MEED
Issue No 49 7 - 13 December 2007
View all stories from this issue.
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Abu Dhabi to award $10bn sour gas deal
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) has confirmed that an award for the onshore Shah sour gas field will be made before the end of the year as oil majors vie for the $10bn contract. -
Algiers searches for uranium to expand nuclear energy
Algiers is planning a fresh uranium exploration programme in a bid to increase its reserves and boost its use of nuclear energy. -
Amman government faces subsidies battle
With the oil price at a record high and the cost of cereals rising, Jordan’s subsidies are unsustainable. But plans by the new government of Prime Minister Nader Dahabi to cut them carry significant political risks. -
BP plans to increase oil production
BP is in talks with state upstream operator Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) to increase production of conventional oil reserves in north and west Kuwait. -
Cairo scales back Suez Canal redevelopment project
The redevelopment of the Suez Canal is to be scaled back because of concerns over the economics of the project. -
Cost risk can be managed out
As anybody working in the Gulf projects sector will confirm, it costs far more to develop a project today than it did three years ago. Engineering, procurement and construction costs have risen exponentially as demand for materials, manpower and logistics have outstripped supply. -
Dubai in talks with private developer for Fujairah plant
Plans to develop an independent water and power project (IWPP) in Fujairah represent a major change in strategy for the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (Dewa), marking the first time that it has commissioned a private investor to develop a power and water project. -
Fiscal expansion fuels inflation
Gulf states need monetary policy tools to combat rising prices driven by excess liquidity -
GCC water grid to use local plants
Increasing construction costs have forced the GCC to consider using its member countries' water plants to provide water to the Gulf, says a source close to the $3.86bn megaproject. -
GCC's modern technology and ancient building techniques
Gulf developers are meeting the challenge of climate change by combining modern technology with ancient building techniques. -
Glass: Gulfguard rival set to reshape market
US glass manufacturer Gulfguard’s dominance in the region is about to be challenged as a local competitor opens its own facilities. -
GS Ruwais green diesel bid highlights rise of Koreans
South Korea's GS Engineering & Construction is low bidder for the Ruwais green diesel project, planned by Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Company (Takreer), with an offer of about $1bn. -
Gulf architects: Local firms thrive in the shadows
While the big international architects are capturing the public imagination with their cutting-edge designs, local companies are benefiting most from the construction boom -
Gulf architecture goes back to its roots
While the region's many iconic, signature buildings are attracting global attention, simpler, more traditional designs are quietly making a comeback -
Gulf can lead on renewable energy
Gulf developers are rightly proud of the iconic structures that are creating a fresh genre of modern Arab architecture. They have been praised for pushing the boundaries of architectural design and the engineering community has met the challenge of turning these futuristic ideas into reality. -
Hedge funds target Dubai International Financial Centre
Hedge funds dominate applications from asset management companies to join the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). -
Inflation is price of record oil
Backed by high oil prices, governments across the region have been boosting money supply by pumping huge amounts of investment into their economies. But while that has underpinned the Gulf's booming projects market, it has also added to the region's inflation problem. -
Kingdom Hotel Investments
Following a series of major acquisitions, Kingdom Hotel Investments (KHI), a subsidiary of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal al-Saud’s Kingdom Holding Company, plans to focus on developing its assets -
Kingdom Hotel Investments: MEED Assessment
The firm’s association with Prince Alwaleed gives give it political clout and may help it to enter new markets -
Kuwait finalises plans to build city metro
Kuwait is finalising plans for Kuwait City's metro network, which includes sections of underground track. -
Maaden awards Al-Jalamid to Chinese
Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) has awarded China's Guizhou Hongfu Industry & Commerce Development Company (Hongfu) the contract to build a beneficiation plant at the Al-Jalamid mine in the north of the kingdom. -
Manama fights to regain status
With its oil reserves running out, Bahrain is focusing on developing its financial services industry in an attempt to regain its position as the region's pre-eminent financial centre. -
Nakheel to launch infrastructure trust
Local developer Nakheel plans to launch a listed infrastructure trust, one of the first in the region, that may include roads and utilities on Nakheel's Palm Jumeirah project. -
Orascom dispute with France Telecom surprises analysts
Orascom Telecom's decision to take France Telecom to court over their joint ownership of Mobinil has confounded analysts, who view Egypt's largest mobile operator as one of the most promising Middle East telecoms companies in the medium term (MEED.com 4:12:07). -
Private power station developers struggle to finish projects
A surge in activity at independent water and power projects (IWPP) in the region could leave utility firms and developers struggling to complete the projects on schedule. -
Q&A: Sarmad Zok, CEO, Kingdom Hotel Investments
We want to have as diversified a portfolio as possible -
Qatar's six top gas executives
The six most influential executives in Qatar’s gas industry: Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah, chairman and managing director of Qatar Petroleum and Energy & Industry Minister and Deputy Prime Minister; Faisal al-Suwaidi, chief executive officer (CEO) and vice-chairman of Qatargas; Alex Dodds, president and general manager of ExxonMobil Qatar; Hamad Rashid al-Mohannadi, managing director Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company (RasGas); Mohamed Saleh al-Sada, Energy & Industry Affairs Minister; an -
Red Sea Gateway secures $454m for Jeddah port terminal
The Red Sea Gateway Terminal Company has secured SR1.7bn ($454m) of financing for the construction of a new terminal at Jeddah Islamic Port. -
Reduce the need for gas
This week, it emerged that Dubai Electricity & Water Authority is considering partnering with a private developer to build a power and desalination plant in Fujairah. -
Riyadh must give majors more time
Four years after Shell and Total signed their initial agreement to explore Saudi Arabia's Rub al-Khali (Empty Quarter) for gas, progress for the consortium and three others has been disappointing. Few hydrocarbons have so far been discovered. -
Riyadh to invite interest in wastewater privatisation
Saudi Arabia's Water & Electricity Ministry plans to invite expressions of interest for the Riyadh wastewater privatisation in January 2008. -
Safco reviews Jubail expansion as contractor costs spiral
Saudi Arabian Fertilisers Company (Safco) has postponed pre-feasibility studies for a project to increase urea production capacity at Jubail fertiliser complex because of rising costs. -
Saudi Arabia: Waiting for the construction boom to begin
Slow decision-making is delaying the onset of a construction boom in the kingdom, but the promise of new opportunities is attracting interest. -
Saudi's Empty Quarter: Gas hunt comes up empty
Pressure on firms to find gas in Saudi Arabia's Rub al-Khali (Empty Quarter) is intensifying. -
Sinopec gas find sparks exploration hopes in Empty Quarter
A company exploring for hydrocarbons in the Rub al-Khali, (Empty Quarter) has found gas, sparking hopes of the first meaningful discovery in the region. -
Sonatrach unveils $15bn Algerian steel project
Algiers is seeking an international partner to develop what could become the biggest iron ore mine in the world, as part of a $15bn steel project. -
Special report: The Gulf's architectural revolution
Throughout the current real estate boom, governments and developers in the Gulf have been derided for their lack of concern for the environment.
