MEED
Issue No 5 29 January - 4 February 2010
View all stories from this issue.
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Adwea starts search for financial adviser on power project
Potential financial advisers to bid by 26 January -
Al-Naboodah wins rail deal at Doha airport
Contract involves building concrete shell for railway station terminal -
Analysts raise concerns after agency withdraws Dubai Holding rating
Experts question lack of transparency in firms linked to government -
Bidders line up for Yanbu refinery deals
Contracts worth $6.6bn cover main process and storage units at plant -
Builders in Qatar have to tough it out
Contractors in Qatar say it is hard to negotiate with clients over changes to a project once work has started -
Debt stalls hopes of recovery in the Emirates
UAE real estate projects will remain on hold in 2010 as developers struggle financially, but state-backed infrastructure schemes are progressing well -
Developers forsake the Maghreb
Maghreb governments are seeking to plug an investment gap left by the impact of the downturn in the Gulf and the exodus of developers from their real estate markets -
Doha delays decision on North field moratorium
State extends hold on projects until 2015 to conduct technical studies -
Dubai cancels seawater cooling tender
Hassyan power and water plant to be part of private project -
Dubai must toe Abu Dhabi line
Ceding power will be tough for Dubai, but it is necessary for the sake of its economy and for the strength of the federation as a whole. Abu Dhabi’s decision to spend tens of billions of dollars bailing out Dubai begs the question of what Abu Dhabi will get in return -
Emirates seeking strength through unity
The UAE’s recent financial woes could lead to stronger federal structures and policy frameworks -
Financial crisis has lessons for Maghreb construction sector
Many of the projects announced during the boom years looked far too ambitious from the start -
Firms line up for Abu Dhabi refinery pipeline deal
$700m-plus scheme is one of largest pipeline deals to be tendered in the emirate -
Firms line up for Abu Dhabi seawater injection deal
Project is part of plans to boost emirate’s offshore production -
GCC Royal Heirs
The six princes who are first in line to succeed as rulers in the region’s kingdoms and emirates are: Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, Prince Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani -
Gulf awaits contract awards
The Gulf has a two-tier construction market and contractors should switch their focus to the stream of awards about to be made elsewhere in the region -
Iraq can be top global oil producer
Minister aims for top spot within seven years -
Iraq’s Rumaila field to expand production
Up to 1.1 million barrels-a-day by July -
Iraq's oil ministry signs contract over Qarna oilfield
Russia and Norway to develop 13bn barrel field -
Jordan shortlists consultants for renewable energy contracts
Consultants to prepare regulatory, technical and economic framework for future projects -
Kharafi wins $700m Abu Dhabi gas processing deal
Kuwaiti firm will work as subcontractor on $4.7bn processing facilities scheme -
Kuwait delays gas bottling bid deadline
Scheme is worth more than $100m -
Kuwait receives bids for Bubiyan port marine work
Four groups compete for $1bn design-and-build deal -
Kuwait to issue tender for Al-Zour North in February
Plant will produce 1,500MW of power and 102 million gallons a day of water -
Majid Al-Futtaim Group
The growing Gulf lifestyle and entertainment markets have boosted the success of this retail developer -
Majid Al-Futtaim Group: MEED Assessment
The company has an underlying strategy of diversification -
Majid Al-Futtaim Group: The Retail Development Agenda
Malls and leisure complexes are a long-term game and provide MAF with lower exposure to the fluctuations in consumer spending -
Masdar plans pipeline management tender in March
Winning firm will supervise first two phases of carbon dioxide network -
MPs should back Kuwaiti five-year plan
The economy’s health depends on the notoriously obstructive parliament voting for the proposal -
Mubadala seeks financial adviser for Rosewood hotel
Search follows award of $218m construction contract in early January -
Mubadala starts talks to refinance $2bn loan
Abu Dhabi-owned company plans to keep pricing as low as possible -
Oman opens commercial bids for Barka and Sohar power projects
OPWP excludes Balkan Energy after technical evaluation -
Prince Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah
Prince Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, Crown Prince of Kuwait -
Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa
Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain -
Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud
Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia -
Qatar invests another $741m in local banks
Government plans to expand lending capacity of institutions -
Qatar to spend $20bn on roads
Ashghal set to release construction tenders for first two projects -
Qatari banks reschedule property loans
Repayment extended to reflect slowdown and anticipated recovery in 2011 -
Riyadh to issue Al-Kharj plant tender in February
Twenty-five companies apply to prequalify for project -
Saudi Aramco reviews bids for Safaniyah work
Infrastructure contract estimated to be worth $1bn -
Saudi Rail Organisation delays tender closing date for Haramain
New submission date is 28 February -
Saudi wastewater strategy is still privatisation
Once the regional economy picks up, the government’s privatisation drive should gather speed -
Scandal envelops Sonatrach
Management turmoil at Algeria’s state oil company could derail delicate negotiations on petrochemicals projects and delay the award of key refinery contracts -
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai -
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi -
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani
Crown Prince of Qatar, the country’s heir apparent -
Sinopec wins $140m Wasea oil plant deal
Fears mount among contractors after Chinese bid $100m under budget -
Special Report: Construction - Contract awards raise hope in the Gulf
The outlook for the region’s construction sector in 2010 looks mixed. The Gulf’s major economies, such as Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, are surging out of the financial downturn, but $575bn worth of projects remain on hold across the GCC
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