meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Transmission and distribution sector heads for record year

3 October 2024

The GCC region’s power transmission and distribution (T&D) sector is set to experience its best year in terms of the value of awarded contracts.

Based on data from regional projects-tracking service MEED Projects, the total value of awarded contracts for substations, control centres, overhead lines and cables across the six GCC states reached an estimated $13.8bn between January and September 2024.

This figure already exceeds by 81% the total value of contracts awarded in the preceding full year.

It also exceeds by 31% the total value of awarded contracts in 2021, which registered a record-high of $10.5bn in the 10 years starting in 2014.

Project activity within the T&D sector is expected to remain buoyant over the next few years, with roughly $35.9bn-worth of planned and unawarded contracts.

Of these, some $8.5bn are in the bid evaluation stage as of early October, with a further $6.5bn under tendering.

Some $12bn of projects are in the front-end engineering and design (feed) phase.

Energy diversification 

Ambitious national energy diversification and net-zero targets across the region, which traditionally relied almost entirely on thermal power plants, will spur significant investments in T&D infrastructure in the future.

According to experts, the ongoing expansion of electricity generation capacity across the region, particularly from renewable energy sources, requires a more robust, integrated and stable electricity grid.

This is in addition to the projected increase in electricity demand as most states expand their downstream and petrochemical sectors, develop new communities and megaprojects in remote regions, and build more data centres to support smart cities, and internet-of-things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) applications.

The region’s largest economy, Saudi Arabia, for instance, aims for renewable energy to account for 50% of its electricity generation capacity by 2030.

Operational renewable installed capacity in the kingdom jumped from roughly 300MW in 2020 to 3,500MW this year, with a further 16,000MW currently under construction or about to start construction, and gigawatts more under tender.

Crucially, the kingdom’s energy minister confirmed earlier this year that the kingdom has plans to procure up to 20,000MW of renewable capacity every year, subject to demand.

Saudi Arabia is also ramping up its procurement programme for new gas-fired power plants, in line with a plan to decommission fleets running on liquid fuel and at the same time secure baseload as more renewable energy enters the grid.

There is also a marked increase in terms of T&D packages or contracts interconnecting the kingdom’s various regions from central Riyadh to the eastern, northern and southern provinces.

It comes as no surprise that the kingdom accounted for 72% of the $13.8bn-worth of T&D contracts awarded in the GCC region in the first three quarters of 2024.

Oman, which awarded T&D contracts with the same value as the UAE between January and September this year, has also been working to integrate its smaller electricity grids with the sultanate’s main electricity grid to boost electricity supply in its smaller, remote regions.

Unlike the noticeable peaks and throughs in T&D capital expense in other GCC states, the UAE’s spending has remained pretty consistent since 2014, averaging roughly $1.4bn annually. The exemption was in 2021 when a team comprising South Korea’s Kepco, Japan’s Kyushu Electric Power Company (Kyuden) International and France’s EDF won the contract to develop Abu Dhabi’s first high-voltage, direct current (HVDC) subsea transmission system.

It is worth mentioning that the completion of the four units of Abu Dhabi’s 5,600MW Barakah nuclear power plant this year and the expected completion of Dubai’s first hydropower plant in Hatta mean the UAE will have the most diverse energy sources for electricity generation among its peers.   

Power links

The goal to expand electricity trade within the GCC member states and with other countries such as Egypt, Jordan and Iraq is another key driver for T&D investments.

Work is under way to increase the capacity of the GCC regional grid and enable its member-states to procure backup or emergency capacity when the need arises. Kuwait availed of this in May when it purchased 500MW from the GCC grid in anticipation of its inability to meet peak demand in the summer months.   

An HVDC network linking Saudi Arabia and Egypt is under construction, which will allow bidirectional electricity trade as well as access to the wider European and African markets.

A second GCC link with Oman and a first link with Jordan are also planned. Another HVDC transmission project linking Neom in the northern tip of the Red Sea to Yanbu, stretching 605 kilometres, is under way.

It turns out that the need to invest in T&D infrastructure to support electricity generation capacity buildout, following years of underinvestment, is a global phenomenon.

Juan Diego Zuluaga, Suncolombia CEO, told the ongoing World Green Energy Summit in Dubai that there is a major mismatch between the buildout of transmission lines and electricity generation capacity.

Experts like Zuluaga think that failing to invest in T&D can potentially lead to issues such as curtailment or wastage in renewable power, particularly in the absence of suitable energy storage systems or efficient interconnections or electricity links.

Utility companies are under pressure not only to expand their transmission capacities and coverage but to make these infrastructure and facilities more efficient, too.

New technologies, most of them driven by IoT or AI, for instance, can be used to improve demand and supply management and forecasting, leading to improved grid performance.

“In this region, in particular, consumers expect 24x7 electricity supply. In fact, it is a given,” notes a senior executive with a European technology company. “The hope is for that to continue in the future.”

 

 

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/12646884/main.jpg
Jennifer Aguinaldo

Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Riyadh qualifies five groups for One-Stop Stations PPP

    2 February 2026

    Saudi Arabia’s Roads General Authority (RGA), in collaboration with the National Centre for Privatisation & Public-Private Partnership (NCP), has qualified five groups for a contract to develop the kingdom’s One-Stop Station project on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis.

    The groups include:

    • Al-Ayuni Investment & Contracting Company / Al-Jeri
    • IC Ictas / Algihaz Holding / Al-Drees
    • TechTrade Global / Al-Habbas / Fuelax / Markabat / Naqleen Company
    • Petromin / Red Sea Housing
    • Asyad / Sasco

    The project includes the development of facilities at several locations across the RGA’s 73,600-kilometre intercity road network.

    The facilities include refuelling stations, commercial outlets, parking lots, driver rest areas, vehicle maintenance centres and other hospitality amenities.

    The project will be implemented under a 30-year design, build, finance, operate and maintain (DBFOM) contract, and will be tendered in three waves comprising six packages.

    The first wave will include the initial package, the second wave will encompass the second and third packages, and the third wave will cover the remaining three packages.

    In August last year, 49 Saudi and international firms expressed interest in the contract to develop the kingdom’s One-Stop Station project, as MEED reported.

    In January, Saudi Arabia launched a National Privatisation Strategy, which aims to mobilise $64bn in private sector capital by 2030.

    The strategy was approved by Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Finance and chairman of the National Centre for Privatisation (NCP), Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al-Jadaan.

    The strategy builds on the privatisation programme, which was first introduced in 2018. It will focus on unlocking state-owned assets for private investment and privatising selected government services.

    The value of PPP contracts in Saudi Arabia has risen sharply over the past few years as the government seeks to develop projects through the private sector and diversify funding sources

    PPPs have been used in Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC region for over two decades, but have primarily been limited to power generation and water desalination projects, where developers benefit from guaranteed take-or-pay power purchase agreements that eliminate demand risk.

    As capital expenditure continues to increase, the NCP is expected to add dozens more PPPs to its future pipeline to reduce the state’s financial burden and stimulate private sector involvement in the local projects market.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15551647/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Jordan allows phosphate rail line bidders more time

    30 January 2026

     

    Abu Dhabi’s National Infrastructure Construction Company (NICC), a subsidiary of Etihad Rail, has allowed contractors until 15 February to submit their proposals for a contract to build the second section of the phosphate railway line that will run from Ghor Al-Safi to Aqaba in Jordan.

    The tender was issued on 27 December, with an initial bid submission deadline of the end of January.

    The scope of work for the railway includes civil engineering, tunnel construction, and mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) works.

    Tendering is also ongoing for the first section of the line. NICC is preparing to award the contract for the first section of the railway line, stretching from Al-Shidiya to Aqaba.

    MEED understands that the evaluation is in its final stages and that the contract will be awarded soon.

    In April last year, a French-Swiss joint venture of Egis and Arx was awarded the design consultancy contract for the project.

    Etihad Rail announced in September 2024 that it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) worth $2.3bn with Jordan’s Transport Ministry and local companies to develop the phosphate railway line.

    In an official statement, Etihad Rail said it had signed an agreement with Jordan to build, operate and maintain the project.

    The statement added that additional MoUs were signed with Jordan Phosphate Mines Company and Arab Potash Company to transport 16 million tonnes a year of phosphate and potash from mining sites to the Port of Aqaba via the Jordanian railway network.

    The MoUs also cover the manufacture and supply of rolling stock; the construction of terminals in Aqaba, Ghor Al-Safi and Shidiya; and the maintenance, repair and operation of the railway line. 

    Project history

    In 2015, Jordan’s Transport Ministry tendered a contract to construct the Shidiya rail link, intended to transport 6 million tonnes a year of phosphate from mines in Shidiya to Wadi Al-Yutum, near Aqaba.

    In November of that year, a joint venture of China Communications Construction Company and the local contractor Masar United was confirmed as the lowest bidder. It was awaiting the formal award to build the 21-kilometre spur line.

    The project was subsequently put on hold due to funding issues.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15541534/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Acwa Power to develop $200m solar plant in Philippines

    30 January 2026

    Saudi Arabia’s Acwa Power is investing $200m to build a large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in the Philippines.

    The renewables developer finalised the agreement with the Philippine government-owned Bases Conversion & Development Authority (BCDA) on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos last week.

    Under the reservation agreement, a 500-hectare site has been selected within the New Clark City Special Economic Zone in Tarlac province, north of Manila.

    The project must undergo a pre-feasibility study, technical assessments and regulatory approvals before any final investment decision is made.

    The collaboration will also explore “potential battery energy storage system (Bess) integration,” Acwa Power said in a statement. 

    No details were provided on the project’s potential power generation capacity.

    The reservation agreement follows a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between Acwa Power and BCDA in Riyadh last November.

    Since then, the partners have evaluated multiple locations in New Clark City and shortlisted the 500-hectare site for further technical and commercial evaluation.

    Acwa Power said it is targeting a threefold increase in its global assets under management to $250bn by 2030.

    The company currently has a global renewables portfolio of 52GW, accounting for 56% of its total power capacity, and plans to deploy 5.6GWh of battery energy storage capacity.

    As part of its foreign investment plans, the company also recently signed major agreements for large-scale renewable energy projects in Uzbekistan.

    This comprised $1.8bn in financing for the Samarkand solar and battery energy storage project, Uzbekistan’s biggest solar development.

    The project is being developed in partnership with Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation, Chubu Electric Power and Shikoku Electric Power.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15541146/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Algeria plans Constantine tramway extension

    30 January 2026

     

    Algeria is planning another extension of its Constantine tramway network, which currently runs from Ben Abdelmalek Stadium in the city centre to the Ali Mendjeli area.

    The project client, Algiers Metro Company (EMA), received bids on 14 December last year from consultants for a tender to undertake feasibility and detailed preliminary design studies for the project.

    The client had tendered the contract in October.

    The current tramway network spans approximately 19.3 kilometres (km).

    The tramway is owned by EMA and operated by Societe d’Exploitation des Tramways (Setram), a joint venture of EMA and French firm RATP Group.

    The first route of the tramway, with a length of 9km, was commissioned in July 2013, according to GlobalData’s sister company, Railway Technology.

    The expansion phase began in July 2015 and was completed in June 2019, increasing total ridership to over 30,000 passengers a day.

    The initial 9km-long section of the Constantine tramway system runs from the Zouaghi terminal to the Ben-Abdelmalek Stadium station through the old town and the university area.

    The route includes 11 stations, three of which are multimodal, two viaducts measuring 465m and 114m long, and an underpass.

    A 65,000-square-metre ground-level depot serves the fleet for maintenance and train parking.

    The Ben-Abdelmalek Stadium was renovated as part of the project to accommodate the line's passage.

    Contractors involved 

    EMA awarded a contract for the tramway line extension to France’s Alstom and the local firm Cosider Travaux Publics consortium in July 2015.

    Spanish firm Idom was awarded the detailed design and construction works management, while US-based engineering firm Aecom was responsible for civil engineering and urban planning.

    Cital, a joint venture of EMA, Spain’s Ferrovial and Alstom, delivered 24 trainsets to open the first phase of the extension in 2019.

    The company also maintains 51 trainsets and the infrastructure of the Constantine tramway.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15540773/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Dewa desalination plans offer timely boost

    30 January 2026

    Commentary
    Mark Dowdall
    Power & water editor

    Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (Dewa) is taking early steps towards procuring its second independent water producer (IWP) project, a signal that the utility may be further expanding its role from service provider to long-term utility asset developer.

    Consultancy bids were received this week for a pre-feasibility study that will assess capacity and location requirements for a planned seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant.

    The project, being pursued with Etihad Water & Electricity (EtihadWE), would build on the 180-million-imperial-gallons-a-day Hassyan IWP, awarded to Saudi Arabia’s Acwa Power in 2024.

    It would also align with Dewa’s wider objective to lift Dubai’s desalination capacity to 750 million imperial gallons a day by 2030, from around 495 million today. Achieving that target may require a further pipeline of privately developed water assets between now and then.

    A useful point of comparison lies in Saudi Arabia’s power sector. Saudi Electricity Company has increasingly relied on independent power producers over the past decade to accelerate capacity expansion, ease pressure on public capital spending and deepen the project finance ecosystem.

    For regional developers, competition in Saudi Arabia’s water market continues to intensify. In December, Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC) prequalified 50 developers to bid for five upcoming IWPs and 63 developers for independent sewage treatment plant (ISTP) projects.

    Unlike Saudi Arabia, the UAE entered 2026 with limited visible momentum in desalination. EtihadWE’s $400m Fujairah SWRO IWP is the only large desalination plant expected to be tendered this year.

    In a crowded market, increased activity by Dubai’s utility would provide a welcome boost.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/15540724/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall