UNITED ARAB EMIRATES , OMAN
Project: Develop Railway Network
Value: USD 3,000,000,000
Client: Oman-Etihad Rail
Website: www.uaeoman.etihadrail.ae
Oman Rail, the Sultanate’s national developer, has signed an agreement with UAE rail network developer, Etihad Rail, to set up a joint venture company, Oman-Etihad Rail Company, at a total investment of $3bn. Oman-Etihad Rail Company will design, develop, and operate a railway network connecting Sohar Port to the UAE national rail network.
Under this agreement, Oman-Etihad Rail will lay the groundwork and workplan for the project, including its financial mechanisms and schedule. The company will also handle the design, development, and operation of the rail network, which connects Sohar and Abu Dhabi, in line with the standards of the two countries.
The 303km railway will primarily link Sohar to Abu Dhabi and will feature the best international safety, security, and environmental standards, to provide faster and safer passenger and freight services. The passenger trains are designed to reduce travel time from Sohar to Abu Dhabi to 1 hour 40 minutes, and from Sohar to Al Ain to 47 minutes, travelling at a maximum speed of 200km/h. Meanwhile, the freight trains will run up to 120km/h.
QATAR
Project: Hamad International Airport Terminal Expansion
Value: USD 3,000,000,000
Client: Civil Aviation Authority
Website: www.caa.gov.qa
The project aims to expand the existing passenger terminal complex with more e-gates, new duty-free and passenger amenity areas, and remote transfer baggage facility. The terminal expansion will increase the annual passenger capacity of the airport from 24 million to 53 million. The Hamad International Airport terminal expansion project will add a 10,000m² indoor tropical garden in a new central concourse and a 268m² water feature, which will be the primary component of the project. The Hamad International Airport will break ground on the next development phase in January 2023.
SAUDI ARABIA
Project: Mineral Exploration
Value: USD 534,000,000
Client: Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources
Website: www.mim.gov.sa
The new mining tender is aimed to complete the current licensing process based on the new Saudi Mining Investment Law and achieve the Vision 2030 objectives, with regard to attracting foreign direct investments (FDIs) from the private sector and increasing exploration initiatives. The ministry expected that the SAR 2 billion Khunayqiyah project to provide 2,000-3,000 direct and indirect job opportunities and contribute to the development of the zinc and copper industries in the country. The Saudi Geological Survey (SGS) stressed the great geological potential of the deposits amounting to 26 million tons of zinc and copper, respectively, and that they are key minerals for the transformation of energy sources in the world. The consortium of Moxico Resources and Ajlan & Bros. won the license for the exploration of Saudi Arabia’s Al-Khunayqiyah mining.
SAUDI ARABIA
Project: Solar Park
Value: USD 330,000,000
Client: Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC)
Website: www.swcc.gov.sa
Saudi Arabia’s Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) has picked local construction company Alfanar to set up a 110-MW solar park that will power the Al Jubail 2 water desalination plant on the east coast of the Kingdom. The deployment of solar energy at the site is aimed at cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 155 megatonnes annually and reducing electricity consumption. The clean electricity from the solar park will also displace the consumption of 410,000 barrels of crude oil annually at the water desalination plant which has a production capacity of up to 1 million cubic metres per day.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Project: Advanced Recycling Facility
Value: USD 150,000,000
Client: Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (KEZAD)
Website: www.kezadgroup.com
Under the agreement, Renov8 Polymer Industries Ltd will invest $150m, to develop a 30,000sqm plot in KEZAD’s Polymers Park, as well as an expansion plot of 38,000sqm adjacent to the primary facility, for the recycling of mixed plastic waste. In addition to supporting the broader UAE Net-Zero by 2050 strategy, the agreement seeks to advance the Abu Dhabi Industrial Strategy for which the transition towards a circular economy forms a cornerstone. The facility will also benefit from Abu Dhabi’s upcoming carbon trading exchange platform, set to be the world’s first fully regulated carbon trading exchange and carbon clearing house. The new facility will be a pioneering showcase of innovation and sustainability in plastic production and the remanufacturing of plastic waste.
IRAQ, JORDAN
Project: Construct Electric Power Connection Line
Value: USD 130,000,000
Client: Government of Iraq
Iraq and Jordan will contribute a total of $130m to build the electric power connection line in the joint power connection project. Iraq will incur $100m, while Jordan’s share stands at $30m. Jordan is completely ready for the connection which will start very soon while the Iraqi side of the project will be ready by next summer. As for the pipeline, Iraq has completed some 80 percent of the procedures necessary to reach a framework agreement. The first phase of the electric power connection project aims to provide Iraq with up to 150 megawatts of electricity. The second phase is projected to provide 500 megawatts, and 900 megawatts are expected in the third phase.
BAHRAIN
Project: Housing Villa Complex
Value: USD 100,000,000
Client: Ministry of Housing (MOH)
Website: www.housing.gov.bh
The design works have commenced on the Housing Villa Complex project and is expected to be completed in December 2022. A joint venture of PACE Architecture Engineering & Planning and Ansari Engineering Service is the design and supervision consultant for the project.
Bidders for the contract included Dar SSH International Engineering Consultants; Almatouck Consultants and Gulf House Engineering JV; Dar Gulf Consult and Mohamed Salahuddin Consulting Engineering Bureau (MSCEB) JV, Narco Engineering Consultants and Khatib & Alami – Consolidated Engineering Company JV, according to officials from three companies. The scope of work involves the construction of 314 Villas, a park, parking spaces, landscaping work and utility works. The project is slated for completion in fourth quarter 2025.
