The world’s largest gas-to-liquids plant, Qatar’s Pearl GTL, has been named project of the year at the MEED Quality Awards for Projects 2012.

The $19bn project, which took five years to build and involved more than 52,000 workers at the peak of its construction, spearheads Qatar’s future energy strategy, which aims to support sustainable economic and environmental development.

Pearl GTL was also named GCC oil and gas project of the year at the MEED Quality Awards for Projects gala ceremony, which was staged on 21 May at The Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort & Spa.

Representatives from Qatar Petroleum and Shell, the joint developers of Pearl GTL, were on hand to accept the awards.

A further nine regional projects were named winners on the night, including four from the UAE:

• The country’s Emirates Aluminium Smelter Complex, which is set to become the world’s largest greenfield project of its type when completed, was named GCC industrial project of the year.
• The Dubai Metro Green Line, the newest extension to the region’s first metro-rail network, received the GCC transport project of the year award.
• Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Construction Village, designed to house 20,000 construction workers, was named social project of the year.
• Damac Gulf Properties’ Ocean Heights 50-storey residential tower, located in Dubai Marina, took out the GCC building project of the year award.

Oman’s Nimr Produced Water Treatment Project, developed by Bauer Nimr and Petroleum Development Oman, was named sustainable project of the year, while the Royal Opera House, located in Muscat, received the GCC leisure and tourism project of the year award. The latter honour was shared with Qatar National Convention Centre and Link Bridge, which was named joint winner of the award.

Other project winners on the night were Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Power Plant 10, which was named GCC power and water desalination project of the year, and the new pumping station installed in the wastewater treatment plant and pressure mains located in Jahra, Kuwait, which was named GCC water reuse project of the year.

Read the MEED Quality Awards for Projects 2012 ezine