Ten projects that will shape Dubai’s future
5 September 2023

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Dubai is back with major projects after several years of subdued activity following Expo 2020 and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Over the past year, plans have emerged for 10 projects across various sectors that will help shape the emirate’s development over the coming decade.
Many of these projects have been planned for years. After stalling during the low-oil-price era of 2015-20, positive economic tailwinds mean many of these schemes are now being revisited by their owners and relaunched.
| 1. Tower at Creek Harbour |
The most recent relaunch announcement came at the end of August, when Emaar Properties founder Mohammad Alabbar revealed plans to redesign and relaunch the Tower at Dubai Creek Harbour.
The design works are expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2024, and construction slated to begin in the second half of 2024.
Details of the redesigned tower have not been launched, but sources close to the project say it will be tall and feature high-end residential units. This reflects Dubai’s buoyant property market and will stand in sharp contrast to the original design that involved building a 1,000-metre-tall observation tower.
Construction on that project stalled in 2019 after work on the foundations was completed. Two bidders were competing for the estimated $5.5bn contract to build the tower. They were Beijing-based China State Construction Engineering Corporation and a joint venture of the local/Belgian Belhasa Six Construct and Tishman, which US-based Aecom owns.
Belhasa Six Construct completed the raft foundations for the tower in May 2018. France’s Soletanche Bachy finished the piling.
Spanish/Swiss architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava Valls was the main consultant on the project, with the local office of Aurecon, supported by the UK’s RMJM and Dubai-based DEC, acting as local engineer and architect of record. The project manager for the tower was US-based Parsons.
| 2. Dubai Metro Blue Line |
The Dubai Creek Harbour development in Ras al-Khor will connect to Dubai’s Metro network via the planned Blue Line, which will serve as an extension to the existing Red and Green lines.
Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) is preparing to issue tender documents for the Blue Line.
The Green Line extension will commence from its current terminus at Creek station in the Jadaf area. It will cross over to the Dubai Creek Harbour development and continue through Ras al-Khor, International City, Dubai Silicon Oasis and Academic City, before concluding near the Desert Rose project. The line will have 11 stations.
The Red Line extension will connect its existing terminus in Rashidiya to Mirdif City Centre and continue through Mirdif and Warqaa, before joining the Green Line extension in International City.
The project was put on hold during the Covid-19 pandemic and reactivated in early 2022, when UK-based Atkins and Grimshaw, US-based Parsons and France’s Egis restarted design work.
The last metro project to be completed in Dubai was Route 2020, which connected the Red Line to the Dubai Expo site. The AED10.6bn ($2.9bn) contract to design and build the line was awarded to a consortium of Alstom, Spain’s Acciona and Turkiye’s Gulermak.
| 3. Deep Tunnels Portfolio |
Another major infrastructure scheme is the Deep Tunnels Portfolio, which involves developing deep-gravity sewage tunnels and treatment plants across the emirate.
In August, Dubai Municipality began the process of appointing a project management consultant to oversee the scheme, which will be developed as a public-private partnership (PPP).
Two sets of deep tunnels will be constructed, terminating at two terminal pump stations at sewerage treatment plants (STPs) in Warsan and Jebel Ali. A conventional sewage and drainage collection system and STPs will be built in Hatta.
The scheme also includes recycled water distribution systems connected to the STPs.
Dubai’s Executive Council approved the project in June and said it would require an investment of about AED80bn ($22bn). It added that the project has been designed to serve the needs of the Dubai population for the next 100 years in alignment with the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and Dubai Urban Plan 2040.
| 4. DWTC/Candy tower |
Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and UK-based Candy Capital have formed a joint venture to develop three towers in Dubai’s One Central commercial district.
The mixed-use towers will have two branded residences, two hotels and office space. The construction work involves building three towers. The two taller towers will be connected by a sky bridge containing one of the hotels.
Dubai-based Killa Design has been appointed as the architect for the project.
Candy Capital is a privately held family office established by British entrepreneur and businessman Nick Candy. His best-known property development is One Hyde Park in London, which he developed with his brother Christian. It comprises 86 apartments and three retail units and is considered one of the wealthiest residences in the world.
| 5. Al-Maktoum International airport |
Dubai plans to restart the emirate’s largest construction project, the AED120bn ($33bn) expansion of Al-Maktoum International airport, also known as Dubai World Central (DWC).
The expansion was officially launched in 2014. It involves building the biggest airport in the world by 2050, with the capacity to handle 255 million passengers a year. An initial phase, which was due to be completed in 2030, aims to take the airport’s capacity to 130 million passengers a year.
Altogether, the development will cover an area of 56 square kilometres.
Progress on the project slipped as the region grappled with the impact of lower oil prices and Dubai focused on developing the Expo 2020 site. Tendering for work on the project then stalled with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020.
Firms were competing for the estimated $2.7bn substructure contract for Concourse 1 and the West Terminal building – the largest contract tendered for the project.
The contract covers the delivery of more than 1.7 million square metres of connected basement footprint, housing the people-mover tunnels, baggage handling systems, ground services road network and other back-of-house technical and support facilities.
| 6. Palm Jebel Ali |
Dubai released details of the new masterplan for Palm Jebel Ali, an artificial island located south of Jebel Ali Freezone, in June.
Double the size of Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali will have 110 kilometres of shoreline and extensive green spaces. The development will feature over 80 hotels and resorts and a diverse range of entertainment and leisure facilities.
It includes seven connected islands, catering to approximately 35,000 families. The development also emphasises sustainability, with 30 per cent of public facilities powered by renewable energy.
MEED reported in January that local developer Nakheel had approached contractors to complete the reclamation works for Palm Jebel Ali.
As with Palm Jumeirah, it is estimated that it could take around 20 years for Palm Jebel Ali to reach its full development potential. Nakheel has previously secured AED17bn ($4.6bn) in funding to expedite the development of various projects, including the Dubai Islands and other waterfront schemes.
The upcoming dredging contract for Palm Jebel Ali is anticipated to involve 5-6 million cubic metres of material, contributing to the completion of the man-made offshore island.
While reclamation work for Palm Jebel Ali is mostly finished, the project was put on hold in 2009. Nakheel had made some progress with infrastructure development, including the construction of bridges on the island by Samsung C+T.
| 7. The Oasis by Emaar |
Another major masterplanned development was launched by Emaar Properties in June. The $20bn Oasis by Emaar covers a total land area of more than 9.4 million square metres, close to Dubai Investments Park. The project involves building over 7,000 residential units along with water canals, lakes and parks. It will also include the development of a 150,000 sq m retail area.
| 8. The Island |
Another project that has been restarted in recent years is The Island, which Wasl is developing.
Located off the coast of Umm Suqeim, near the Jumeirah public beach, it is expected to feature 1,400 hotel rooms and apartments, in addition to retail, food and beverage and entertainment options. The 10.5-hectare island will include properties featuring the MGM, Bellagio and Aria hotel brands.
The developer is close to appointing a contractor to build the development after bids were submitted earlier this year.
Tender documents for the contract were previously issued in 2020, when the project was being delivered with a consultancy team led by South Africa’s Mirage.
Germany’s Kling Consult is now the project manager.
| 9. Al-Habtoor Tower |
The $1bn Al-Habtoor Tower project is located at Al-Habtoor City, next to Dubai Water Canal, on a 7,500 sq m plot. The tower, which the developer describes as one of the largest buildings in the world, will have three basement levels, a seven-storey podium and 73 floors of residences. The built-up area will be 350,000 sq m.
Its construction is technically challenging because the tower will be built above an existing parking basement that serves the already completed buildings at Al-Habtoor City.
Al-Habtoor had the option of demolishing the basement. Instead, it decided to employ a top-down approach to the construction that involves piling down through the basement, while at the same time starting construction above ground.
The top-down approach is expected to reduce the construction time by about one year, meaning the tower will be completed in 1,000 days or roughly three years.
China Railway 18th Bureau Group was appointed as the main contractor in May.
| 10. Dubai Pearl |
After two aborted attempts, development is expected to start again at the Dubai Pearl site, located north of Dubai Media City close to the Palm Jumeirah.
The structures erected for the previous project have been demolished this year. Dubai Holding, which now owns the land, has held a design competition and is in the final stages of selecting the winning architect.
Local project management firm North 25 is overseeing the design competition.
Exclusive from Meed
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L&T announces major contract win from Adnoc Offshore4 August 2026
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Masdar renews $300m revolving credit facility4 August 2026
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Jordan awards EPC contract for Maan wind farm4 August 2026
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Chinese contractor wins Saudi power and gas contracts4 August 2026
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Contractors submit bids for key Aramco offshore tenders4 August 2026
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L&T announces major contract win from Adnoc Offshore4 August 2026
Indian contractor Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has announced that it has been awarded a major contract by the offshore business of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc Offshore).
Mumbai-headquartered L&T described the order as “ultra-mega”, a term the company uses for contracts valued at more than INR150bn ($1.57bn).
The project will be executed through a consortium, with its subsidiary LTEH Offshore serving as the lead partner, L&T said in a statement on 4 August.
MEED understands that the contract won by L&T relates to an offshore package that forms part of a major Adnoc Offshore project to produce up to 600 million cubic feet a day (cf/d) of natural gas by developing the Umm Shaif gas cap in Abu Dhabi.
L&T won the first offshore package of the Umm Shaif gas cap and surface pressure boosting project in a consortium with Saudi Arabia/UAE-based Lamprell, MEED reported in July.
The following contractors have secured the two offshore packages and one onshore package of the Umm Shaif gas cap project, MEED previously reported:
- First offshore package – fabrication of a 30,000-tonne gas compression system: Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon (India) / Lamprell (Saudi Arabia/UAE)
- Second offshore package – fabrication of another 30,000-tonne gas compression system: McDermott (US)
- Onshore package – EPC of gas inlet and processing systems on Das Island: China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Company (CPECC)
“The project involves the development of multiple offshore facilities. As the lead consortium partner, LTEH Offshore will execute the major share of the project scope, covering engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning (EPCIC) of the offshore facilities, in addition to the upgrade of existing facilities,” L&T said in its statement.
“A significant portion of the fabrication work will be undertaken at L&T’s state-of-the-art fabrication yards, leveraging the company’s integrated EPCIC capabilities and extensive track record in delivering large and complex offshore developments across the region,” the Bombay Stock Exchange-listed company added.
Umm Shaif gas cap project
Adnoc Offshore operates the Umm Shaif hydrocarbons development, which is located 150 kilometres (km) northwest of the city of Abu Dhabi. The field is located within Abu Dhabi’s offshore Umm Shaif and Nasr hydrocarbons concession, previously operated by former Adnoc Group companies Adma-Opco and Zadco.
In March and April 2018, Abu Dhabi’s Supreme Council for Financial and Economic Affairs (SCFEA) awarded a 10% stake in the Umm Shaif and Nasr offshore block to Italy’s Eni, 20% to France’s TotalEnergies and 10% to China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC). Adnoc Group retained the majority 60% interest. The operators produce a total of about 460,000 b/d of oil from the Umm Shaif and Nasr block.
Adnoc, along with its foreign partners, announced achieving a final investment decision (FID) worth $6.2bn on the Umm Shaif gas cap project on 21 July. The FID includes three EPC packages totalling $5.1bn for large-scale offshore infrastructure, “awarded to consortiums comprising major UAE and international contractors,” the state enterprise said without disclosing the contractors it had selected or the scope of work on the packages.
Adnoc added that, as part of the FID, it has also awarded a $365m contract to its subsidiary Adnoc Drilling for a 14-well drilling and integrated drilling services scope, to be delivered over 18 months using three existing rigs.
Production from the development is expected by 2030, the Abu Dhabi energy giant said.
The primary objective of the Umm Shaif gas cap and surface pressure boosting project is to increase gas production by 550 million cubic feet a day (cf/d) and raise associated condensate output by 50,000 barrels a day (b/d).
Adnoc Offshore intends to feed about 520 million cf/d of the additional produced gas into Adnoc Group’s sales gas grid.
Adnoc Offshore is understood to have issued the main EPC tender for the Umm Shaif gas cap and surface pressure boosting project in the first quarter of 2025.
Contractors submitted technical bids for the three EPC packages by the 30 October deadline last year, while commercial bids were submitted by the deadline of 2 February this year.
The following contractors are among those understood to have been bidding for the three EPC packages, according to sources:
Offshore package 1:
- Saipem (Italy) / Seatrium (Singapore)
- Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon (India) / Lamprell (Saudi Arabia/UAE)
- NMDC Energy (UAE) / Hyundai Heavy Industries (South Korea)
Offshore package 2:
- China Offshore Oil Engineering Company (COOEC)
- McDermott (US)
- Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon (India) / Lamprell (Saudi Arabia/UAE)
- NMDC Energy (UAE) / Hyundai Heavy Industries (South Korea)
Onshore package:
- Archirodon (Greece)
- China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Company (CPECC)
- Engineering for the Petroleum & Process Industries (Enppi; Egypt)
- Galfar Emirates (UAE branch of Oman’s Galfar Engineering & Construction)
- Target Engineering Construction Company (UAE)
Australian firm Worley has performed front-end engineering and design (feed) work on the project.
Gas is produced from the Umm Shaif Khuff and Uweinat reservoirs, as well as from the Arab C and Arab D Early Production Scheme 2. The Umm Shaif Khuff reservoir is a formation that consists of dry gas volumetric reservoirs located in the Umm Shaif field.
Khuff reservoirs have been in production in Abu Dhabi since August 1989. Umm Shaif Khuff gas is currently produced from 28 active wells within the Umm Shaif field. A majority of these wells supply gas to Adnoc Group subsidiaries Adnoc LNG and Adnoc Gas Processing, with the rest supporting oil reservoirs at the Umm Shaif field through gas injection.
The Umm Shaif Super Complex (USSC) processes and transports oil, condensates and natural gas in separate pipelines to Das Island for further processing and export. The condensates collected from the USSC are transported to Das Island through an 18-inch pipeline stretching 34.4km, or are spiked into the 36-inch Adnoc main oil line.
The gas collected from the USSC is transported to Das Island through two 46-inch pipelines, which also run 34.4km.
Pressure at the Umm Shaif Khuff gas reservoirs will start to decline by the end of 2028. The flowing wellhead pressures at some of the Khuff gas wellhead towers are likely to reduce, so boosting well deliverability and increasing the flowrates is necessary.
Therefore, new Khuff surface pressure boosting facilities are required to maintain the plateau – with a goal of achieving a 90% gas recovery factor – and increase production beyond the end of the plateau by lowering pressure at the Khuff reservoirs.
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Masdar renews $300m revolving credit facility4 August 2026
Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) has renewed its five-year $300m revolving credit facility with a syndicate of 25 international banks.
The company said the refinancing strengthens its liquidity position and overall balance sheet resilience as it works towards its target of reaching 100GW of renewable energy portfolio capacity by 2030.
According to Masdar, the lending syndicate comprises 14 banks from Europe, four from the US and seven from Asia.
Masdar’s renewable energy portfolio reached 65GW earlier this year, placing the company about two-thirds of the way towards its 100GW target by 2030. Of that, Masdar said 45GW is operational, under construction or has reached final close, while a further 20GW comprises projects in advanced stages of development.
The company has said it plans to deploy a further $30bn-$35bn in equity and project finance by 2030 to achieve its capacity target, adding an average of 10GW of new capacity each year.
The next phase of growth will be funded through a combination of equity, green bonds and long-term project finance.
Last month, Masdar reached financial close on its $6.1bn round-the-clock renewable energy project in Abu Dhabi, securing a $5.1bn financing package from a consortium of 13 local and international banks.
The project combines 5.2GW of solar generation with 19GWh of battery energy storage and is expected to begin operations in 2027.
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Jordan awards EPC contract for Maan wind farm4 August 2026
Jordan’s state-owned Samra Electric Power Company (Sepco) has awarded an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to Al-Mawakea General Contracting Technology Company for a 25MW wind power project in the Batn Al-Ghul area of Maan Governorate.
The project is being developed by Jordan’s Ministry of Energy & Mineral Resources (MEMR) under a cooperation agreement signed with Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) in February. The UAE, represented by Masdar, is fully financing the project.
The project will comprise five wind turbines with a combined generation capacity of 25MW. Masdar is responsible for providing technical oversight, supervising implementation, managing logistics and shipping, and monitoring progress during the execution phase.
Sepco will operate and maintain the wind farm after construction is completed and the facility is handed over. MEMR is responsible for securing the project site and obtaining the required regulatory approvals and permits.
Sepco operates and maintains the government-owned 80MW Maan wind farm in Maan Governorate. The $150m Maan wind power plant (phases one and two) was commissioned in 2017, with Spain’s Elecnor working as the main EPC contractor. The two phases combined have a total installed capacity of 80MW.
Separately, Masdar signed a joint development agreement with MEMR in 2023 to develop a 1GW wind project with a battery energy storage system near the Port of Aqaba in Jordan. It is understood that the project is still in its initial stages of development.
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Chinese contractor wins Saudi power and gas contracts4 August 2026
Chinese contractor Ningxia Power Construction has announced it has won two contracts in Saudi Arabia covering power and gas infrastructure projects with a combined value of about RMB280m ($39m).
The awards cover the third phase of cable laying and connection works for Saudi Aramco’s Master Gas System (MGS-III) project and the first phase of a 380kV transmission line for the Red Sea Aluminium project, the company said in a statement.
The MGS gas booster station contract covers electrical, instrumentation and control, communications, pre-commissioning, commissioning and defect rectification works.
The project is located northwest of Al-Mendassah in Medina Province. Construction is scheduled to last 670 days and continue through to partial mechanical completion and mechanical completion.
The Red Sea Aluminium contract involves the first phase of a 380kV overhead transmission line project.
The scope includes eight new transmission circuits. Four incoming double-circuit lines will extend about 15.2 kilometres from the connection point to the switchyard. Four outgoing double-circuit lines will run about 0.2 kilometres from the switchyard to the aluminium plant power station. Provision has also been made for two additional outgoing circuits in the future.
The Red Sea Aluminium complex is a planned integrated aluminium production facility in Yanbu Industrial City being developed by Red Sea Aluminium Holdings (RSAH), a joint venture of Innovation Global Industries, Innovation New Materials and Shandong Innovation Group
In June, RSAH awarded China’s Shandong Electric Power Construction Corporation (Sepco) an estimated $100m engineering, procurement and construction contract for a 380kV overhead transmission line project at the Red Sea Aluminium complex.
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Contractors submit bids for key Aramco offshore tenders4 August 2026

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Contractors in Saudi Aramco’s Long-Term Agreement (LTA) pool of offshore service providers have submitted bids for five offshore tenders covering the engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) of structures at the Abu Safah, Berri, Manifa, Marjan, Safaniya and Zuluf offshore oil and gas fields in Saudi Arabia.
The tenders are numbers 167, 168, 169, 170 and 171 on Aramco’s Contract Release and Purchase Order (CRPO) system, according to sources.
Aramco issued the five CRPOs to its offshore LTA contractors in December, setting an initial bid submission deadline of 3 February.
The Saudi energy giant has since extended the bid submission deadline several times – to 31 March, 1 June, 1 July and then 30 July – to allow LTA contractors sufficient time to prepare proposals.
At the request of certain bidders, Aramco granted a final two-day extension, with LTA contractors submitting their proposals for the five CRPOs on 1 August, sources told MEED.
The basic scope of EPCI work on the tenders is as follows:
- CRPO 167 – eight jackets at the Marjan field development
- CRPO 168 – four production deck modules (PDMs) at the Abu Safah, Berri, Manifa and Safaniya fields
- CRPO 169 – three PDMs at the Marjan field development
- CRPO 170 – three PDMs at the Marjan field development
- CRPO 171 – three PDMs at the Zuluf field development
Offshore contract awards
Aramco spent almost $11bn on offshore EPCI contracts last year, more than double its capital expenditure on offshore projects in 2024, marking another year of robust upstream project spending in Saudi Arabia.
In July, Aramco selected contractors for five CRPOs – numbers 150, 157, 158, 159 and 160 – worth over $3bn. These involve EPCI work and infrastructure upgrades at the Abu Safah, Berri, Manifa, Marjan and Zuluf offshore fields.
The Saudi energy giant then picked contractors for four more CRPOs that are part of the large-scale project to expand infrastructure at the Zuluf offshore field development. The tenders are CRPOs 145, 146, 147 and 148, and their combined value is estimated to be almost $6bn.
In late December last year, Italian contractor Saipem announced securing contracts for CRPOs 162 and 165. The scope of work on CRPO 162 covers the EPCI of two rigid pipelines – a 30-inch pipeline stretching 23.98 kilometres (km) and a 20-inch pipeline, 10.23km-long; replacement of a flexible 10-inch pipeline that spans 5.1km; and modification work on topsides at the Berri and Abu Safah field developments. The duration of this contract is 32 months, Saipem said.
The scope of work on CRPO 165, lasting 12 months, includes subsea interventions at the Marjan field development and the EPCI of 300 metres of onshore pipeline and associated tie-ins.
In early January 2026, MEED reported that Aramco had selected US-based McDermott International for CRPO 166. The scope of work is understood to have been carved out of the $15bn Marjan offshore field development project, under which Aramco issued contracts for 20 EPCI packages in 2019. McDermott won the largest share of work on the project, securing an estimated $4.5bn of contracts across two packages.
The contract for CRPO 166 was single-sourced to McDermott without a competitive tendering process and issued as a change order, sources told MEED.
Aramco then awarded its second offshore contract of the year, CRPO 156, to Saipem. The scope of work covers the EPCI of a 48-inch trunkline, spanning roughly 65km offshore and 12km onshore, from the Safaniya offshore oil field to the onshore processing facility, plus associated works such as subsea hook-ups.
CRPO 156 comprises the third package in Aramco’s latest expansion phase at Safaniya – the world’s largest offshore oil field, with a production capacity of nearly 1.2 million barrels a day (b/d). Discovered in 1951, the field is located in Gulf waters approximately 265km north of Aramco’s headquarters in Dhahran.
MEED also reported that Saipem was selected by Aramco for two more tenders as part of the Safaniya field development expansion phase – CRPOs 154 and 155. The combined contract value for CRPOs 154 and 155 is estimated at $600m, sources said.
In April, state-owned China Offshore Oil Engineering Company won CRPO 161, which covers the EPCI of four gas jackets at the Arabiyah, Hasbah and Karan offshore fields.
Healthy contract award pipeline
Looking ahead, in addition to CRPOs 167-171, which are currently under bidding, Aramco is evaluating bids submitted by its offshore LTA contractors in July and August last year for at least two additional tenders.
These are CRPOs 163 and 164, relating to the EPCI of infrastructure at the Abu Safah, Berri, Karan, Marjan and Safaniya fields.
Separately, the offshore LTA contractors are also bidding for a new tender – CRPO 176 – that was issued by Aramco in May, according to sources.
The scope of work on CRPO 176 covers the EPCI of seven flexible subsea pipelines with a combined length of 17km at the Berri and Marjan offshore field developments.
Aramco’s LTA pool of offshore service providers comprises the following entities:
- Saipem (Italy)
- McDermott International (US)
- Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon (LTEH, India) / Subsea7 (UK)
- NMDC Energy (UAE)
- Lamprell (UAE/Saudi Arabia)
- China Offshore Oil Engineering Company (China)
- Dynamic Industries (US)
- Sapura Energy (Malaysia)
- TechnipFMC (France) / MMHE (Malaysia)
- Hyundai Heavy Industries (South Korea)
In April 2025, Aramco renewed its LTAs with the following contractors, whose contracts had either lapsed or were close to expiry:
- Saipem
- McDermott International
- Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon / Subsea7
- NMDC Energy
- Lamprell
- China Offshore Oil Engineering Company
ALSO READ: Aramco moves apace with Jafurah unconventional gas campaign
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