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  Saudi Arabia tenders Mecca metro design

  18 May 2026

  

   

  The Royal Commission for Makkah City & Holy Sites (RCMC) has tendered a contract inviting firms to undertake initial design studies for its long-planned metro network in the holy city.

  The scope includes the review of existing studies, preparing a concept design, land acquisition studies, future phases integration concept and other related studies.

  The notice was issued earlier this month, with a submission deadline of 5 August.

  The latest development follows RCMC’s invitation to contractors to attend an early market engagement meeting for the project in September last year, as MEED reported.

  In an explanatory document inviting companies to attend the event, the RCMC’s General Transport Centre said it was seeking to gauge market interest in the multibillion-dollar project and obtain feedback on its proposed procurement approach.

  MEED exclusively reported in June last year that the project was restarting. Current plans envisage a four-line network, named lines A-D, with 89 stations and three depots, to be implemented over three phases between 2032 and 2045.

  Project scope

  Stage 1 focuses on lines B and C, involving 2.4 kilometres of tunnelling under the Masar project and integration with the existing Mashaer line.

  The network will run just over 62km and comprise 31 stations, 21 of which will be underground, including three iconic stations. A total of 19.5km will run through tunnels, while 41.2km will be elevated, with the remainder at grade.

  The 66 required trainsets are projected to provide a daily passenger capacity of about 450,000, equating to annual ridership of 171 million.

  The 84.7km-long second phase, due to be operational by 2038, will extend the two lines towards the outskirts of Mecca and includes construction of the initial inner and central segments of lines A and D.

  Comprising 61.1km elevated and 18.6km underground, Phase 2 is planned to add 45 stations serving the two new lines, as well as two depots and a potential interconnection with the planned Saudi Landbridge. The 59 trainsets for Phase 2 will increase the network’s projected total annual passenger capacity to more than 500 million.

  Phase 3 covers the elevated 36km extension of lines A and D and involves procurement of a further 72 trainsets, increasing the network’s ultimate passenger capacity to 1.2 million daily and 642 million annually by completion in 2045.

  Associated development

  The metro plan also envisages several transit-oriented developments (TODs) at different points on the route. These will typically comprise commercial, residential and retail elements to maximise the investment case.

  The client’s proposed procurement approach involves three distinct packages: civil and systems works, TODs, and operations and maintenance.

  The initial concept calls for some of the project to be delivered on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis, wherein the private sector, through special purpose vehicles, will part-finance, build, operate and then transfer commercially viable elements of the scheme.

  The then-called Mecca Mass Rail Transit Company (MMRTC) first launched the metro project in 2013; however, the scheme has faltered for more than a decade due to funding issues, land acquisition challenges and scope changes.

  The relaunch of the procurement process raises hopes that the project will now come to fruition, although it is likely to be at least 18 months before any definitive works are expected to start.

  Mecca is home to Saudi Arabia’s first metro, the nine-station, 18km-long Mashaer line, which opened in 2010. It operates only seven days a year during Hajj, but carries more than 2 million pilgrims during that time.

  Some 30 million pilgrims visit the city each year, with this number set to grow. The presence of a known, quantifiable and growing demand base will help facilitate the use of a PPP mechanism should the framework be adopted.

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  Yasir Iqbal
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  Abu Dhabi seeks firms for Mid Island Parkway PPP

  15 May 2026

  

   

  Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

  Modon Infrastructure, formerly known as Gridora, has invited firms to submit their registrations for the next phase of Abu Dhabi’s Mid Island Parkway Project (MIPP), which will be developed on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis.

  The request for qualifications (RFQ) is expected to be issued to interested parties soon.

  Modon Infrastructure will act as the lead developer with the majority of the equity in the project company. It will award the engineering, procurement, and construction contractor, the operations and maintenance providers, and the advisers.

  The second phase of the MIPP involves the construction of about 11 kilometres (km) of highways, including a mix of three-, four- and five-lane highways. The highways will connect the Um-Yifeenah, Al-Jubail, Al-Sammaliyyah and Sas Al-Nakhl islands to Khalifa City and the E10 road.

  The scope also covers the construction of three interchanges: the E20, E10 and Dumbbell interchanges on Al-Sammaliyyah Island.

  The project includes several major structures, such as the E20 interchange featuring cast-in-place box girder and void slab bridges, and the E10 interchange with cast-in-place box girder bridges. It also includes I-girder bridges between Raha Beach West and Sas Al-Nakhl Island, as well as a causeway at Sas Al-Nakhl Island.

  Further key elements include a cast-in-place balanced cantilever bridge between Sas Al-Nakhl Island and Al-Sammaliyyah Island, a tunnel between Al-Sammaliyyah Island and Bilrimaid Island, and a cut-and-cover (open) tunnel on Bilrimaid Island. The project is completed with another tunnel connecting Bilrimaid Island to Um-Yifeenah Island.

  Abu Dhabi awarded three packages for phase one of the MIPP in 2024. The contract for package 1A was awarded to a joint venture of Turkish contractor Dogus Construction and UAE firm Gulf Contractors. Package 1B was awarded to a joint venture of Yas Projects (Alpha Dhabi Holding) and China Railway International Group. Beijing-headquartered China Harbour Engineering Company and the UAE’s Agility Engineering & Contracting Company won the contract for package 1C.

  Phase one starts at the existing Saadiyat interchange, connecting the E12 to the MIPP, and ends at the recently constructed Um-Yifeenah highway. 

  It comprises a dual main road with a total length of 8km, including four traffic lanes in each direction, two interchanges, a tunnel and associated infrastructure works.

  

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16858325/main.jpg

  Colin Foreman
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  Oman seeks adviser for gas-fired IPPs

  15 May 2026

  Oman’s Nama Power & Water Procurement Company (PWP) has issued a request for proposals for technical consultancy services for the development of new gas-fired independent power projects (IPPs) in the sultanate.

  The state offtaker said the projects will have a total capacity of up to 2,800MW.

  The bid submission deadline is 17 June.

  While Oman is accelerating investment in renewable energy and battery storage, gas-fired thermal generation is expected to remain a core part of the country’s power mix over the coming decade.

  The Misfah and Duqm combined-cycle gas turbine power plants are advancing towards construction following the appointment of China-headquartered Shandong Electric Power Construction No. 3 Company (Sepco 3) and South Korea’s Doosan Enerbility as contractors.

  According to Nama PWP’s 2025 annual report, the Duqm IPP will have a total capacity of 877MW, including 555MW of early power capacity, which is scheduled to commence in Q2 2028.

  The Misfah IPP will have a total capacity of 1,700MW, including 1,203MW of early power capacity, which is scheduled to commence in the same quarter.

  Nama PWP has also recently awarded new power-purchase agreements (PPAs) to three IPPs to extend the operating life of existing gas-fired power plants beyond the expiry of their current contracts.

  The new agreements for the 750MW Sohar 2 IPP and 750MW Barka 3 IPP will take effect on 1 April 2028 and run until 31 March 2043. The agreement for the 200MW Sur IPP will commence on 1 April 2029 and run until 31 March 2044.

  The awards form part of Nama PWP’s 2028-29 procurement programme. The programme aims to secure firm generation capacity from existing assets whose current PPAs are due to expire during that period.

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  Mark Dowdall
• 
  Alghanim submits lowest offer for Kuwait oil refinery project

  15 May 2026

  Kuwait’s Alghanim International General Trading & Contracting has submitted the lowest bid for a contract to upgrade the country’s Mina Al-Ahmadi (MAA) refinery.

  The client is state-owned downstream operator Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC). The project scope covers upgrades to water transmission and storage infrastructure at the refinery.

  The contract will be delivered under an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) model. The tender was issued in October 2025 with an initial bid deadline of 4 January 2026, which was later extended several times. The most recent rescheduling moved the deadline from 19 April to 10 May.

  Alghanim submitted a bid of KD37.0m ($120m), significantly lower than the other two bidders, both Kuwait-based: Heavy Engineering Industries & Shipbuilding Company (Heisco) at KD60.6m ($197m) and Gulf Spic General Trading & Contracting at KD63.9m ($207m).

  The project is expected to take two years to complete and will expand water storage capacity at the facility by extending existing tanks or constructing new ones. The contractor will also develop associated infrastructure and upgrade systems that transport desalinated water to the refinery, including pipelines and related equipment.

  In its 2024-25 annual report, KNPC said the project will help meet water demand for the facility’s refining and gas production units.

  https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16852744/main.jpg

  Wil Crisp
• 
  Civil and piping work starts on Iraq field development

  15 May 2026

  

   

  Civil works and piping work have started for the project to develop a second central processing facility (CPF) at Iraq’s Ratawi oil and gas field, according to industry sources.

  The project is part of the $27bn Gas Growth Integrated Project (GGIP), which is being developed by TotalEnergies along with its partners Basra Oil Company (BOC) and Qatar Energy.

  Phase one of the GGIP is expected to be worth about $10bn.

  Work is progressing on the project despite logistical problems related to the regional conflict that broke out after the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February.

  While early works are ongoing, equipment needed for later stages of the project is being delayed as it was due to be transported to the project site using ships that would have travelled through the Strait of Hormuz.

  Shipping through the Strait is still severely disrupted due to the regional conflict.

  In September, Turkiye’s Enka signed a contract to develop the second CPF at Iraq’s Ratawi field as part of the second phase of the field’s development.

  Enka did not give a value for the contract, but it is believed to be worth more than $1bn.

  In November, US-based KBR was selected by Enka to provide detailed design services for the project.

  Enka’s contract covers the engineering, procurement, supply, construction and commissioning of the CPF for the project known as the Associated Gas Upstream Project Phase 2 (AGUP2).

  The aim of the AGUP2 project is to process oil and associated gas from the Ratawi oil field to increase production capacity to 210,000 barrels a day of oil and 154 million standard cubic feet a day of gas.

  GGIP masterplan

  The GGIP programme is being led by TotalEnergies, the operator, which holds a 45% stake.

  Basra Oil Company and QatarEnergy hold 30% and 25% stakes, respectively. The consortium formalised the investment agreement with the Iraqi government in September 2021.

  The four projects that comprise the GGIP are:

  • The Common Seawater Supply Project (CSSP)
  • The Ratawi gas processing complex
  • A 1GW solar power project for Iraq’s electricity ministry
  • A field development project at Ratawi, known as the Associated Gas Upstream Project (AGUP)

  The CSSP is designed to support oil production in Iraq’s southern oil and gas fields – mainly Zubair, Rumaila, Majnoon, West Qurna and Ratawi – by delivering treated seawater for injection, a method used to boost crude recovery rates and improve long-term reservoir performance.

  China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Corporation (CPECC) won a $1.61bn contract in May to execute EPC work for the gas processing complex at the Ratawi field development.

  CPECC’s project team based in its Dubai office is performing detailed engineering work on the project.

  In August last year, TotalEnergies awarded China Energy Engineering International Group the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the 1GW solar project at the Ratawi field. A month later, QatarEnergy signed an agreement with TotalEnergies to acquire a 50% interest in the project.

  The 1GW Ratawi solar scheme will be developed in phases, with each phase coming online between 2025 and 2027. It will have the capacity to provide electricity to about 350,000 homes in Iraq’s Basra region.

  The project, consisting of 2 million bifacial solar panels mounted on single-axis trackers, will include the design, procurement, construction and commissioning of the photovoltaic power station site and 132kV booster station.

  Separately, in June, TotalEnergies awarded China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering an EPC contract worth $294m to build a pipeline as part of a package known as the Ratawi Gas Midstream Pipeline.

  Also, TotalEnergies awarded UK-based consultant Wood Group a pair of engineering framework agreements in April, worth a combined $11m, under the GGIP scheme.

  The agreements have a three-year term under which Wood will support TotalEnergies in advancing the AGUP.

  One of the aims of the AGUP is to debottleneck and upgrade existing facilities to increase production capacity to 120,000 b/d of oil on completion of the first phase, according to a statement by Wood.

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  READ THE MAY 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

  Global energy sector forced to recalibrate; Conflict hits debt issuance and listings activity; UAE’s non-oil sector faces unclear recovery period amid disruption.

  Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the May 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:

  > AGENDA: War in the Middle East recalibrates global energy markets > REGIONAL LNG: War undermines business case for Middle East LNG > CAPITAL MARKETS: Damage avoidance frames debt issuance > IPOs: Regional IPO market dries up amid war  > MARKET FOCUS: Conflict tests UAE diversification > INTERVIEW: Desalination holds steady amid tensions, says Veolia CEO > LEGAL: Force majeure will not cure pre-existing construction industry breaches > BANKS:  GCC banks to feel the strain despite strong buffers > PIF STRATEGY: Public Investment Fund approves 2026-30 strategy

  To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here

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  Wil Crisp