meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

UAE PPP activity rises

8 October 2024

 

All eyes are on Dubai in the final quarter of the year as it endeavours to bring to the market its largest infrastructure project to date.

The prequalification process is under way for potential investors for the planned $22bn Dubai Strategic Sewerage Tunnels (DSST) project, which will be procured on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis.

The project's ambitious scope includes converting Dubai’s existing sewerage system from a pumped system to a gravity system by decommissioning the existing pump stations and providing “a sustainable, innovative, reliable service for future generations”.

Dubai currently has two major sewerage catchments. The first, in Deira, is Warsan, where the Warsan sewage treatment plant (STP) treats the flow. The second catchment is in Bur Dubai, where the wastewater is treated at the Jebel Ali STP.

The DSST will replace 120 pump stations, saving approximately 100 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually, MEED has been told. 

The 25-35-year design-build-finance procurement model is also ambitious, given that Dubai has a dismal PPP track record, with the exception of electricity and water generation projects.

The DSST project has met major interest from engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors. A total of 21 individual companies and consortiums prequalified to bid for the project’s three tunnels and terminal pump station packages – J1, J2 and W. Nineteen have been prequalified to bid for package J3.

The client is expected to run a separate prequalification process for the packages to upgrade the two existing STPs.

At the time of writing, Dubai Municipality, the project client, has yet to receive the statements of qualifications from interested investors.

Industry sources have indicated, however, that those that have shown early interest include Japan's Marubeni Corporation and Itochu, Australia's Plenary Group, Belgium's Besix, China Railway Engineering Corporation and China Harbour Engineering Company, and potentially some Israeli investors.

The project is essential to support Dubai’s economic expansion and sustainability ambitions, notes a source close to the scheme, stopping short of saying that the lack of suitable infrastructure could limit the extent to which the emirate can grow.

So far, while everyone agrees that the project is imperative, some need further convincing of the likelihood of success for the project’s chosen PPP route.

“It is a civil construction project with limited operation and maintenance scope,” says a senior executive with an infrastructure investor, who adds that the government of Dubai can raise a bond much cheaper than equity.

A senior transaction adviser not linked to the project notes, however, that since PPPs are a combination of debt and equity, “overall, PPPs are cheaper for governments”.

The latter adds that the PPP route is doable if the project is tendered in phases or one at a time, as is currently planned.

 Water desalination and treatment projects

In recent months, the UAE has also seen an uptick in water desalination plants utilising reverse osmosis technology.

Three independent water projects (IWPs) are under construction, including Abu Dhabi’s Mirfa 2 and Shuweihat 4, and Hassyan 1 in Dubai. The three seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plants have a total combined capacity of 370 million imperial gallons a day (MIGD).

Negotiations are under way for the contract to develop Abu Dhabi’s next IWP on Saadiyat Island, while the request for qualifications for another project, the 90MIGD Al-Nouf IWP, is expected to be issued in December this year or January 2025.

Sharjah Electricity & Water Authority (Sewa) also awarded the contract to develop its first IWP scheme this year to Saudi Arabia-headquartered Acwa Power, which was the tender’s sole bidder.

The $682m, 90MIGD project is expected to reach financial close soon.

"This is Sharjah’s first IWP and, unlike other jurisdictions such as Oman, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia, the emirate has yet to establish a track record with PPPs, especially in power and water," says Robert Bryniak, CEO of Dubai-based Golden Sands Management (Marketing) Consulting.

He notes that once the Hamriyah IWP reaches financial close and commercial operations, Sewa should be able to attract more developers for future IWPs. 

Sewa is not the only utility launching its maiden IWP. Etihad Water & Utility (Etihad WE) is understood to have conducted a market-sounding event earlier this year for a small SWRO plant to complement the capacity of an existing facility in Ghalilah in Ras Al-Khaimah, another of the UAE's northern emirates.

Ras Al-Khaimah's Public Services Department and Investment & Development Office have also started the tendering proceedings for the emirate's first independent sewage treatment plant project.

The proposed plant will be able to treat 60,000 cubic metres a day (cm/d) of sewage water, which could be expanded to 150,000 cm/d.

The project has garnered strong interest from the market, with the following companies and consortiums having been prequalified to bid for the contract:

  • Acciona (Spain)
  • Besix (Belgium)
  • China Harbour Engineering Company (China) / BOWT
  • Cobra (Tedagua, Spain)
  • GS Inima (Spain/South Korea) / Alkhorayef Water & Power Technologies (Saudi Arabia)
  • Etihad Water & Electricity (UAE) / Saur (France)
  • FCC Aqualia (Spain)
  • MA Kharafi (Kuwait) / Passavant Energy & Environment (UAE, Germany)
  • Metito
  • Miahona Company (Saudi Arabia)
  • Orascom Construction (Egypt)
  • Sustainable Water Solutions (UAE)
  • Veolia Middle East (France / local)

MEED understands that the scope of the build, own, operate and transfer scheme will include extensive sewerage and distribution works, in addition to the STP.

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/12673874/main1756.jpg
Jennifer Aguinaldo

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

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Tender issued for Libyan gas project

    17 September 2026

    An invitation to bid has been issued for a contract to conduct environmental assessments for the project to expand the Mellitah oil and gas complex in Libya.

    The bid submission deadline is 2pm today (17 September) Libyan time.

    The scope of the project includes provision of:

    • An environmental baseline study (EBS)
    • An environmental impact assessment (EIA)
    • An environmental management plan (EMP)

    The client is Mellitah Oil & Gas (MOG), which is a joint venture of Italy’s Eni and Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC).

    MOG is based in Tripoli and operates both onshore and offshore oil and gas facilities.

    The joint venture owns and operates six major oil and gas fields across the North African country.

    According to the tender documents, the company that is awarded the contract will need to prepare environmental management measures in compliance with:

    • Libyan environmental legislation
    • Ministry of Environment requirements
    • NOC environmental guidelines
    • Applicable international environmental standards and best practices

    The expansion of the Mellitah oil and gas complex is part of a project estimated to be worth $8bn.

    The wider project is known as the Mellitah Complex Expansion & CO2 Management Integrated Development Project.

    It has six main packages:

    • Onshore package
    • Offshore Structure A
    • Offshore Structure E
    • Subsea pipeline package
    • Site preparation work
    • Carbon capture and storage facility

    Security issues and political instability have been a major problem for Libya’s oil and gas sector since the country’s civil war started in 2011.

    Earlier this month, the Mellitah oil and gas complex was forced to shut down temporarily due to a protest over deteriorating public services.

    The existing onshore complex includes housing, processing units, storage facilities and export facilities.

    It also serves as the launch point for the Greenstream pipeline, which delivers Libyan gas directly to Italy.

    The planned expansion of the complex will involve:

    • Construction of a new fourth gas processing train
    • Construction of a third condensate train
    • Construction of a third natural gas liquids fractionation train
    • Construction of a fourth sulphur recovery unit train
    • Installation of a hydrogen sulphide enrichment unit
    • Installation of a sulphur recovery unit
    • Construction of other associated facilities

    The Mellitah complex is located about 100 kilometres west of Tripoli and is a key energy facility in the west of the country.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19748920/main.png
    Wil Crisp
  • Aldar and Mubadala acquire Masdar City Square

    17 September 2026

    Abu Dhabi-based sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Company and local developer Aldar have completed the acquisition of Masdar City Square at Masdar City, in a transaction valued at AED918m ($250m).

    The deal was executed through their joint venture established in 2024.

    Masdar City Square comprises more than 47,000 square metres (sq m) of net leasable area across seven office buildings.

    Completed in Q1 2026, the development is 99% occupied. Tenants include Taqa, the Department of Energy, Emirates College and the Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence.

    The transaction expands the joint venture’s real estate portfolio in Masdar City, which is now valued at AED4.7bn ($1.3bn).

    Masdar City is one of the region’s leading hubs for clean energy, artificial intelligence, advanced research and sustainable urban development.

    The joint venture acquired The Link project at Masdar City for AED654m ($178m) in April.

    Comprising about 32,000 sq m of net leasable area across five buildings, The Link is fully leased to a portfolio of major tenants, including Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) and the Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence.

    The asset includes Grade A, Leed Platinum office space, a net-zero-energy headquarters building, a multi-use hall and residential accommodation, supporting its position as a high-performing, integrated component of Masdar City.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19748241/main5814.png
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Dubai announces new 80km highway corridor

    16 September 2026

    Dubai has approved the construction of the new fourth corridor, a major highway programme aimed at boosting inter-emirate connectivity, increasing road capacity and easing congestion.

    The corridor will extend 80 kilometres, from Al-Faya Road in Abu Dhabi to Al-Shanouf Road in Sharjah.

    It will include 12 lanes, 72 bridges and 17 tunnels.

    The project is expected to reduce travel times by up to 60% and serve more than 3.1 million people, while providing links to Al-Maktoum International airport and Etihad Rail.

    It will have the capacity to accommodate 24,000 vehicles per hour in each direction.

    The project will be delivered in two phases. The first phase, running from Al-Shanouf Road to Dubai-Al Ain Road, will be delivered at a cost of AED3.5bn ($953m).

    The second phase will stretch from Dubai-Al Ain Road to Al-Faya Road in Abu Dhabi.

    The scheme adds a fourth spine to a network that has long relied on three main corridors: the E11 (Sheikh Zayed Road/Al-Ittihad Road); the E311 (Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Road) and the E611 (Emirates Road), which together carry more than 850,000 vehicles commuting between Dubai and the northern emirates daily.

    That concentration has made the route one of the country’s most congested, with peak-hour bottlenecks a persistent problem for residents. The new corridor is designed to divert a significant share of that traffic onto a higher-capacity route, rather than add pressure to the existing network.

    The project also aligns with the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, which anticipates population growth to 5.8 million by 2040 and calls for the expansion of roads, railways, airports and ports to support that growth and reinforce Dubai’s position as a global trading hub. This is reflected in the corridor’s direct links to Al-Maktoum International airport and Etihad Rail.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19725878/main.jpeg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Engineering progresses on Ras Laffan LNG terminal berths

    16 September 2026

     

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Front-end engineering and design (feed) works are progressing on a QatarEnergy LNG project to build 13 liquefied natural gas (LNG) loading berths at the south export terminal in Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City.

    Ras Laffan Industrial City, which lies about 90 kilometres north of Doha, is the world's largest integrated LNG production and export complex, comprising 15 processing trains with a total capacity of 77.5 million tonnes a year (t/y). QatarEnergy began LNG operations at the facility, which houses all its processing trains and export infrastructure, in 1984.

    According to sources, QatarEnergy LNG, a subsidiary of state enterprise QatarEnergy, awarded the feed contract for the project to build 13 LNG berths at the south export terminal at Ras Laffan to Australia-headquartered Worley.

    The contract was awarded to Worley in the second quarter of this year. Its duration is estimated to be 200,000-250,000 man hours, sources told MEED.

    Ras Laffan’s LNG processing and export capabilities will increase by up to about 63% when the three phases of QatarEnergy’s estimated $40bn North Field LNG expansion project come into operation by the end of this decade. Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) works on all three projects are progressing.

    QatarEnergy is understood to have committed nearly $30bn to the first two phases – North Field East (NFE) and North Field South (NFS) – which will lift Qatar’s LNG production capacity from 77.5 million t/y to 126 million t/y by 2028.

    QatarEnergy awarded the main EPC contracts for NFE in 2021. The project was intended to raise LNG output to 110 million t/y by 2025. The $13bn EPC package – covering the engineering, procurement, construction and installation of four LNG trains, each with a capacity of 8 million t/y – was awarded in February 2021 to a consortium of Japan’s Chiyoda and France’s Technip Energies.

    In May 2023, QatarEnergy awarded the $10bn main EPC contract for NFS to a consortium of Technip Energies and Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC). The contract includes two LNG trains, each with a capacity of 7.8 million t/y.

    Once fully operational, the first two phases are expected to add 48 million t/y of LNG supply to the global market.

    QatarEnergy took the final investment decision on the third phase, North Field West (NFW), this year, awarding an EPC contract estimated at $8bn to a joint venture comprising Technip Energies, CCC and Gulf Asia Contracting in February.

    Chiyoda carried out the feed work for the NFW LNG project.

    The NFW scope covers the EPC of two LNG trains with a combined capacity of 16 million t/y, as well as associated facilities for gas treatment, natural gas liquids recovery and helium extraction.

    In addition to LNG, NFW is expected to produce about 175,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day of condensate, ethane and liquefied petroleum gas.

    With all three phases under EPC execution – and NFE scheduled for commissioning later this year – QatarEnergy is positioning itself to remain one of the world’s largest LNG suppliers in the long term.

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

    Nuclear power ambitions gather pace; Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive despite war; Region invests in raising gas processing capacity.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the September 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19715235/main5946.jpg
    Indrajit Sen
  • Design completed for Libyan oil field development

    16 September 2026

     

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Design work has been completed for a project to develop Libya’s I/R oil field, according to industry sources.

    The front-end engineering and design work was completed by a team in the London offices of Italy’s EniProgetti and paves the way for the main engineering, procurement and construction contract to be tendered.

    One source said: “At the moment, there is no fixed date for when the invitation to bid for the main contract will be issued, but the project has a lot of momentum and is progressing towards tendering.”

    The I/R oil field is located in Murzuq Basin in southwestern Libya.

    In June this year, Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) signed a unified operating agreement for the field.

    The I/R field is operated by Akakus Oil Operations, which is a joint venture of NOC in partnership with Spain’s Repsol, France’s TotalEnergies Repsol, Austria’s OMV and Norway’s Equinor.

    The agreement in June was signed by NOC as well as its concession partners.

    NOC said the agreement would unify operational and administrative procedures related to field management, optimise resource utilisation and support production sustainability.

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

    Nuclear power ambitions gather pace; Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive despite war; Region invests in raising gas processing capacity.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the September 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19711588/main.jpg
    Wil Crisp