Turkey to invite solar plant bids

Turkey will start the bidding process this month (December) for a 1,000 MW solar power plant, poised to be the largest of its kind in the world.

The plant will be constructed on a 2,000-hectare site at Karapınar district in Konya province and will produce enough electricity to feed more than 600,000 houses, reported the Construction Index.

Leading companies from China, the US and Europe are expected to compete in the bidding, which is set to attract more than $1 billion investment to Konya.

Work on the plant will be completed by end-2018.

Disability complex on way in Bahrain

Work has started on the Comprehensive Disability Complex, a BD7.41 million ($19.5 million) project to be developed in A’Ali area of Bahrain and funded by the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development.

The Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning’s construction projects directorate has carried out the engineering designs for the project and will supervise its implementation on behalf of the Ministry of Social Development, which has allocated a land area of 29,106 sq m. The project will have a total construction area of 18,765 sq m.

The complex will accommodate 1,450 persons and 160 administrative persons at the main building.

Mideast power capacity to rise 66pc

The Middle East will require an additional power capacity of 267 gigawatts (GW) by 2030. This will take the region’s capacity to 509 GW, from 307 GW today, resulting in an increase of 66 per cent.

 The next 14 years will also see 66 GW of capacity retired, said Siemens.

Siemens said power generation faces challenges of affordability, sustainability, efficiency and energy security. To overcome these, power generation needs to allow for fuel diversity, and to become more affordable, reliable, efficient with lower emissions, and flexible enough to complement renewables, it said. 

$415m auto plant for Duqm

Work is set to commence work on a RO160 million ($415 million) auto assembly plant in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Duqm in Oman.

Omani-Qatari venture Karwa Motors Duqm has been allotted a 100-hectare site at the SEZ for the construction of Oman’s first ever auto plant. Qatar’s Karwa Automobiles is a 70 per cent shareholder in the venture while Oman Investment Fund owns the balance 30 per cent stake. When fully operational, Karwa Motors Duqm will be capable of assembling as many as 2,000 units of various types of motor vehicles, including trucks, buses, vans and cars. 

Work launched on Mall of Oman

UAE-based Majid Al Futtaim Properties has kick-started the construction work on the Mall of Oman, set to be the sultanate’s flagship destination for retail, leisure and entertainment.

On completion in 2020, the mall will feature 350 outlets in a 137,000-sq-m retail space. It will feature Oman’s largest snow-park, an edutainment centre, the sultanate’s first Abercrombie & Fitch, and the largest Vox Cinemas and Magic Planet centre in the region.

The mall is part of a wider RO515-million ($1.33 billion) investment in Oman by Majid Al Futtaim, which has also announced the construction of City Centre Sohar and My City Centre Sur.

Bin Faqeeh launches luxury project

Bin Faqeeh has launched a new real estate project, located at Diyar Al Muharraq in Bahrain.

Alsidra is a luxury gated community valued at BD85 million ($223.67 million) and scheduled to be completed by the first quarter of 2019. The community will have 465 villas, ranging from two- to five-bedroom units, featuring a harmonious balance of ‘regional-meets-modern’ design themes.  It presents a unique concept of blending regional Bahraini, Moroccan, modern (two types) and contemporary designs.

Each villa comes with a garage that has space for two vehicles, living quarters for the help and a laundry room. Certain signature villas will have a private swimming pool.

Oman to build beachfront complex

Oman has signed an agreement with Muriya, a key developer of sustainable towns in the sultanate, to build City Walk, a vibrant 47,999-sq-m beachfront commercial city complex in the North Al Hail region.

Muriya, which is majority owned by Orascom Development Holding, said the project will comprise a 355-m waterfront, a retail area with shops and restaurants, an upscale five-star hotel, a commercial area with offices and a dedicated cinema complex.

Work on the project has already begun and is expected to be completed in five years.

Duqm airport work progresses

Work has started on the third phase of Duqm Airport project in Oman and is likely to be completed in early 2018, said a report.

It involves the construction of a passenger terminal, control tower and a navigation and meteorology complex, according to Oman Tribune.

The project aims to accommodate the expected growth in traffic over the coming years at Duqm’s economic zone, where several public-private partnership projects are currently under way.

Mall on track for 2017 launch

Work is progressing well on the Avenues Mall project, a 273,000-sq-m retail and tourism destination coming up in the centre of Bahrain’s capital Manama.

The BD45-million ($116 million) project is being developed by a group of Bahraini investors, in partnership with Mohammed Mahmoud Alshaya Company, a leading company in the Kuwait retail sector, and Mabanee, the owner of the Avenues Mall of Kuwait.

The mall boasts 75,000 sq m of open green areas and public gardens besides an innovative design.  

Mabanee CEO Waleed Al Shoraian said about 70 per cent of the Bahrain Avenues project had been completed and work is progressing as per schedule.

Elia Grid signs pact with Kahramaa

Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa) has signed a co-operation agreement with Elia Grid International, a Belgian consultancy and engineering services company. The agreement aims at encouraging the sharing of information, experiences and ideas to foster transmission development, network planning, KPIs (key performance indicators) enhancement, better asset management, and joint co-operation, reported the Gulf Times.

Quality housing for workers on way

Qatar will offer quality housing for 32,000 workers through the development of full service and well-thought-out communities across the country.

To be developed with local partners in three phases, the government-sponsored project will feature sustainable design and operations, reported the Gulf Times.

The first phase features a 4,000-bed single residential facility at Umm Salal Mohamed, while the second phase will provide a 28,000-bed integrated worker accommodation community facility at Al Khor area, stated the report, citing a senior official of Qatar-based Daruna Development.

Spaniards win Oman power contract

Spanish construction giant Tecnicas Reunidas said its engineering consultancy unit TR Engineering Consultancy (TRE) has been awarded a detailed design contract by Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) for its Saih Rawl combined-cycle power station project.

The PDO move comes as part of its plan to convert the existing open-cycle power plant at Saih Rawl to closed-cycle by installing an HRSG (heat recovery steam generator), an STG (steam turbine generator) and other associated auxiliaries and utilities.

As per the deal, TRE will provide the detail engineering services for the project. The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of the project has been awarded to Bahwan Engineering Company.

Bahrain plans mega housing projects

Bahrain’s Ministry of Housing has unveiled an ambitious blueprint that will see the construction of five mega residential projects across the kingdom featuring 65,000 homes.

The key developments include the Northern Town, East Hidd Town, the Southern Town and Al Ramli housing scheme. Under this scheme, a total of 40,000 units will be built in these new towns along with 25,000 additional units under the Government Action Programme (GAP).

Kuwait to invite rail bids next year

The Kuwait Authority For Partnership Projects (KAPP) will start bidding on its ambitious railway network in the first half of 2017.

The network will run from Kuwait City to the airport and marine ports as well as link Kuwait with other GCC states over a 511-km-long railway line, reported the Kuwait Times.

The railway will be implemented under a build, operate, and transfer (BOT) scheme. It will serve freight and passengers and will have a speed of 120 km per hour (kmph) for the regional lines and a 200 kmph high speed line within the state.