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Construction begins on phase two of Cairo Metro Line 4 Administrator18 August 2026
Egypt’s National Authority for Tunnels (NAT) has begun implementing the second phase of Cairo Metro’s Line 4, spanning about 27 kilometres.
The main construction works contract was awarded to a joint venture of local firms, including Arab Contractors, Hassan Allam, Petrojet and Concord Engineering & Contracting.
Cairo Metro Line 4 will stretch from Fustat station to Zahraa Nasr City station in New Cairo. The line will comprise 21 stations, 15 underground and six elevated.
According to data from regional projects tracker MEED Projects, the scope also covers:
- Construction of a tunnel route starting from Al-Fustat station, following Salah Salem Road, and intersecting with the sixth metro line at Sayeda Aisha station
- An extension along Hafez Ibrahim Street, intersecting the Shinzo Abe Axis and linking Ahmed Al-Zomor and Al-Mithaq streets
- A section running via Nasr Road and Nasr City to Anwar Al-Mufti Street, with an interchange with the East Nile Monorail at Aviation station
- Construction of a depot at the Omra El-Gasima site
- Integration of interchange stations with existing lines, including Line 1 and Line 2
- Construction of structures over and under major roadways, including the Ring Road and Cairo-Suez Road
- Earthworks and site preparation, including elevated foundations and underground excavations
- Construction of all other associated infrastructure
Local media reports said construction work on the first phase of Line 4 is expected to be completed in 2028.
The joint venture of Arab Contractors, Hassan Allam, Petrojet and Concord Engineering & Contracting is also undertaking the main works on the first phase.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) provided half of the $4bn funding required for Line 4’s first phase.
The media reports added that NAT is currently studying the third and fourth phases of Line 4.
The third phase aims to connect the Ashgar Gardens and Al-Hosary areas via a rail line spanning more than 16km.
The fourth phase will be more than 38km long and will connect the Al-Rehab area with the capital’s international airport east of Cairo.
Once completed across all phases, Line 4 will link 6th of October City with southern and eastern Cairo, the New Administrative Capital and Capital International airport, making it one of the longest transport networks in the country.
In April last year, MEED reported on Egypt’s future rail project plans, which include eight key projects spanning metro, high-speed rail and light rail transit.
READ THE AUGUST 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFSaudi Arabia builds for the global stage; Rising uncertainty creates fresh set of challenges in the Maghreb; Gulf banks remain robust in the face of geopolitical tensions.
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the August 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> WORLD CUP: What the 2026 World Cup means for Saudi Arabia 2034> MARKET FOCUS: Maghreb fortunes diverge> INDUSTRY REPORT: GCC banks prove resilient amid turmoil> LEADERSHIP: Private capital and the GCC infrastructure inflection> INTERVIEW: Developers look beyond standalone solarTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/18825481/main.jpg -
RTA opens bridge connecting DWTC to Al-Mustaqbal Street Administrator18 August 2026
Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has opened a new 500-metre, two-lane bridge connecting traffic from Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and One Central to Al-Mustaqbal Street.
The bridge will reduce travel time from DWTC to Al-Mustaqbal Street from around 10 minutes to about two minutes during major events.
The bridge is part of the $172m Al-Mustaqbal Street Development Project. The wider scheme includes around 2,000 metres of bridges and tunnels, along with a pedestrian bridge on Al-Sukook Street, and runs from Zaabeel Palace Street to Financial Centre Street.
As part of the project, Al-Mustaqbal Street will be widened from three to four lanes in each direction, increasing overall capacity by 33% to 8,800 vehicles per hour in both directions.
The RTA added that this is expected to cut end-to-end travel time along the corridor from 13 minutes to six minutes.
Three tunnels, totalling 1,500 metres, at the intersection of Al-Mustaqbal Street and Trade Centre Street are scheduled to open in February 2027.
These include a three-lane tunnel towards Deira with a capacity of 4,500 vehicles per hour, a two-lane tunnel for left-turn movements between the two streets, and a one-lane tunnel serving One Central.
The RTA said that the overall project completion rate has reached 85%.
In February last year, MEED exclusively reported that the RTA had selected local firm Wade Adams to undertake improvement works on Al-Mustaqbal Street.
Planning for growth
The Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan was launched in March 2021. Its launch referenced 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 for residents to have 80% of their daily requirements 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.
READ THE AUGUST 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFSaudi Arabia builds for the global stage; Rising uncertainty creates fresh set of challenges in the Maghreb; Gulf banks remain robust in the face of geopolitical tensions.
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the August 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> WORLD CUP: What the 2026 World Cup means for Saudi Arabia 2034> MARKET FOCUS: Maghreb fortunes diverge> INDUSTRY REPORT: GCC banks prove resilient amid turmoil> LEADERSHIP: Private capital and the GCC infrastructure inflection> INTERVIEW: Developers look beyond standalone solarTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/18822891/main.jpg -
Saudi Arabia approves new procurement law Administrator17 August 2026
Saudi Arabia’s Council of Ministers has approved a new Government Tenders and Procurement Law (GTPL), introducing changes to public procurement procedures and government contracting.
The Ministry of Finance announced the approval on 5 August.
The new law aims to strengthen governance and transparency, improve procurement planning and implementation, and promote fairness and equal opportunities in government contracting.
The changes give government entities greater flexibility in procurement while introducing new provisions that could affect contractors and suppliers, including contract variations, outstanding payments and procurement procedures.
Contract flexibility
According to a Ministry of Finance summary of the key amendments, one of the main changes allows government entities to increase existing contract items by up to 20% of the contract value. Contractor approval is required for increases exceeding 10%, while the total increase from adding new items or increasing existing items cannot exceed 20% of the contract value.
The amendments also introduce measures addressing outstanding payments to contractors. A government entity cannot make a new award when it has outstanding amounts owed to contractors for works or procurement and the required procedures have not been taken, after notification from the Ministry of Finance.
Exceptions apply where non-payment relates to ministry procedures or where the government entity has taken the required action on a claim but does not have sufficient budget allocations.
Single committee
Under the new law, the committees responsible for opening and examining bids will be merged into a single committee.
The maximum value for direct procurement will rise from SR100,000 ($26,700) to SR1m ($267,000) while government entities will be required to explain and document their use of direct procurement.
Direct procurement will also be permitted in cases involving research, development and innovation and certain contracts with professional practitioners.
The amendments reduce the minimum standstill period following a procurement award from five working days to three working days. Government entities will also be able to negotiate where the best bid exceeds the estimated cost plus the permitted contingency.
Localisation
The new framework includes provisions covering industrial localisation and knowledge transfer. The Ministry of Finance said it will issue rules for contracting for these purposes in cooperation with the Local Content and Government Procurement Authority.
A new regulation will also cover research, development and innovation, including tendering and contracting provisions for these activities.
Other changes involve contractors’ exposure to penalties. The maximum delay penalty on contracts, excluding supply contracts, will fall from 20% to 15% of contract value. The maximum penalty for non-performance in continuous-performance contracts will also fall from 20% to 15%.
The value of purchases exempt from providing a final guarantee will rise from SR100,000 ($26,700) to SR300,000 ($80,000). Additional exemptions will apply to contracts with professional practitioners and emergency or urgent cases.
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GCC reviews first phase of water interconnection study Administrator17 August 2026
The GCC General Secretariat has completed the first phase of a study examining the feasibility of developing water interconnection projects between GCC member states.
A two-day workshop reviewing the study’s findings concluded on 12 August at the headquarters of the GCC Interconnection Authority (GCCIA) in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
The GCC General Secretariat organised the workshop in cooperation with GCCIA, with representatives from relevant authorities and experts in water, infrastructure and water security taking part.
Participants reviewed the first phase findings, including an assessment of existing water supply infrastructure and the actual water needs of GCC member states. They also discussed the technical requirements and data needed to complete the study.
The study is intended to identify practical options and feasible solutions for developing a regional water interconnection network. This includes establishing an implementation roadmap.
The initiative aims to improve the GCC states’ ability to respond to emergencies and crises and support continuity of water supplies.
First meeting
The workshop followed a virtual meeting on 22 July between the GCC General Secretariat and Saudi Arabia’s water authorities as part of the study.
That meeting, which also involved consultancy Artelia, reviewed the study’s methodology and implementation stages. These include assessing existing water systems across GCC states, their resilience and emergency readiness, and developing technical options for bilateral water interconnection projects.
In Saudi Arabia, the study is focused primarily on the Eastern Province and Riyadh. It is assessing water production and desalination facilities, transmission pipelines, strategic reservoirs, pumping stations and existing and planned projects.
The study is also examining potential bilateral connections between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, as well as the possibility of a connection with the UAE.
The 22 July meeting also discussed potential connection points and routes, water flow directions and the possibility of designing interconnection pipelines to operate in both directions.
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Neom’s next phase is crucial to green hydrogen pipeline Administrator17 August 2026
Commentary
Mark Dowdall
Power & water editorThe completion of construction at Neom Green Hydrogen comes at an important point for Saudi Arabia’s wider hydrogen ambitions.
The project has already shown that a large green hydrogen scheme can secure financing by reaching financial close in 2023 with long-term offtake from Air Products.
With the facility now moving into commissioning ahead of a targeted commercial operations date next year, Neom could soon give lenders and developers real evidence on the performance, costs and risks of a large-scale green hydrogen project.
That could be important for projects still moving through development. Acwa’s Yanbu Green Hydrogen Hub, for example, is targeting commercial operations in 2030.
The project has brought in Germany’s EnBW as a co-developer and minority investor and Japan’s Itochu as a co-developer, investor and offtaker. Acwa is targeting production of 2.5 million tonnes a year of green ammonia from the hub.
Saudi Arabia is also putting more of the framework around the industry in place. In July, the government granted Acwa exclusive rights to export green hydrogen produced in the kingdom along with its derivatives, including green ammonia, methanol and fuels.
However, partnerships and policy support alone will not remove the commercial questions facing projects. Yanbu still needs to progress through development and secure the financing needed to move into construction.
Neom’s financing structure and 30-year offtake may be specific to the project, but its operating performance should give future developers and lenders a clearer reference point for assessing production, reliability and costs.
While Neom will not make the next projects bankable on its own, if it stays on track and performs as expected, it could give lenders a stronger basis for assessing projects that follow. In the long-run, this could be one of its most important contributions.
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Five bid for King Salman Bay construction work Administrator17 August 2026
Five teams have submitted bids for the contract covering the marine infrastructure works at King Salman Bay on the Red Sea coast, north of Jeddah.
MEED understands that the bids were submitted on 31 July.
The bidders include:
- Deme / Archirodon (Belgium/Netherlands)
- Van Oord (Netherlands)
- Abdulmohsen Altamimi / NMDC Group (local/UAE)
- Urbacon / Negida Contracting (Qatar/Egypt )
- Modern Building Leaders / China Harbour (local/China)
The scope includes dredging and earthworks, as well as quay wall and edge protection works spanning about 11 kilometres.
King Salman Bay is expected to be a waterfront development that aims to reshape the city’s northern Red Sea frontage into a mixed-use destination, anchored by public-realm improvements and leisure-led development.
Saudi gigaproject developer Red Sea Global (RSG) is developing the project.
The latest development follows RSG’s award of an estimated SR100m ($27m) contract to construct a solid waste management centre at its Red Sea Project. The scope includes four buildings: a materials recycling facility, a transfer station, an administration building and a vehicle maintenance building.
In October last year, MEED reported that RSG had secured a SR6.5bn ($1.7bn) credit facility to further develop Amaala, its luxury tourism destination on Saudi Arabia’s northwestern Red Sea coast.
READ THE AUGUST 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFSaudi Arabia builds for the global stage; Rising uncertainty creates fresh set of challenges in the Maghreb; Gulf banks remain robust in the face of geopolitical tensions.
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the August 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> WORLD CUP: What the 2026 World Cup means for Saudi Arabia 2034> MARKET FOCUS: Maghreb fortunes diverge> INDUSTRY REPORT: GCC banks prove resilient amid turmoil> LEADERSHIP: Private capital and the GCC infrastructure inflection> INTERVIEW: Developers look beyond standalone solarTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/18800910/main.jpg -
PDO allows more time for Al-Ghubar field project prices Administrator17 August 2026
Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) has allowed contractors additional time to prepare commercial bids for a project to build a new facility to handle additional oil production from the Al-Ghubar field in the sultanate.
The Al-Ghubar field is located in the Ghaba Salt Basin at Qarn Alam, within majority state-owned PDO’s Block 6 concession area.
The Al-Ghubar gas-oil gravity drainage (GOGD) facility will be designed as a sour (hydrogen sulphide) facility and is expected to handle maximum oil production of 1,800 standard cubic metres a day (cm/d), a maximum total water flow rate of 10,421 standard cm/d, and maximum gas lift of 256,934 standard cm/d. Production from the planned Al-Ghubar GOGD facility will be exported to PDO’s main oil line.
Following receipt of the technical bids for the project in July, PDO granted contractors additional time – until 16 August – to submit commercial bids for the project, MEED recently reported.
The project operator has now extended the deadline for submitting commercial bids to 1 September, sources told MEED.
PDO floated the tender for the Al-Ghubar GOGD facility project in March, setting an initial bid submission deadline of 4 May, MEED previously reported.
PDO later extended the deadlines for submission of technical and commercial bids to 26 July and 7 August, respectively. Contractors submitted technical proposals by the revised deadline, according to sources.
The following contractors, among others, are understood to be bidding for the project:
- Archirodon (Greece)
- Engineering for the Petroleum & Process Industries (Egypt) / Petrojet (Egypt)
- Jereh (China)
- Kent (UAE)
- Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon (India)
The scope of work on the Al-Ghubar GOGD facility project covers the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of the following:
- On-plot scope consists of:
- Production separator
- Test separator
- Concentric wash tank
- Wet oil pump
- Water bath heater
- Surge tank
- Gas injection/gas lift compressor (centrifugal)
- Utilities (Instrument Air compressors, chemical injection skids, drain system, vent system)
- Suction scrubber
- Air coolers
- Discharge scrubbers
- Condensate flash drum
- Atmospheric pressure knock-out drum
- Flare system
- Gas heater
- Water disposal pump
- Oil shipping pump
- New 132kV substation and plant substation (housing 6.6kV & 415-Volt switchboard)
- New control room
- Off-plot scope consists of:
- Off-plot pipeline network (bulk header, test header, gathering infrastructure/ gathering line header, instrument air header, water disposal header)
- Two remote manifold stations
- Tie-in connection to main oil line
- Tie-in to gas network pipeline
PDO previously intended to tender the Al-Ghubar GOGD project under its framework structure with selected EPC contractors, but eventually tendered it separately.
PDO is the operator of the Block 6 hydrocarbons concession in Oman, which is the sultanate’s largest and most prolific concession. Situated onshore and covering an area of 75,119 square kilometres, Block 6 contains 202 oil fields and 43 gas fields, with PDO producing a total of approximately 680,000 barrels a day (b/d) of oil and condensates from those fields.
The Omani government holds a 60% stake in PDO through Energy Development Oman (EDO). The other shareholders are UK-based Shell (34%), France’s TotalEnergies (4%) and Thailand’s state-owned PTTEP (2%).
ALSO READ: PDO floats tender for major flare gas monetisation scheme
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L’imad eyes full takeover of AD Ports Group Administrator17 August 2026
Abu Dhabi’s sovereign investor, L’imad Holding, has announced its intention to take full ownership of AD Ports Group by offering to acquire the remaining 24.6% of its publicly listed shares through a voluntary, conditional, all-cash tender offer.
The bid will be launched via L’imad’s wholly owned unit, Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company (ADQ), which already controls 75.42% of AD Ports Group. The offer seeks to acquire 100% of the issued and paid-up share capital and take the port operator private.
Shareholders would be offered AED6.25 per share in cash. L’imad said the offer provides investors with “an attractive opportunity to realise certain and immediate value”.
Based on the proposed terms, the transaction values the remaining free float at about AED31.8bn ($8.66bn).
Rothschild & Co’s local office has been appointed financial adviser.
Emirates NBD Bank and First Abu Dhabi Bank will act as joint lead receiving banks, while Emirates NBD Capital and First Abu Dhabi Bank will serve as joint lead managers.
Cairo-headquartered EFG Hermes has been appointed co-lead manager, and UK-based Allen Overy Shearman Sterling is acting as legal adviser.
The move comes shortly after AD Ports Group posted its strongest quarterly performance to date, reporting an 88% increase in second-quarter net profit to AED836m ($227m).
Revenue for the second quarter of this year rose 47% to $2bn, supported by gains across maritime and shipping, economic cities and free zones, and logistics.
In January, Abu Dhabi approved plans to consolidate ADQ’s investment portfolio into L’imad Holding under the chairmanship of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.
L’imad has been mandated to build, develop and manage a diversified portfolio of assets and projects in priority sectors in the UAE and internationally, with a focus on infrastructure and real estate, financial services, and asset and investment management.
Once fully consolidated, the platform will encompass more than 25 investment companies and platforms, alongside over 250 subsidiaries.
L’imad’s portfolio includes Taqa (utilities and power), Modon Properties (real estate), Etihad Airways (aviation), PureHealth (healthcare), Etihad Rail (transport infrastructure), Wio Bank (digital finance), AD Ports (logistics and maritime trade), McLaren (motorsport) and Louis Dreyfus (agricultural commodities).
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Saudi firms to build Expo 2030 power infrastructure Administrator17 August 2026
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Saudi Energy, formerly Saudi Electricity Company, has named four contractors that will deliver electricity infrastructure for the Expo 2030 Riyadh site.
The local Al-Babtain, Haif Company, Alfanar and Trading & Development Partnership (TDP) will construct several substations and connect them to the national grid under an agreement signed between Saudi Energy and Expo 2030 Riyadh Company (ERC).
Saudi Electricity Projects Development Company (PDC), Saudi Energy’s project development arm, will oversee implementation.
The scope includes a main 380/132kV supply station and three primary 132/13.8kV substations as well as associated electricity infrastructure.
In March, MEED reported that Saudi Energy was moving forward with procurement of an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for three 132/13.8kV substations in Riyadh to support Expo 2030.
The latest agreement is understood to relate to the same substations. According to sources, nine companies submitted bids for the project in June.
These included the following local firms: Al-Babtain Contracting, Al-Gihaz Holding, Al-Haider Company, Alfanar Projects, Haif Company, Mohammed Al-Ojaimi Group, Nesma Infrastructure & Technology and Tareg Al-Jaafari Contracting Establishment.
India’s Larsen & Toubro also submitted a bid for the project.
The infrastructure will provide electricity to the Expo site ahead of the event and allow testing and trial operations to be completed before the Expo opens.
In January, the local firm Nesma & Partners won an estimated SR1bn ($267m) contract to deliver the initial infrastructure works at the Expo site.
Expo 2030 Riyadh is scheduled to take place from 1 October 2030 to 31 March 2031. The event is expected to attract about 42 million visits and will involve 197 participating countries.
READ THE AUGUST 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDFSaudi Arabia builds for the global stage; Rising uncertainty creates fresh set of challenges in the Maghreb; Gulf banks remain robust in the face of geopolitical tensions.
Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the August 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
> WORLD CUP: What the 2026 World Cup means for Saudi Arabia 2034> MARKET FOCUS: Maghreb fortunes diverge> INDUSTRY REPORT: GCC banks prove resilient amid turmoil> LEADERSHIP: Private capital and the GCC infrastructure inflection> INTERVIEW: Developers look beyond standalone solarTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/18798653/main.jpg -
Design contract awarded for Algerian gas project Administrator17 August 2026
Indonesia’s Synergy Engineering has been provisionally awarded a design contract for a planned gas project in Algeria.
The front-end engineering and design (feed) contract was awarded by Pertamina Algeria Eksplorasi Produksi (PAEP), which is a subsidiary of Indonesia’s state-owned energy company.
The contract was awarded by PAEP in association with Algeria’s national oil and gas company Sonatrach and Spain’s Repsol.
Sonatrach, Pertamina and Repsol are partners in Block 405a of the Menzel Ledjmet Nord (MLN) field.
The feed contract covers developing a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) plant and a water injection facility at the MLN field as part of the field’s fifth development phase.
Block 405a is situated onshore in the Illizi-Ghadames Basin in eastern Algeria. It comprises eight oil and gas fields split over three onstream development areas.
Algeria is home to Africa’s second-largest proven natural gas reserves after Nigeria. It is also Africa’s largest natural gas producer.
Amid ongoing issues exporting oil and gas from the GCC due to disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, Algeria is seeking to increase its oil and gas exports to meet European demand.
In July, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune oversaw the signing of dozens of bilateral agreements as part of a wider push to bolster political and economic ties between Germany and Algeria.
The agreements included several focused on oil, gas and energy.
On 2 July, Sonatrach delivered its first shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) directly to Germany’s Wilhelmshaven 1 floating LNG import terminal.
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