Top pending projects in 2024

27 December 2023

 

This report on 2024 projects also includes: Upcoming regional projects hit $270bn


$17.6bn
Neom City Development Programme

Project client: Neom

Since its launch in 2017, Saudi Arabia’s Neom has announced numerous masterplans – among them the 170-kilometre-long The Line, the partly offshore industrial city Oxagon and the Trojena mountain resort. These projects make up a large part of the $17.6bn of work currently under bid within the gigaproject.

As the $500bn gigaproject becomes a busy construction site, the construction industry has started to benefit from a sharp increase in contract awards. In 2023, Neom contract awards hit $10bn, making it a major regional market in its own right – one that is only surpassed by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar.

$3.6bn
The Line

Significant progress has been made on the construction of The Line. Work on The Line’s backbone infrastructure tunnels began in June 2022, when Neom awarded $2.7bn-worth of contracts for lots two and three of the scheme to a joint venture of Shibh al-Jazira Contracting, China State Construction Engineering Corporation and FCC Construction.

Another contract worth about $1.8bn for lots four and five was awarded to a team of Archirodon, Samsung Engineering and Hyundai Engineering.

Neom is prioritising the construction of the railway that forms part of the infrastructure corridor known as the Spine within its phased delivery plan. In August 2023, Neom awarded package A3 for the mountain railway tunnels on The Line to China Construction Third Engineering Bureau. The same month, Neom invited companies to bid for the $500m track works as part of the railway network programme along the spine of The Line. The contract award is expected in the first quarter of 2024.

$4.1bn
Oxagon

The Oxagon industrial city, launched in late 2021, is a 48 square-kilometre development that includes onshore elements as well as floating structures offshore. Its port, Duba Port, is being expanded to act as a key conduit for the delivery of materials into Tabuk Province. Construction at the site is now well under way, with a team of Boskalis, Besix and the local Modern Building Leaders delivering the $800m first phase of the Duba Port expansion project. In October 2023, Belgium’s Deme and Greece’s Archirodon were also awarded the $1bn contract to complete the next phase of the port.

Looking ahead, contractors have submitted bids for packages one and two of the Delta Junction tunnel project as part of the Neom Industrial City Connector at Oxagon. The scheme is likely to be awarded in early 2024 and is split into two packages covering 26.5km of tunnelling.

$3.7bn
Trojena

Neom is steadily advancing its plans to deliver several key components of Trojena, with Saudi Arabia set to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games at the location in 2022. It recently completed the technical evaluation of the proposals for the Trojena dams, and the client and selected contractors are now negotiating the commercial aspects of the project.

In 2023, Neom engaged three contractors on an early contractor involvement basis: a consortium of the local Al-Ayuni with Turkiye-headquartered Limak; Beijing-based PowerChina; and Italy’s WeBuild. In October, Neom awarded a $1.2bn infrastructure development contract at Trojena to a joint venture of the local Al-Ayuni Investment & Contracting and Turkish Limak Holding. In August 2023, the tender was issued for the contract to construct the shell and core components of the Vault at Trojena. 

In 2023, Neom contract awards hit $10bn, making it a major market in its own right – surpassed only by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar


$7.7bn
National Renewable Energy Programme

Project client: SPPC

In November 2023, Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) kicked off the procurement process for the fifth round of Saudi Arabia’s National Renewable Energy Programme, issuing the request for qualifications for a new batch of four solar power plant projects.

Saudi Arabia has publicly tendered over 6.6GW of renewable energy capacity since 2017, of which about 4.4GW, or 66 per cent of the total tendered capacity, has been for photovoltaic solar schemes. SPPC is set to procure 30 per cent of the kingdom’s target installed renewable energy capacity of 58.7GW by 2030. 


$7bn
UZ1000 Upper Zakum Expansion

Project client: Adnoc Offshore

The UZ1000 Upper Zakum expansion will increase the oil production potential of Abu Dhabi’s largest producing oil asset – the Upper Zakum offshore field – to 1.2 million barrels a day (b/d). The $7bn contract for the development of surface facilities on the project is the largest single project package currently under bid in the region. 

Bids for the work have been submitted by the UK’s Petrofac, the local Target Engineering Construction Company and Spain’s Tecnicas Reunidas.


$6bn
Duwaiheen nuclear power plant

Project client: Duwaiheen Nuclear Energy Company

The $6bn first package of Saudi Arabia’s Duwaiheen nuclear power plant entails the construction of two 2,800MW nuclear reactors on behalf of the special purpose vehicle the Duwaiheen Nuclear Energy Company. In November, the deadline for the tendering process was extended to 31 December, two months later than the previous deadline. Expected bidders include China National Nuclear Corporation, France’s EDF, Korea Electric Power Corporation and Russia’s Rosatom.


$4.8bn
Dubai Metro Blue Line

Project client: Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority

The Dubai Metro Blue Line is a $4.8bn project that will connect the existing Red and Green lines by means of an additional 30km of track, 15.5km underground and 14.5km above ground, together with 12 additional stations and the expansion of connecting stations. The scope of the contract also includes the supply of 28 driverless trains, the construction of the train depot and all associated works. The project was tendered by the Roads & Transport Authority after the project was greenlit in November 2023. Expressions of interest are being sought from three experienced international consortiums.


$4.5bn
Ruwais LNG Terminal

Project client: Adnoc Gas Processing

Adnoc Gas Processing is evaluating bids for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at Ruwais, UAE, worth an estimated $4.5bn. This project involves constructing a plant that will add 9.6 million tonnes a year of liquefaction capacity and will be the first electric LNG plant in the Mena region. Bids for the projects have been submitted by South Korea’s Hyundai E&C, Japan’s JGC Corporation, the US’ McDermott, local firm NPCC, Italy’s Saipem and France’s Technip Energies.


$4bn
Al-Zour North IWPP: Phases 2 and 3

Project client: Kapp

The $4bn phases two and three of Kuwait’s Al-Zour North independent water and power project (IWPP) involve constructing a 2,700MW power plant coupled with a desalination facility with a capacity of 165 million gallons a day. The Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects (Kapp) is currently reviewing the prequalification documents for five potential bidders.


$4bn
North Field Production Sustainability: Phase 2

Project client: QatarEnergy LNG

The $4bn phase two, scope D of the North Field Production Sustainability project in Qatar involves the delivery of two large offshore gas compression complexes that will weigh between 25,000 and 35,000 tonnes as part of a total of 100,000 tonnes of fabrication. Bid submissions are due in December 2023, and the expectation is that both US’ McDermott and Italy’s Saipem will make bids.


 Upcoming regional projects hit $270bn 

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John Bambridge
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    6 October 2025

     

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Contractors have submitted bids on five major oil projects in Kuwait worth a combined total of $6.55bn, increasing market confidence in activity in the country’s energy sector.

    India’s Larsen & Toubro submitted the lowest bid on two contracts, while Spain’s Tecnicas Reunidas submitted the lowest bid on another.

    Kuwait’s Combined Group Contracting (CGC) submitted the lowest bids for the remaining two contracts.

    The first project focuses on developing two facilities: Separation Gathering Centre 1 (SGC-1) and Water Injection Plant 1 (WIP-1).

    Tecnicas Reunidas submitted a low bid worth $2.47bn for this project.

    The Spanish company also submitted another bid worth $2.55bn.

    One of the prices submitted was its base option and the second was an alternative, according to industry sources.

    The full list of bidders for this project was:

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    • Tecnicas Reunidas – KD778,440,100.072 ($2.55bn)
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    The second project is focused on developing SGC‑3 and WIP‑3; a low bid of $2.48bn was submitted by Larsen & Toubro.

    The full list of bidders was:

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    • Larsen & Toubro – KD757,000,316.000 ($2.48bn)
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    The third project covers the development of effluent water disposal plants for injector wells.

    The plants, known as EWDP-1 and EWDP-2, are part of a broader upstream expansion scheme.

    Larsen & Toubro is the frontrunner to win this contract with a bid of $1.30bn.

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    • Larsen & Toubro – KD396700353.000 ($1.30bn)
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    The fourth project relates to a new network for injecting effluent water in North Kuwait’s Rawdatain region.

    CGC submitted a bid of KD23.7m ($77.5m). The scheduled duration of the project is 30 months.

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    • Megha Engineering & Infrastructure – KD63,900,000

    The fifth project is related to a new network for injecting effluent water into northern Kuwait in the Sabriya/Bahra area.

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    New North Kuwait Injection Network for SA/BA Area

    • CGC – KD36,000,000 ($117.7m)
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    • Megha Engineering & Infrastructure – KD86,310,000

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    On 19 September, MEED reported that KOC was planning to close bidding for the SGC projects before the end of the month.

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    Nama Power & Water Procurement Company (Nama PWP) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for legal consultancy services to support the development of renewable energy independent power projects (IPPs) in Oman.

    The submission deadline is 13 October.

    The selected consultant will advise on the legal and contractual aspects of renewable energy project development, including preparation and review of project documents.

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    The firm continues to advance several IPP power projects, including the Misfah and Duqm plants, for which it has received three bids.

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