MEED
Issue No 35 29 August - 4 September 2008
View all stories from this issue.
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Abu Dhabi launches next phase of $1bn Fujairah pipeline
Abu Dhabi Transmission & Despatch Company (Transco) has issued tenders for the next phase of one of the world’s longest pipelines, which will transfer water from the Fujairah 2 independent water and power project (IWPP) to Abu Dhabi. -
Abu Dhabi real estate - Six key people
The six most influential players in the emirate’s real estate sector: Ronald Barrott, Mounir Haidar, Sulaiman al-Fahim, Claus Peter Rees, Joe Ong and Manish Joshi. -
Abu Dhabi to overhaul sewer network
Sewerage services company invites selected contractors to prequalify for $545m deep-tunnel work. -
Adgas invites bids for final gas package
Abu Dhabi Gas Liquefaction Company (Adgas) is inviting companies to bid for the sixth and final main process package on Abu Dhabi’s multi-billion-dollar integrated gas development (IGD). -
Al-Zour winners express fears over parliamentary probe
State Audit Bureau to look into project’s tendering process after criticism from National Assembly members. -
Banks in Syria reap the rewards of reform
The Syrian financial sector is growing rapidly, with plans for a Damascus Stock Exchange nearing completion and foreign banks rushing to enter the once state-dominated market. -
Big Oil has to be kept on Cairo's side
Oil majors will need reassurance from Cairo over its energy tax. By agreeing a higher price for natural gas, Cairo is trying to make amends. -
Cairo improves pricing for energy firms
Mediterranean gas exploration programme aims to attract fresh international investment. -
Construction: Rebuilding Lebanon's economy
While Lebanon’s real estate market is booming, large-scale infrastructure projects are being hampered by bureaucracy and a lack of funding. -
Damascus emerges from isolation
After being abandoned by its Arab allies and economically isolated by US sanctions, President Bashar al-Assad’s regime has made a remarkable comeback in recent months. -
Deals expose rising cost of local debt in Saudi Arabia
Tightening liquidity in the kingdom’s currency markets drives up the price of major financing packages. -
Declining oil output hits Syrian budget
Having depended on its oil profits for more than 20 years, Damascus faces massive budget deficits unless it can secure alternative revenue streams as production falls. -
Dubai to tender Palm Deira metro deal
Consultancy contract covers design of two metro lines and tram system costing $4bn in total. -
Easing Lebanon's debt burden
Beirut is planning to sell off a series of state assets in an effort to generate new revenue streams and get its budget deficit under control. -
Eqyptian minister backs single financial regulator
Draft law to simplify and upgrade rules to be submitted for final parliamentary approval in November. -
Far East offers fresh finance
The recent dramatic increase in interbank lending rates in Saudi Arabia is already hitting corporate borrowing costs, forcing a shift in what currencies firms are willing to borrow and where the funding comes from. -
Fertil invites bids for expansion of Ruwais fertiliser project
Ruwais Fertiliser Industries (Fertil) is inviting bids for the long-awaited contract to expand its urea-based fertiliser complex at Ruwais, in the west of Abu Dhabi emirate. -
Governance: Beirut edges towards stability
The first meeting of Lebanon’s government of national unity after 18 months of deadlock offers evidence that the country’s rival political factions are finally willing to work together. -
Gulf Air abandons $1.3m civil claim against former manager
Airline says no further action will be taken following its fraud investigation. -
Gulf developers turn to Far East banks
Regional firms try to fill gap in funding left by European and US finance houses hit by the credit crunch. -
HSBC wins advisory role on King Abdullah Economic City
HSBC is to advise on infrastructure projects worth $15bn at King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), near Jeddah. -
Improving relations between Lebanon and Syria should herald a new era
Syria and Lebanon could now forge a working relationship based on mutual consent and international law. -
National Power Company
A failure to win megaprojects is forcing Saudi Arabia’s power pioneer to diversify its portfolio -
National Power Company: MEED Assessment
NPC is in a strong position to take on combined power and industrial gas orders -
Petrojet bids low for gas pipeline work in Qatar
Egypt’s Petrojet is understood to be low bidder for the estimated $600-700m contract to build the gas pipeline between Ras Laffan and Mesaieed. -
Political consensus in Lebanon breeds hope for economic reform
A policy statement from the unity government offers cause for optimism that progress can at last be made on much-needed economic reform and reducing public debt. -
Politics in Kuwait must not derail Al-Zour
If the refinery project were again to fail, it would be a massive blow to the local oil sector’s reputation. -
Q&A: Fareed Alyagout, President, National Power Company
Fuel and seawater availability present difficulties for captive power production -
Qtel and Zain to bid for Tehran’s third mobile phone licence
Telecoms operators Qtel of Qatar and Kuwait’s Zain have told MEED that they will both bid for Iran’s third mobile phone licence, responding within hours of the tender being issued. -
Special Report: Lebanon - Building on political stability
The political agreement reached in Doha on 21 May has finally given Beirut a sense of stability that has long been lacking. -
Special Report: Syria - Economic reform a priority
Compared with the dark days of 2005, when Syria’s international reputation stood in tatters in the wake of the assassination of Lebanon’s former prime minister, Rafiq Hariri, Damascus now cuts a more confident public profile. -
State sell-off boosts Tehran bourse
A series of privatisations is helping the Tehran Stock Exchange beat the downturn hitting its peers. -
Tehran issues tender to build seven gas-fired power plants
Programme will add 9,000MW of generating capacity to the state’s network. -
Tehran needs foreign investors
For its bourse to prosper in the longer term, foreign investors need to make significant share purchases. -
Tehran targets foreign investment
Production-sharing agreements offer a chance for Iran to achieve its aim of attracting oil majors.
