News
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Aramco-backed firm tenders logistics hub expansion Administrator9 November 2026
Asmo, the logistics joint venture of Saudi Aramco and DHL Supply Chain, has set a 15 November deadline for a contract to expand the logistics complex at King Salman Energy Park (Spark) in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.
The logistics hub will add over 124,000 square metres (sq m) at Spark.
Al-Khobar-based engineering firm House of Consulting Office is the project consultant.
The tender for the expansion works comes shortly after Asmo awarded an estimated SR820m ($218m) contract to build the logistics complex’s first phase in May this year.
The overall project will feature a 43,000 sq m, temperature-controlled Grade A warehouse; more than 3,000 sq m of offices and staff amenities; 5,300 sq m dedicated to chemicals storage; and an open yard covering about 1.2 million sq m.
Asmo signed an agreement with Bahrain‑headquartered Arcapita Group Holdings in February to deliver the project at Spark.
Planned for large-scale industrial use, the site is expected to incorporate advanced warehouse and building management systems, end-to-end digital connectivity, automation and robotics.
It will also be developed in line with internationally recognised sustainability standards, featuring solar photovoltaic readiness, electric-vehicle charging infrastructure and a target of Leed Gold certification.
The development aims to support the next stage of Saudi Arabia’s logistics and supply chain expansion.
Under the deal structure, Arcapita will provide funding and retain ownership of the asset, while Asmo will develop the facility and then lease and operate it under a 22-year occupational lease.
According to a statement, “the scheme will be executed via a forward-funding model, underscoring a long-term commitment to national infrastructure”.
Asmo added that this will be its first purpose-built logistics centre and one of four strategic locations planned to anchor its nationwide logistics network, aligned with the National Transport and Logistics Strategy under Saudi Vision 2030.
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Prequalification begins for multibillion-dollar Dubai road Administrator9 November 2026
Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has begun prequalifying contractors for a design-and-build contract for a multibillion-dollar new road that will run parallel to Sheikh Zayed Road.
Contractors have until 30 November to submit their prequalification statements.
The latest development follows contractors’ expressions of interest for the project on 10 October, as MEED reported.
The project’s scope covers about 30 kilometres (km) of works. These include about 15km of viaduct along First Al-Khail Street and more than 14.5km of bridge ramps, along with other associated infrastructure works.
The project is another significant initiative aimed at alleviating pressure on the existing Sheikh Zayed Road section from Hadiqa Street to Hessa Street.
Dubai has previously explored bold concepts to expand capacity on Sheikh Zayed Road, including proposals to introduce double-decker sections to add extra lanes without widening the existing corridor.
The idea was discussed in the context of rising congestion and limited right-of-way along one of the city’s busiest arterial roads, with elevated decks potentially carrying through traffic while existing at-grade lanes served local access.
The plans ultimately became standalone schemes, with subsequent efforts focusing instead on corridor-wide upgrades, interchange improvements and complementary public transport expansions to manage demand more sustainably.
The latest project aligns with Dubai’s continued investment in upgrading and expanding its road network to keep pace with rapid population growth and rising commuting demand.
Planning for growth
Dubai launched the 2040 Urban Master Plan in March 2021, referencing studies indicating that the emirate’s population will reach 5.8 million by 2040, up from 3.3 million in 2020. The daytime population is set to increase from 4.5 million in 2020 to 7.8 million in 2040.
In December 2022, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, approved the 20-Minute City Policy as part of the second phase of the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan.
In addition to the road projects, the RTA’s Dubai Metro Blue Line extension and Dubai Metro Gold Line form part of Dubai’s plans to improve residents’ quality of life by cutting journey times, as outlined in the policy.
The policy aims to ensure residents can meet 80% of their daily needs within a 20-minute journey, on foot or by bicycle. This goal will be achieved by developing integrated service centres with all necessary facilities and increasing population density around mass transit stations.
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Contractor begins early works on Ardara’s AlWadi project Administrator9 November 2026
Saudi Arabia’s Shibh Al-Jazira Contracting Company (Sajco) has started early construction works on the first cluster of its AlWadi mixed-use development in Abha.
Ardara, backed by the sovereign wealth vehicle the Public Investment Fund (PIF), is developing the AlWadi project.
Sajco will carry out sewerage works, while local engineering firm Dar Al-Riyadh will provide project management and supervision services for the infrastructure works.
The AlWadi project will cover 2.5 million square metres (sq m) and will be developed around architectural styles informed by the heritage and character of the Aseer region.
The masterplan has a planned gross floor area of about 2.02 million sq m. It includes 7,306 apartments, 90 villas and townhouses, and 2,783 hotel keys.
The scheme will also provide 154,082 sq m of retail and food and beverage space, 64,161 sq m of offices, and 59,075 sq m of leisure and entertainment facilities.
The wider development will comprise five districts and include 16 kilometres of waterfront assets and 17km of walking, cycling and sports tracks.
US-based Parsons is the infrastructure designer, while Miami-based OBMI is providing architectural and public realm design services.
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Syria in talks for refinery project worth $6bn-8bn Administrator9 November 2026
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Discussions are under way with international companies to develop a refinery in Syria’s Furqlus area, worth $6bn-8bn, according to a senior official at state-owned Syrian Petroleum Company (SPC).
The project will be “very large” and, after completion, will replace Syria’s Homs refinery, according to SPC’s deputy executive president for refining affairs, Tariq Shalash Al-Abdullah, who spoke to Syria’s state-owned daily newspaper Al-Thawra Al-Souriya.
He said the international companies currently involved in talks about the planned refinery project specialise in design work, engineering and technical studies.
He also stated that, for large-scale projects of this type, consortiums are typically formed from a group of companies with complementary interests in study, manufacturing, financing, implementation and operation.
In June, SPC published an invitation for companies to submit proposals to finance, build and operate the refinery under a build-operate-transfer agreement.
The tender document published by SPC said the refinery would have the capacity to process 210,000 barrels a day (b/d).
It also said the facility would be developed with the option to add an “ancillary petrochemical complex”.
Al-Abdullah said the refinery’s total investment value would depend on the equipment's country of origin, adding that the equipment could potentially be procured from the US, Europe or China.
Another factor that could alter the project’s value is the technology licences selected for the project, according to Al-Abdullah.
The refinery project is expected to take around four years to develop from the date of signing the contract and completing other related preparatory activities.
The project will be developed on a site that covers 400 hectares, according to the document that was published by SPC in June.
SPC invited companies to submit three separate documents relating to their proposals.
These were:
- A package outlining the company’s qualifications and legal documents
- A technical proposal
- A financial and investment proposal
According to the tender document, the scope of the refinery project includes developing:
- Three independent atmospheric distillation units, each with a capacity of 70,000 b/d
- Two vacuum distillation units
- Hydrotreating units
- Sulphur recovery units
- A base oil unit
- Power and steam generation facilities
- A grid interconnection substation
- A safe shutdown system
- An environmental water treatment system
- A gas recovery system
- A unit to produce nitrogen and oxygen
- A fire water network
- Maintenance and repair workshops
- Tank farm and storage facilities
Under the plans outlined in SPC’s tender document, at least 85% of the refinery’s products should meet Euro-5 specifications.
SPC is also seeking a “plan for the establishment and integration of an advanced petrochemical complex”, which would be connected to the refinery, according to the document.
Because of this, it said the refinery design must allow diversion of some light and heavy naphtha and liquid petroleum gas (LPG) to be used as feedstock for the future petrochemical complex.
The petrochemical complex is planned to use 20% to 40% of the naphtha and LPG.
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Three Libya oil and gas projects see developments Administrator9 November 2026
Three key oil and gas projects in Libya have seen developments amid an uptick in activity in the North African country’s hydrocarbon sector.
The contract scopes include seismic work, subsea pipeline development and drilling services.
An invitation to prequalify has been issued for a project to provide two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) offshore seismic surveying services.
The survey area is the Libyan Offshore Area O1, located in the Sirte Basin.
The winner of the contract will be responsible for:
- Acquisition of approximately 6,100 square kilometres (sq km) of 3D full-fold marine seismic data
- Acquisition of approximately 3,000 sq km of 2D full-fold marine seismic data
The client on the project is the Italian oil and gas company Eni.
In a statement posted on the website of Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC), it said: “The objective of the survey is to acquire, within the required operational window from September 2027 to March 2028, high-quality broadband seismic data to improve the imaging of Cretaceous reservoir sequences and support future exploration activities.”
The deadline to submit prequalification documents is 2 December 2026.
Deadline extended
Libya’s Mellitah Oil & Gas Company (MOG) has extended the deadline for companies to submit prequalification documents for a major offshore package as part of its Mellitah complex expansion and CO2 management integrated development project, which is estimated to be worth about $8bn.
The previous deadline of 5 November 2026 has been extended to 3 December 2026.
MOG, a joint venture of NOC and Eni, is the project client.
The package, known as WP4B1, focuses on developing offshore pipelines and subsea systems for the E offshore installation and CO2 project.
The turnkey contract will use the engineering, procurement, installation and commissioning (EPIC) model.
As part of the Mellitah complex expansion and CO2 management integrated development project, two offshore structures – Structure A and Structure E – will be developed in Libya’s offshore block NC 41.
Structure A is also known as wellhead production fixed platform A (WHPA) and Structure E is also known as production platform E (PPE).
Structure A is in the central-western part of the area, about 80 kilometres (km) from the Libyan coast, with a water depth of 95-105 metres.
Structure E is located in the central-eastern part of the area, about 130km from the Libyan coast, in a water depth of 205-235 metres.
The scope of the wider project includes:
- A new production platform installed in about 220 metres of water depth as part of the development of Structure E (Package WP1)
- A new wellhead platform installed in 96 metres of water as part of the development of Structure A (Package WP2)
- Modification of the existing Sabratha platform (Package WP3)
- Sealines and subsea systems extending from the Sabratha platform to Structure A (Package WP4A1)
- Sealines and subsea systems for Structure E and the CO2 system (Package WP4B1)
- Supply of seamless carbon steel pipes for CO2 injection from the Mellitah complex to Sabratha platform (Package WP4B2)
- Subsea Production Systems (SPS) for Structure E and CO2 (Package WP4B3)
- Upgrading the existing onshore Mellitah complex (WP5)
The package known as WP4B1 has been broken down into two phases.
The first phase focuses on the installation of the project’s subsea CO2 pipeline and its related system network.
The second phase of WP4B1 is focused on the pipeline to structure E and its related subsea system network.
Monitoring drilling
MOG has also issued a separate invitation for prequalification relating to a contract to provide hydrogen sulphide monitoring services for offshore drilling.
The contract focuses on providing H2S monitoring services for 18 offshore development wells as part of the “Structures A&E” project.
Four of the wells will be subsea wet wells and a further 14 will be dry tree wells.
The deadline for submitting prequalification documents is 3 December 2026.
The work will be carried out in the zone known as Area D, Block NC41.
H2S monitoring in the oil and gas industry involves tracking H2S gas concentrations in the air using electronic sensors and detectors to protect workers, prevent fatal exposures and avoid equipment damage.
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Saudi Arabia signs $403m Syria infrastructure loans Administrator9 November 2026
The Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) has signed six concessional loan agreements worth more than $403m to support power, water, healthcare, housing and other infrastructure projects in Syria.
The agreements include a $90m project to rehabilitate generating units at the Aleppo thermal power plant. The project is expected to benefit about 5 million people by restoring power-generation capacity and strengthening the stability of the national electricity grid.
The Aleppo thermal power plant has five generating units and an installed capacity of approximately 1,100MW. It is understood that at least three of the five generating units are out of operation and require rehabilitation. According to local media reports, rehabilitating these three units is estimated to take 18-24 months.
A further $30m will be allocated to upgrading Syria’s drinking water metering system. The project involves supplying and installing 300,000 smart water meters across several governorates, benefiting approximately 1.5 million people.
The remaining agreements cover civil defence, housing, healthcare and public finance.
A $105m loan will support the construction, rehabilitation and equipping of 25 civil defence centres across several governorates. The project is expected to benefit more than 7 million people and strengthen emergency response and disaster management capabilities.
A further $60m will finance the rehabilitation of up to 10,000 damaged housing units in various areas of the country.
The healthcare sector will receive $100m to rehabilitate, construct and equip hospitals and health centres. The funding will support restoring essential and specialised healthcare services and expanding access to medical facilities.
The final agreement, worth more than $18m, will support the digital transformation and institutional development of Syria’s Ministry of Finance by implementing an integrated financial services system.
The agreements were signed by SFD CEO Sultan Al-Marshad and Syrian Finance Minister Mohammed Yisr Barnieh in Riyadh on 5 November.
The financing is part of Saudi Arabia’s wider support for Syria’s recovery. In September 2025, the kingdom provided two grants to Syria to supply crude oil and cover part of government employees’ salaries for three months.
That same month, Saudi Arabia’s Acwa and Water Transmission Company (WTCO) signed a technical services agreement with Syria’s Ministry of Energy and German engineering group Fichtner to study the country’s water resources and identify future desalination and water transmission projects.
The work will examine the potential for desalination and water transmission capacity of up to 1.2 million cubic metres a day. WTCO has said the proposed transmission network could extend for about 400 kilometres.
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Frontrunners emerge for Saudi substation projects Administrator9 November 2026
China’s TBEA Shandong Luneng Taishan Cable Company (TBEA) and Egypt’s Elsewedy have submitted the lowest bids for two substation projects in Riyadh Province, estimated to cost a combined $100m, sources have confirmed to MEED.
The $50m Qiddiya 2 Bulk Supply Point (BSP) project will provide a new bulk supply point to meet electricity demand in the Qiddiya development area. The scope includes constructing a main substation building and outdoor electrical yard, along with power transformers, high- and medium-voltage switchgear, protection and control systems, and supervisory control and data acquisition links.
The $50m Thadeq photovoltaic (PV) substation project will support grid connections and power exports from the Thadeq solar PV development. The scope includes a control building, outdoor switchyard, power transformers, switchgear, protection systems and Scada integration.
It is understood that both projects involve the construction of 380kV BSP substations.
Saudi Energy is the client for both projects.
The two tenders were issued earlier this year, with bids submitted in August and November for the Thadeq PV and Qiddiya 2 BSPs, respectively.
At Qiddiya, the additional infrastructure will support the development of entertainment, tourism, sports and residential facilities. Trading & Development Partnership is also developing a separate 380/132kV substation, known as BSP #9078, at Qiddiya.
The Thadeq project is part of the infrastructure required to connect new solar generation capacity to the national grid.
Saudi Energy has tendered several other 380kV substations and associated transmission lines this year, including projects serving planned solar and wind developments in the kingdom’s central, western and southern regions.
Bids were recently submitted for a separate BSP expansion project at Qurayyat in Al-Jawf Province, involving the construction of a 400kV substation to support higher power demand and improve grid reliability in the area.
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Gulf ministers sign GCC railway agreement Administrator9 November 2026
GCC transport ministers have signed the general agreement for the GCC Railway project, the framework intended to link the six member states through a single interoperable network.
The agreement was signed in Manama on 8 November on the sidelines of a meeting of the GCC Ministerial Committee for Transport and Communications. Bahrain’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, and GCC secretary-general Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi attended the signing.
Albudaiwi said the agreement would regulate the railway transport system across member states and support the project’s operation as a single, integrated regional network.
The planned network will run about 2,117 kilometres from Kuwait to Oman. The Gulf Railway Authority, which coordinates the project, has set December 2030 as the completion deadline.
Bahrain also signed two bilateral memorandums of understanding (MoUs) at the meeting. The first, with Saudi Arabia, covers railway cooperation between Bahrain’s Ministry of Transportation & Telecommunications and the kingdom’s Transport General Authority.
Bahrain’s transportation and telecommunications minister, Abdulla Bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa, said the MoU would create a broader framework for technical and institutional cooperation and support future connectivity projects between the two countries.
The second MoU, signed with Qatar’s transport minister, Mohammed Bin Abdulla Bin Mohammed Al-Thani, covers land transport and logistics. It includes cooperation on planning public transport, metro and railway networks, and on exploring rail and road links between Bahrain and Qatar and their integration with the GCC railway.
GCC leaders first approved the railway at their 2009 summit in Kuwait, with an original completion target of 2018. Progress since has been uneven. The UAE’s Etihad Rail network is operating freight and passenger services, and Hafeet Rail, which will link Abu Dhabi with Sohar in Oman, is under construction. Saudi Arabia and Qatar have signed an agreement to build a high-speed electric railway between Riyadh and Doha.
Bahrain’s cabinet approved a draft law ratifying the general agreement on 2 November. Bahrain is coordinating with Saudi Arabia on a second causeway, the King Hamad Causeway, which will carry the rail connection between the two countries. Bahrain will be connected to Qatar using another causeway. That long-standing project was revived in 2025.
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Contractor wins $197m Doha infrastructure works Administrator6 November 2026
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Qatar’s Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has awarded an estimated QR722m ($197m) contract to develop roads and infrastructure north of Al-Rifaa Street in Doha.
The contract was awarded to local firm Tadmur Contracting Company.
Six other contractors submitted bids:
- Qatar Trading & Contracting Group ($244m)
- Iris Construction Tourism Industry & Trade ($259m)
- Lotus Trading & Contracting ($260m)
- Generic Engineering Technologies & Contracting ($261m)
- Alghanim International / National Industrial Contracting ($268m)
- Hamad Bin Khalid Contracting Company ($281m)
The scope of work covers the construction of more than 34 kilometres of roads, dedicated plot developments, site clearance, backfill and earthworks.
The package also requires the installation of surface and groundwater drainage systems, a foul-water drainage network and treated sewage effluent lines.
In addition, the contractor will deliver a dedicated pumping station, an emergency flood area pond, 3,735 car parking spaces, road cross-sectional elements and verge parking bays.
Secondary infrastructure works include electrical distribution, water mains, utility lines, manholes, gully pots and house connections, along with kerbing, road pavement works, landscaping, street lighting, road markings and directional signage.
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Stakeholders aim to sign Iraq pipeline deal by year end Administrator6 November 2026
Stakeholders expect a key contract to be signed before the end of the year for the development of a major oil export pipeline network in Iraq, according to industry sources.
Iraq and Syria’s governments, state-owned oil companies and a consortium led by Qatar’s UCC are currently discussing the terms.
If all parties agree to the proposed deal, the UCC-led coalition will become the selected developer responsible for tendering engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts for the project.
The consortium includes US-based Chevron, the investment company TI Capital and France’s TotalEnergies.
The proposed plan will use a fast-track framework to bring the pipelines online as quickly as possible.
One source said: “The plan that is being discussed is highly unusual, because it is such a large-scale pipeline project and it would be brought online in a relatively short timeframe.”
A team from UCC is currently in Iraq for meetings with government officials to discuss the project, one source said.
The project will be focused on four pipeline packages:
- Basra to Najaf
- Najaf to Haditha
- Haditha to Fish Khapour
- Haditha to Banias Port in Syria
In July, Iraq’s cabinet approved state-owned Basra Oil Company signing a heads of agreement and a non-disclosure agreement with the UCC-led consortium to explore possible future oil pipeline projects.
Under the terms of the agreement, the consortium is preparing technical and financial feasibility studies for strategic export pipeline projects.
Also in July, US-based KBR was awarded a consultancy contract for the section of pipeline due to extend from Basra to Haditha.
In April, Iraq announced the allocation of $1.5bn for the Basra-Haditha route, while the larger scheme is estimated at around $5bn.
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