MEED
Issue No 02 11 - 17 January 2008
View all stories from this issue.
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Abu Dhabi overhauls sewage system
Joint ventures to build four treatment plants to handle increasing volumes of waste from development -
Abu Dhabi to provide power to northern neighbours
A long-awaited agreement has been signed that will hand responsibility for power generation in the northern emirates to Abu Dhabi. -
Airline privatisation faces second parliamentary defeat
National carrier seeks third chairman in four months as Al-Sabeeh exits -
Amman to launch oil shale round
Jordan will launch its next oil shale licensing round within a month, according to the Natural Resources Authority. -
Bush visit is too little, too late
With a year to go in office, US President George Bush has finally made it to the Middle East. For a region so central to the reputation of his administration, it is surprising that this is only his second visit to the region since the Red Sea summit at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt in June 2003. -
China Harbour wins contract to build Ras al-Zour port
A contract to build the industrial port at Ras al-Zour has finally been awarded to China Harbour Contracting Company, after a series of commercial and technical delays. -
Collapse of Tel Aviv gas talks revives Idku terminal project
The breakdown in negotiations between the UK’s BG and Tel Aviv on the sale of gas to Israel from Gaza could breathe fresh life into proposals for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at Idku in Egypt. -
Conoco takes lead in Shah gas bidding
US company is surprise frontrunner for sour gas project, with Shell and Occidental set to lose out -
Co-operation is the way forward
The fact that Saudi Arabia's two largest companies, Saudi Aramco and Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic), are in talks to collaborate on a multi-billion-dollar project at Yanbu is fresh evidence, if any were needed, that this is an era of increasing resource nationalism. -
Dewa extends deadlines as suppliers struggle with demand
Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (Dewa) has been forced to offer contractors more time to construct power plants, in the latest sign that supply issues are continuing to affect the market. -
Dubai invites firms to bid for controversial creek extension
Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority has invited companies to bid for two construction packages for the extension of Dubai Creek, from Business Bay across Sheikh Zayed road and through to the Gulf. -
Increasing demand drives Saudi Aramco expansion
With bumper revenues from the soaring oil prices of the past three years, Saudi Aramco is investing $90bn to boost oil production to meet growing global demand for energy. -
Interview with Sheikha Lubna al-Qasimi, UAE Economy Minister
Tackling inflation, freeing up trade and reducing unemployment are priorities for the UAE’s economy minister. -
Korean dominance in Middle East construction grows
South Korean contractors are cementing their hold over Middle East construction. -
Libya's six key oil sector players
Six key players in Libya’s oil sector - Shokri Mohamed Ghanem, Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi, Ahmed al-Hadi Aoun, Azzam al-Mesallati, Omar Gazal and Ali el-Sogher Mohamed Salah. -
Majid al-Futtaim plans retail expansion
Dubai-based developer to increase retail portfolio fivefold over five years to 2.5 million square metres. -
Majid al-Futtaim plans retail expansion
Dubai-based developer to increase retail portfolio fivefold over five years to 2.5 million square metres -
Muscat's plans to attract foreign banks
Muscat’s investment plans attract foreign institutions to crowded finance sector. -
Oil revenues drive Tehran budget boost
Tehran will increase government spending by 17 per cent in 2008, on the back of high oil revenues. -
Qasco awards key steel deal to Danieli
Qatar Steel Company (Qasco) has selected Italy’s Danieli for a key contract on its steel production plant at the Mesaieed complex. -
Sabic plans partnership with Aramco
Riyadh keen for state firms to jointly develop projects without assistance from international companies -
Saudi Aramco steps up the search for gas
With some of the largest proven gas reserves in the world, Saudi Aramco is expanding its exploration programme in a bid to meet soaring demand from Saudi industry. -
Saudi Aramco: A supply chain boost for local industry
Saudi firms will supply an increasing proportion of the materials Aramco uses on its projects as it bids to beat the supply crunch and support local business. -
Saudi Aramco: A timeline
MEED details Saudi Aramco's history, all the way back to its origins as Casoc in 1933, through the discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia and up to its position in the present day. -
Saudi Aramco: Downstream move pays off
Saudi Aramco’s decision to enter the petrochemicals industry five years ago came as a surprise to most industry observers, but its success is encouraging the company to go further down this route. -
Saudi Aramco: Getting more out of heavy oil
As the kingdom turns to heavy crude to help meet rising global demand for oil, Saudi Aramco is expanding its refining capacity in an effort to maximise returns. -
Saudi Aramco: Ghawar secrecy fuels fears of oil decline
A surge in drilling activity at the world’s largest oil field has led to speculation within the industry that production at the site is falling, with a lack of information on Aramco’s plans adding to the concern. -
Saudi Aramco: The birth of an oil giant
Three-quarters of a century ago, an unlikely huddle of Americans, Saudis and one Briton met in Jeddah to strike a deal that would become one of the most important developments of the 20th century. -
Sonatrach pipeline upgrade forces Algiers gas export cut
Sonatrach to spend $1bn over five years on inspecting and upgrading 6,000 kilometres of pipelines -
Special report: Saudi Aramco - The drive to boost output
Even the keenest supporters of Saudi Arabia’s first oil exploration programme 75 years ago could not have foreseen the power the kingdom wields today in the world’s energy markets. -
State invites foreign firms to apply for clean fuels project
State refinery operator Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) has invited international contractors to submit prequali-fication applications by the end of January for the three main contracts on the multi-billion-dollar programme to upgrade its three refineries. -
Suez Energy in exclusive talks to develop Ras Laffan
Belgium firm is preferred bidder for independent water and power project. -
Tehran must lose its pariah status
The latest efforts to boost private sector involvement in the Tehran Metro project display ingenuity, but also desperation atthe persistent failure to attract foreign capital to the project. -
Tehran offers land to metro developers
Government to give prime city sites to financiers as incentives to invest in beleaguered transport plan -
Transparency will lead to respect
There is much to applaud at oil giant Saudi Aramco. Oil expertise was nonexistent in the kingdom 75 years ago, but today the company is probably the most advanced national oil company in the world. -
Tripoli plans $5bn upgrade of refineries
Ras Lanuf modernisation to cost up to $3bn, with a further $2bn for Azzawiya under negotiation -
UAE needs to reform further
As the first female Economy Minister in the region, Sheikha Lubna al-Qasimi is unique. Her private sector background also marks her out. Since November 2004, she has overseen the UAE economy, one of the fastest growing in the world.
