meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Saudi seeks contractors for $1.8bn Olympics-style stadium

3 September 2025

 

Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

Saudi Arabia has begun the procurement process for an estimated SR7bn ($1.8bn) contract to develop the kingdom’s next major sporting destination.

MEED understands that Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) has received expressions of interest from contractors to build what is referred to as the National Athletics Stadium.

The client has scheduled further clarification meetings with prospective bidders in the coming weeks.

The multipurpose stadium will cover an area of approximately 182,000 square metres and is being benchmarked against the design of the London Olympic Stadium.

UK-based firm HOK is the project’s lead design consultant. It is supported by Canadian engineering firm WSP and Germany’s Schlaich Bergermann Partner.

UK-headquartered WT Partnership is serving as the project’s cost consultant.

The stadium will be located within the Qiddiya Sports Park cluster and is expected to be completed by 2030.

In December 2020, Saudi Arabia was selected to host the 2034 Asian Games. The 22nd edition of the event will be held in Riyadh from 29 November to 14 December 2034.

Saudi Arabia is also set to host the Asian Winter Games in 2029. In October 2022, the Trojena development at Neom, in the northwest of the country, was selected to host the ninth edition of the event.

Qiddiya projects

QIC is ramping up its construction efforts at the development. In October last year, MEED exclusively reported that QIC had started construction work on Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Stadium in Qiddiya City.

A joint venture of FCC Construction and Nesma & Partners won the contract, which covers the construction of a multipurpose stadium on top of the 200-metre-high Tuwaiq cliff in the sports and entertainment district of Qiddiya City.

QIC has also achieved key construction milestones on several schemes that are in the execution phase at the development.

In an update on its website, QIC said that the overall construction works on the Six Flags Qiddiya City project have reached 89% completion, while the Aquarabia theme park is at 84% and the golf courses are at 77%.

The construction of the development’s first bridge, which spans about 1 kilometre, has been completed.

The Qiddiya entertainment city project is one of Saudi Arabia’s five official gigaprojects, covering 360 square kilometres.

Contractors have also submitted bids for the contract to build the performing arts centre at Qiddiya Entertainment City.

The centre will have over 3,000 seats across three theatres. It will also include a cantilevered amphitheatre overlooking Qiddiya City’s lower plateau, with a 500-seat venue suspended from above.

The project is a key part of Riyadh’s strategy to boost leisure tourism in the kingdom. According to GlobalData, leisure tourism in Saudi Arabia has experienced significant growth in recent years.

Domestic leisure tourism trips increased to 33.76 million in 2023 from 16.74 million in 2018. International tourist arrivals for recreational purposes increased by 600% from 2018 to 2023.

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/14595386/main.jpg
Yasir Iqbal

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

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Frontrunner emerges for Saudi sewage treatment project

    13 March 2026

     

    A consortium led by China’s Jiangsu United Water Technology has emerged as the frontrunner for a contract to build and upgrade two sewage treatment plants in Saudi Arabia, according to sources.

    The contract covers the North Western A Cluster Sewage Treatment Plants Package 11 (LTOM11), part of the next phase of National Water Company’s (NWC) long-term operations and maintenance (LTOM) sewage treatment programme.

    The consortium comprising United Water, Prosus Energy (UAE) and Armada Holding (Saudi Arabia) offered “the lowest tariff” for the project, sources told MEED.

    It is understood that Turkey’s Kuzu has made the next-lowest bid.

    The development, estimated to cost about $211m, will have a combined capacity of about 440,000 cubic metres a day (cm/d).

    In February, MEED exclusively reported that six bidders were competing for the contract.

    The other companies that have submitted proposals include:

    • Alkhorayef Water & Power Technologies (Saudi Arabia)
    • Civil Works Company (Saudi Arabia)
    • VA Tech Wabag (India)
    • Aguas de Valencia (Spain)

    LTOM11, also known as the North Western A Cluster, forms part of the second phase of NWC’s rehabilitation of sewage treatment plants programme.

    The scheme is being procured on an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) basis with a long-term operations component.

    The main contract was tendered last year, with an award initially expected by the end of 2025.

    It is now understood that NWC is preparing to offer the main contract in the second quarter.

    As previously reported, Saudi Arabia’s NWC is also evaluating five bids for package 12 of its long-term operations and maintenance (LTOM12) sewage treatment programme.

    Known as the North Western B Cluster, LTOM12 forms part of the second phase of NWC’s rehabilitation of sewage treatment plants programme.

    In January, the same United Water-led consortium won the main contract for the Northern Cluster Sewage Treatment Plants Package 10 (LTOM10).

    That project includes the rehabilitation and operation of nine sewage treatment plants located across the Hail, Qassim, Al-Jouf and Northern Borders provinces

    NWC is also preparing to tender a contract for the construction of 10 sewage treatment plants as part of package 14 of the programme.

    The final details of the Eastern A Cluster (LTOM14) package are being finalised, with a tender likely to be issued in March or April, sources told MEED.

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

    Riyadh urges private sector to take greater role; Chemical players look to spend rationally; Economic uptick lends confidence to Cairo’s reforms.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the March 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15968035/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Medina tenders Sikkah Al-Hadid PPP project

    13 March 2026

    Saudi entities including Al-Madinah Regional Municipality, in collaboration with the Ministry of Municipalities & Housing and the National Centre for Privatisation & PPP (NCP), have floated a request for proposal (RFP) notice for the development of the Sikkah Al-Hadid project.

    The project will be procured through build-own-operate-transfer contracts with a 50-year duration, using a public-private partnership (PPP) model.

    The deadline for bid submission is 23 June.

    The project will be located to the west of Medina on an 84,657-square-metre (sq m) site. 

    It includes a four-storey medical centre with a capacity of up to 200 beds and a shopping mall offering retail, food and beverage, and other entertainment facilities.

    In January last year, NCP asked firms to express their interest and prequalify for a contract to develop two mixed-use developments in Medina, which included the Sikkah Al-Hadid project and the Dhul Hulaifah project.

    The Dhul Hulaifah project will be built on a 30,112 sq m site located six kilometres from the Prophet’s Mosque. 

    The development will consist of a four-star hotel integrated with retail and healthcare facilities.

    MEED previously reported that Saudi Arabia had announced a P&PPP pipeline comprising 200 projects across 16 sectors.

    This pipeline aims to attract local and international investors and ensure their readiness to participate in the schemes tendered to the market.

    The initiative comes as the kingdom strives to increase the attractiveness of its economy and raise the private sector’s contribution to GDP.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15968021/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Fuel storage facility attacked in Bahrain

    13 March 2026

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Fuel storage tanks at a facility on Bahrain’s Muharraq Island were targeted in an attack attributed to Iran, according to a statement from Bahrain’s Interior Ministry.

    The ministry put out an alert for people in surrounding neighbourhoods “to remain in their homes, close windows and ventilation openings, as a precautionary measure against possible exposure to smoke”.

    Videos of the incident, which took place on 12 March, showed a large fire emitting black smoke. The fire was later extinguished by teams of firefighters.

    Bahrain’s international airport is also located on Muharraq Island.

    Iran has been firing missiles at a range of targets in nearby countries since it was attacked by the US and Israel on 28 February.

    On 11 March, a similar attack on fuel storage tanks in Oman led to the closure of some terminals at the port of Salalah.

    Footage recorded by vessel crews at the port, which is the largest in the country, showed explosions and a large fire.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15963333/main.png
    Wil Crisp
  • Bahrain contacts engineering companies over Sitra refinery damage

    13 March 2026

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Bahrain’s national oil and gas company Bapco Energies is in touch with international engineering companies about damage done to the Sitra refinery by Iranian strikes, according to industry sources.

    In a statement on 9 March, Bapco Energies said its decision to issue the force majeure notice followed “the recent attack on its refinery complex”, without providing details.

    Bapco Energies is yet to share full details about the extent of the damage caused to the refinery, sources said.

    One source said: “Bapco has been corresponding with several companies with regard to the damage. It is being careful not to share confidential information, but it has reached out.”

    Prior to Bapco’s 9 March statement, the Sitra refinery was hit by a strike earlier in the day.

    That strike on the Sitra refinery was the second strike on the complex in days.

    Iranian missiles hit the facility on 5 March, resulting in parts of the refinery being engulfed in flames.

    Iran has been firing missiles at a range of targets in nearby countries since it was attacked by the US and Israel on 28 February.

    In November last year, MEED reported that Bapco Energies was in the final stages of ramping up volumes processed by new units that were installed as part of the Bapco Modernisation Programme (BMP).

    The project at the Sitra refinery in Bahrain is estimated to have been worth $7bn and was inaugurated by Bahrain’s King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa in December 2024.

    At the time, the companies involved in the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the project were still working on the site to assist with efforts to increase volumes.

    Bapco Energies awarded the main $4.2bn contract to perform EPC works on the BMP to a consortium led by France’s Technip Energies in February 2018.

    The consortium also included Spain’s Tecnicas Reunidas and South Korea’s Samsung E&A.

    Technip Energies also performed the project’s front-end engineering and design work. US oil and gas producer Chevron acted as a consultant on the BMP, while Australia-based Worley was the project management consultant.

    In March 2024, after a series of setbacks and delays, France’s Total Energies was brought in to support Bapco in “optimising” the project.

    The BMP is central to Bahrain’s Vision 2030 economic development strategy, and Bapco has said that it is crucial to boosting the country’s long-term downstream potential.

    The BMP was originally expected to reach mechanical completion in 2023, with operations set to begin in 2024.

    The core objective of the BMP was to upgrade the Sitra refinery – Bahrain’s only oil refining asset, which is 90 years old.

    One of the key units to be built as part of the BMP was a residual hydrocracking unit (RHCU) powered by technology licensed from US-based Chevron Lummus Global. The BMP team has built a two-train RHCU with a capacity of 65,000 barrels a day.

    The Sitra refinery includes seven crude distillation units (CDUs) and vacuum distillation units (VDUs) as part of the BMP.

    The new 225,000 b/d integrated crude and vacuum unit replaced CDUs 1, 2 and 3 and VDUs 1 and 3, which had served Bapco Energies for over 80 years.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15963329/main.jpg
    Wil Crisp
  • Italian consultant wins Egypt battery storage contract

    13 March 2026

    Italy-headquartered consultancy Rina has announced its appointment as owner’s engineer for the 1 gigawatt-hour Nefertiti battery energy storage system (bess) project in Egypt.

    The project is being developed by Dubai-based firm Amea Power and is located in the Benban Photovoltaic Industrial Park in Aswan.

    The scheme will deploy a 500MW/1,000 megawatt-hour (MWh) utility-scale bess, making it the largest independent energy storage project in Africa.

    In March, a group comprising China Energy Engineering International Group, Zhejiang Thermal Power Construction and Southwest Electric Power Design & Research Institute was appointed as the main engineering, procurement and construction contractor.

    The $250m project also includes the construction of a 220kV substation, upgrades to an adjacent substation and development of grid network connection infrastructure.

    Under the owner’s engineer scope, Rina will deliver engineering design review, construction monitoring and commissioning support. The company will also undertake performance verification.

    Egypt’s utilities sector had its strongest year in over a decade in 2025, hitting $5bn in contract awards for the first time since 2015. 

    Last July, Amea Power commissioned Egypt’s first-ever utility-scale bess.

    The 300MWh project had previously reached financial close in June.

    The bess project is an extension of Amea Power’s operational 500MW solar photovoltaic plant in Aswan Governorate, which was commissioned in December 2024.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15954234/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall