demand from the power generation sector.

  The project will also support additional gas volumes available for export to Europe through the GreenStream pipeline.

  Eni said: “The start-up of the Bouri GUP confirms the joint commitment of Eni and NOC to the development of Libya’s energy sector through initiatives that combine production growth, operational efficiency and environmental stewardship.

  “The project is part of a broader strategy aimed at enhancing the value of the country’s gas resources while reducing the emissions intensity of upstream activities.”

  Other key projects currently under way in Libya include the A&E Structures Project, which is focused on bringing new offshore gas resources onstream for both the domestic market and exports, as well as initiatives aimed at upgrading and optimising gas production and transportation infrastructures.

  Eni has been present in Libya since 1959, and the company’s equity production in the country in 2025 amounted to approximately 162,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day.

  The Bouri offshore field is part of Libya’s Block NC-41, located 120 kilometres north of the Libyan coast in the Mediterranean Sea.

  It was first discovered in 1976 at a depth of 8,700 feet. It is estimated to contain 4.5 billion barrels in proven recoverable crude oil reserves and 3.5 trillion cubic feet of associated natural gas, with an annual production potential of 6 billion cubic metres.

  The first development phase, costing nearly $2bn, was completed in 1990.

  This was immediately followed by a second development phase, which entailed drilling 55 new wells and constructing three additional platforms. Production began from the oil platforms DP4 and DP3 in August 1998.

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  Wil Crisp
• 
  Diriyah Company tenders East Wadi bridge

  20 October 2026

  

   

  Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah Company has invited contractors to bid on the construction of the DG II East Wadi Bridge, a key crossing within Riyadh’s Diriyah master development.  

  The bridge will provide an arterial road connection linking the Diriyah Gate Phase 2 (DG II) Infrastructure Package 1 and Package 2 zones.  

  The project scope involves the construction of a 100-metre clear-span, 44-metre-wide, single-span post-tensioned concrete bridge structure with integrated abutments and four architectural towers.  

  The contract also encompasses approach slabs, access roads, pavements, associated earthworks, architectural finishes and cladding, mechanical, electrical and plumbing installations, utility interfaces, bridge parapets, vehicle restraint systems, waterproofing, testing and commissioning, and associated temporary works.  

  The client will supply the detailed engineering design, and the selected contractor will develop the construction methodology.

  Diriyah Company issued the prequalification tender on 14 September, with submissions due by 10 December.

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  Yasir Iqbal
• 
  Kuwait selects firms for power works at housing projects

  20 October 2026

  

   

  Kuwait’s Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) has appointed contractors for works covering the supply and installation of 132kV underground cables at South Sabah Al-Ahmad Residential City.

  The contracts relate to engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) packages for works for 28 main 132/11kV substations across four phases.

  According to sources, Egypt’s Elsewedy Cables has won contracts for phases 1 and 3, while China’s TBEA Shandong Luneng Taishan Cable Company has won contracts for phases 2 and 4 of the development.

  In April, MEED reported that PAHW had received at least five bids for each of the first two packages, with Elsewedy and TBEA offering $44m and $40.5m, respectively.

  The first contract (phase 1) covers seven substations in zones N9, N7 and N5. The second contract (phase 2) covers seven substations in zones N10 and N5.

  PAHW issued two further 132kV underground cable tenders for the South Sabah Al-Ahmad residential development at the end of May, as reported by MEED.

  This included a contract (phase 3) covering the supply, extension and maintenance of 132kV underground cables linked to seven substations serving the N5, N6, N8 and N10 districts. Egytech Cables, a subsidiary of Elsewedy, submitted an offer of $39.95m, the lowest of four bids.

  The other contract (phase 4) covers the supply, extension and maintenance of 132kV underground cables feeding eight main transformer substations serving the N1, N6 and N11 districts. 

  MEED reported in July that TBEA had submitted an offer of $44.06m for the contract.

  South Saad Al-Abdullah 

  Separately, PAHW has appointed contractors for power transmission works at the South Saad Al-Abdullah residential development.

  The local firm Sayed Hamid Behbehani & Sons has won a contract to supply, install and maintain 10 main 132/11kV transformer substations for the development’s third phase. 

  Another local firm, Al-Ahleia Switchgear, has won a contract to supply, install and maintain 10 main 132/11kV transformer substations for the project’s fourth phase. 

  As reported in August, the contractors submitted bids of $104.2m and $103.3m, respectively.

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  Mark Dowdall
• 
  Taqa moves forward with Mirfa-Liwa scheme

  20 October 2026

  

   

  Taqa Transmission and Taqa Distribution are advancing a major water transmission and distribution scheme serving Mirfa, Madinat Zayed and Liwa in Abu Dhabi, sources told MEED.

  The project, originally estimated to cost $775m, has been in procurement for several years. According to sources, a request for proposals has been issued, with bids due on 5 January 2027.

  The initial submission deadline was 11 November, before it was extended.

  The project was previously tendered in December 2024, with contractors submitting bids for transmission and distribution packages in January 2025.  As of August, the bids were still under evaluation. It is unclear whether the latest tender represents a revised procurement process for the same scheme.

  The project comprises a water transmission system from Mirfa, alongside distribution networks serving farms and settlements in the western region.

  According to details seen by MEED, the latest scope includes a pumping station at Mirfa with a capacity of 128 million imperial gallons a day, about 125 kilometres of transmission pipelines to Muzairah, with branches to Madinat Zayed and Liwa Summit, and storage tanks at the three locations.

  The distribution network is divided into four geographic clusters covering Liwa East, Liwa West, Madinat Zayed and Seih Al-Kheir. The works include associated pipelines, pumping stations and storage facilities.

  The earlier procurement was structured as an engineering, procurement and construction scheme, divided between transmission and distribution works.

  As MEED understands, the latest tender is being pursued under a design, build and operate model, which extends the contractor’s responsibilities to operating the infrastructure after construction.

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  Mark Dowdall