MEED
Issue No 44 30 October - 5 November 2009
View all stories from this issue.
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Algiers eases terms for oil majors in licensing round
International firms will not be required to swap overseas assets for licences -
Algiers' oil terms are still too harsh
Under Algeria’s 2006 Hydrocarbons Law, Sonatrach takes a 51 per cent stake in all upstream developments -
Algiers to award $920m Timimoun deal
Joint venture developer aims to bring 160 million cubic feet a day of gas on stream from 2013 -
Ali Neyzi
A key figure in the region’s growing wind energy industry -
Al-Jazeera Steel Products
The Omani company is focusing on its core business after being hit hard by the economic slowdown -
Al-Jazeera Steel Products: MEED Assessment
Prior to the financial crisis, the company enjoyed a period of strong growth, but endured very challenging trading conditions in 2009 -
Amal Haddouche
A key figure in the region’s growing wind energy industry -
Aramco invites bids for Jubail construction deal
Saudi firm and Shell aim to meet US refinery emissions regulations -
Arcelor Mittal steel mill financing nears
Saudi banks set to complete $670m funding for Jubail project -
Banking deregulation is key for Cairo
With an underdeveloped banking sector, Cairo must finance economic activity using foreign investment -
Cairo seeks foreign investors for $24bn worth of projects
Government seeks to attract foreign investment for schemes in a range of sectors -
Cairo to announce wind farm prequalifiers
Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company evaluates consultancy bids -
Construction prices offer window of opportunity in oil and gas sector
Clients are considering restarting stalled schemes to take advantage of falling constructioncosts, but must now re-evaluate their business plans in the post-boom economic environment -
Contractors to prequalify for Ras al-Zour after 5 December
Saline Water Conversion Corporation will not announce bidders shortlist before issuing tenders -
Creating linked-up government in the Gulf
Countries across the Middle East and North Africa are making the most of advances in information and communications technology to streamline the services they provide -
Developers must show caution in Qatar
Whether Qatar’s developers can resist cashing in on another boom will be the real test -
Doha economy continues to shine
Qatar is forecast to be the world’s fastest-growing economy this year, driven by strong sales of liquefied natural gas -
Dubai distances itself from $63bn debts
Bond prospectus states it is “under no obligation” to repay debts run up by government-related firms -
Expansion of Ruwais power plant hits fresh delays
Client Takreer postpones bidding on Gulf coast scheme until 14 December -
Fertil awards $1.2bn contract to upgrade Ruwais facilities
Shareholder Total approves award to Uhde and Samsung Engineering group -
Four contractors submit bids for $1.2bn Qatargas deal
Winning bidder to help maintain liquefied gas output -
Gulf telecoms operators struggle to grow
The Gulf’s mobile phone market has become increasingly saturated as more licences are granted, with operators forced to move into higher-risk markets if they wish to expand -
Investors wake up to IT opportunities in the region
The region’s information and communications technology companies have previously attracted little interest from the private sector compared with sectors such as real estate, but that is changing -
Iraq plans to sign deals with oil companies
Ministry to award licence to develop Zubair and ratify Rumaila contract -
Laila Georgy Youssef
A key figure in the region’s growing wind energy industry -
Long-term funding returns to the Gulf
The completion in mid October of the $3.5bn financing for the Shuweihat 2 independent power and water project (IWPP) in Abu Dhabi is a milestone for the region’s project finance sector. -
Manama to boost capacity of refinery at Sitra oil field
Bahrain is to expand capacity at its sole refinery by up to 200,000 barrels a day (b/d) to deal with an expected increase in oil output over the next 20 years. -
Q&A: Bhaskar Dutta, CEO, Al-Jazeera Steel
The company took a huge beating in the first quarter, but now has a clean balance sheet -
Qatar Petroleum delays $1bn gas facilities bid deadline
State firm finalising front-end engineering and design at Dukhan and Mesaieed -
Qatar real estate developing through the downturn
Firms behind the Heart of Doha, Al-Khor-Urjuan, Al-Waab City and Entertainment City schemes are adapting their plans to meet the needs of residents and visitors in an ever-changing market -
Regional project funding will stabilise in 2010
If there is a theme to project financing in 2009, it is the absence of a common structure for deals. It would be far too optimistic to say that the market will return to the boom times of the first half of 2008 -
Regional wind power
The six key people in the region’s growing wind energy industry are: Ziad Jibril Sabra, Laila Georgy Youssef, Joseph Anis, Ali Neyzi, Jan Pieter Cools-Wildiers and Amal Haddouche -
Saudi Arabia extends bidding on Jizan refinery
Contractors request more time to structure consortiums -
Saudi Electricity extends deadline for Rabigh 6 project
Four contractors line up to bid for steam power plant -
Sembcorp seeks to close $1bn Salalah financing in November
Singapore-based developer is in talks with eight lenders over pricing of debt -
Short-term pain of restructuring in Dubai is worth it
Cutting the strings of government attachment will be a painful process and should prompt some fairly radical restructuring -
South Koreans in line for Takreer deals
SK Engineering & Construction and GS Engineering & Construction enter lowest bids for refinery contracts -
Special Report: IT & Telecoms - Funds back technology sector
The Gulf states have in the past six years embraced the idea of using technology to make government departments run more efficiently. After decades of cumbersome state bureaucracy, the region’s governments have mounted a sustained effort to move as many services online as possible -
Special Report: Qatar - Real estate firms phase projects
While all the other GCC states’ economies will shrink this year, Qatar will post real gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 11.5 per cent, according to predictions from the International Monetary Fund -
Srak to return to Kidan for final well
Joint venture will complete its gas exploration campaign in the Empty Quarter in July 2010 -
Technip frontrunner for Asab gas contract
Four firms bid for engineering, procurement and construction compressor station deal -
Ziad Jibril Sabra
A key person in the region’s growing wind energy industry
