Ten projects that will shape Dubai’s future
5 September 2023
Register for MEED's guest programme
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.
Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.
Exclusive from Meed
All of this is only 1% of what MEED.com has to offer
Subscribe now and unlock all the 153,671 articles on MEED.com
- All the latest news, data, and market intelligence across MENA at your fingerprints
- First-hand updates and inside information on projects, clients and competitors that matter to you
- 20 years' archive of information, data, and news for you to access at your convenience
- Strategize to succeed and minimise risks with timely analysis of current and future market trends
Related Articles
-
Oman’s Barka 5 IWP solar plant begins full operations1 May 2026
Spain’s GS Inima has begun permanent operations at the solar photovoltaic (PV) plant serving the Barka 5 independent water project (IWP) in Oman.
The solar facility is the third of its kind in Oman to power a large-scale desalination facility through a self-supply model.
In a statement, GS Inima said it will provide up to 50% of the desalination plant’s electricity needs during daytime operations, improving efficiency and reducing reliance on external power sources.
The PV plant has an installed capacity of 6.5MWp. It is designed to optimise energy consumption at the adjacent reverse osmosis desalination facility.
The project was developed by GS Inima in collaboration with local firm Nafath Renewable Energy as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor. China-based OCA Global provided owner’s engineering services.
The Barka 5 IWP has a desalination capacity of approximately 100,000 cubic metres a day.
GS Inima won the contract to develop the Barka 5 IWP project in November 2020. As previously reported, financial close was reached in 2022, and construction of the facility was completed in 2024.
The self-supply solar PV plant is equipped with 10,504 bifacial modules supplied by China’s Jinko Solar. These are mounted on fixed structures provided by Mibet Energy.
Power is managed through 18 Sungrow inverters with a total capacity of 320kWac each, while electricity is fed into the desalination plant through an 11kV connection.
The integration of solar power supports the efficiency of the Barka 5 facility, which has an energy consumption rate of 2.7kWh per cubic metre.
https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16645971/main.jpg -
Qiddiya receives high-speed rail PPP prequalifications1 May 2026
Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access
Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for Riyadh City, in collaboration with Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) and the National Centre for Privatisation & PPP, received prequalification statements from firms on 30 April for the public-private partnership (PPP) package of the Qiddiya high-speed rail project in Riyadh.
This follows the submission of prequalification statements for the engineering, procurement, construction and financing (EPCF) package on 16 April, as reported by MEED.
The prequalification notice was issued on 19 January, and a project briefing session was held on 23 February at Qiddiya Entertainment City.
The Qiddiya high-speed rail project, also known as Q-Express, will connect King Salman International airport and the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) with Qiddiya City. The line will operate at speeds of up to 250 kilometres an hour, reaching Qiddiya in 30 minutes.
The line is expected to be developed in two phases. The first phase will connect Qiddiya with KAFD and King Khalid International airport.
The second phase will start from a development known as the North Pole and travel to the New Murabba development, King Salman Park, central Riyadh and Industrial City in the south of the city.
In November last year, MEED reported that more than 145 local and international companies had expressed interest in developing the project, including 68 contracting companies, 23 design and project management consultants, 16 investment firms, 12 rail operators, 10 rolling stock providers and 16 other services firms.
In November 2023, MEED reported that French consultant Egis had been appointed as the technical adviser for the project. UK-based consultancy Ernst & Young is acting as the transaction adviser, and Ashurst is the legal adviser.
Qiddiya is one of Saudi Arabia’s five official gigaprojects and covers a total area of 376 square kilometres (sq km), with 223 sq km of developed land.
https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16641057/main.gif -
Bid deadline extensions hint at tighter project market1 May 2026
Commentary
Mark Dowdall
Power & water editorThere has been a steady run of bid deadline extensions across major power and water projects in recent weeks.
The latest is the Al-Dibdibah and Al-Shagaya solar independent power producer (IPP) plant in Kuwait, where the submission date has been moved again to 31 May, following an earlier shift from February to the end of April. Similarly, bidding for the first phase of the Al-Khairan IWPP has also been extended.
In Bahrain, bidding for the 1.2GW Sitra IWPP has been pushed back by another month to 17 May, having already been under main contract tender since last August.
Meanwhile, in Dubai, contractors have been given additional time to submit bids for both the Jebel Ali sewage treatment plant expansion and a dams rehabilitation project in Hatta.
Individually, these shifts are not unusual, and extensions are a routine part of the procurement cycle, especially with large, capital-intensive schemes.
However, amid regional tensions and increasingly complex risk profiles, stakeholders are having to weigh up how much they can absorb, whether that is performance guarantees, financing exposure or delivery risk.
For contractors and developers, this could mean looking more closely at supply chains, insurance costs and the potential for disruption. Lenders, too, are likely taking a more measured view on long-term exposure.
This caution can show up in the bid process. More internal approvals, more conservative pricing, and in some cases, perhaps a hesitation to commit altogether.
At the same time, strong pipelines across the GCC mean contractors are not short of work. Firms can afford to be selective, focusing on projects where risk and return are better aligned.
Clients, in turn, face a choice. Push ahead with more limited competition or extend and try to draw in stronger participation. Most appear to be opting for the latter.
https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16640998/main.jpg -
Saudi Arabia launches $2bn Jawharat Al-Arous project1 May 2026
Saudi Arabia has launched Jawharat Al-Arous, an SR8bn ($2bn) private-sector-led residential development in north Jeddah.
The scheme covers 107 million square metres and comprises 18 residential neighbourhoods planned to accommodate more than 700,000 residents. It will provide more than 80,000 residential and commercial plots.
The masterplan also includes 41 government-backed infrastructure and service zones to support large-scale urban expansion.
The project was unveiled by Mecca Region Governor Khalid Al-Faisal and will be overseen by Saud Bin Mishaal Bin Abdulaziz.
According to a recent report by real estate firm Cavendish Maxwell, Jeddah’s residential stock stood at about 1.09 million units at the end of 2025, following the completion of around 4,000 units that year.
An expanding pipeline of about 18,000 units in 2026 and 22,000 units in 2027 is expected to bring total stock to around 1.14 million units by 2027, gradually adding supply without destabilising market equilibrium.
GlobalData expects the Saudi construction industry to grow by 3.6% in real terms in 2026, supported by increased foreign direct investment (FDI) and investment in the housing and manufacturing sectors.
The residential construction sector is forecast to grow by 3.8% in real terms in 2026 and to record an average annual growth rate of 4.7% between 2027 and 2030, supported by Saudi Vision 2030’s goal of increasing homeownership from 65.4% in 2024 to 70% by 2030, including through the delivery of 600,000 homes by 2030.
MEED’s April 2026 report on Saudi Arabia includes:
> COMMENT: Risk accelerates Saudi spending shift
> GVT &: ECONOMY: Riyadh navigates a changed landscape
> BANKING: Testing times for Saudi banks
> UPSTREAM: Offshore oil and gas projects to dominate Aramco capex in 2026
> DOWNSTREAM: Saudi downstream projects market enters lean period
> POWER: Wind power gathers pace in Saudi Arabia
> WATER: Sharakat plan signals next phase of Saudi water expansion
> CONSTRUCTION: Saudi construction enters a period of strategic readjustment
> TRANSPORT: Rail expansion powers Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure pushTo see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click herehttps://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16640863/main.png -
Damage to US bases in region expected to cost more than $15bn1 May 2026
The $25bn estimate a Pentagon official gave US lawmakers on 29 April did not include the cost of repairing damage to US bases in the Middle East, and the real cost of the war is likely to be between $40bn and $50bn, according to CNN.
That would put the cost of repairing bases and replacing destroyed assets at between $15bn and $25bn.
Jules Hurst III, the Pentagon official serving as the agency’s comptroller, told the House Armed Services Committee that “most” of the $25bn he cited had been spent on munitions. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth declined to say whether the figure included repairs to damaged US bases.
Iranian strikes across the Gulf in the early days of the war significantly damaged at least nine US military sites in 48 hours, hitting facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, the UAE and Qatar.
Six US servicemembers were killed in an attack on a command post in Kuwait, and 20 more were injured.
Three sources told CNN that the figure provided to the House Armed Services Committee did not include the cost of rebuilding US military installations and replacing destroyed assets.
One source said the true cost would likely be between $40bn and $50bn.
US contractors such as KBR and Fluor, as well as local firms, are likely to be among the leading contenders for contracts to repair and rebuild US bases in the region.
https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16638663/main.gif