MEED Middle East Economic Digest articles from December 2006

MEED Middle East Economic Digest archives from December 2006

The best laid plans.(COMMENT)(Editorial)
December 1, 2006... Dubai has gained a reputation for clocking up firsts. The pioneering spirit of the emirate can be seen in every aspect of the coastal city, from offshore island developments to 800-metre-high towers. And as this week's UAE Special Report...

Region awaits the fallout from Bahraini elections; neighbours look on as kingdom's sectarian divide plays out in parliament.(BAHRAIN)
December 1, 2006... When Bahrainis voted in elections to the National Assembly (parliament) on 25 November, the result was almost a formality. Having boycotted the elections in 2002, the kingdom's largest Shia grouping, Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, took part...

On the record.(SEVEN DAYS)(Quotation)
December 1, 2006... "We could possibly imagine going into 2007 and having three civil wars on our hands... It is time that we really take a strong step forward as part of the international community and make sure we avert the Middle East from a tremendous crisis...

Looking back ...(SEVEN DAYS)
December 1, 2006... 2 December 1966 Kuwait University is inaugurated with faculties of arts, science and education 6 December 1991 The UN Security Council elects Egyptian deputy prime minister Boutros Boutros Ghali to the position of...

Talabani woos Tehran.(REGIONAL)(Iraqi President Jalal Talabani )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Iraqi President Jalal Talabani visited Tehran in late November to ask for help stabilising his country The meetings with Iran's President Ahmadinejad and its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei came as pressure increased on Washington to open...

Olmert offers peace, but missile attacks continue.(GAZA--WEST BANK)(Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has for the first time offered to release Palestinian prisoners in return for the freedom of an Israeli soldier captured by militants in June. "I hold out my hand in peace to our Palestinian neighbours in the...

Business leaders strike in Lebanon: 24 November.(NEWS DIGEST on MEED.com this week)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Lebanese business leaders go on strike to protest against violence and political infighting. Factories, banks and financial institutions are ordered to close after a meeting between business leaders. A statement by the striking parties calls on...

Curfew imposed as Baghdad counts dead: 24 November.(NEWS DIGEST on MEED.com this week)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The death toll from a series of explosions that tore through Baghdad on 23 November rises to at least 202. A day after the bombings in Sadr City, mourners take to the streets to accompany the coffins of the victims on the journey to Najaf. An...

Thirty-six dead in Iranian plane crash: 27 November.(NEWS DIGEST on MEED.com this week)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... A military plane crashes while taking off from Tehran. Iran's Revolutionary Guards say 36 people--30 soldiers and six crew members--were killed in the crash. Two soldiers were initially reported to have survived. State television reports say...

Iraq on verge of civil war, says Annan: 27 November.(NEWS DIGEST on MEED.com this week)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan warns that Iraq is on the verge of civil war. "I think given the developments on the ground, unless something is done drastically and urgently to arrest the deteriorating situation, we could be there," Annan...

Al-Bashir rejects UN force again: 28 November.(NEWS DIGEST on MEED.com this week)(Sudanese President Al-Bashir )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Sudanese President Al-Bashir rejects plans for African Union (AU) and UN forces to form a joint peacekeeping mission in Darfur, stressing that African troops must remain under AU leadership. Al-Bashir says he will only allow logistical and...

Militant blows himself up on Syrian border: 28 November.(NEWS DIGEST on MEED.com this week)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... A leader of the Syrian Tawhid & Jihad group linked to Al-Qaeda blows himself up on the border with Lebanon after a gun battle with security forces. A Syrian Interior Ministry statement says Omar Abdullah attempted to cross into Lebanon using...

Qaddafi in Nigerian diplomatic faux pas: 28 November.(NEWS DIGEST on MEED.com this week)(Muammar Qaddafi-Libyan leader)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Nigerian security officers refuse to allow Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi's 200 bodyguards to keep their weapons after landing at Abuja airport. Nigerian President Obasanjo intervenes to urge the Libyans to leave their weapons onboard their...

UN renews Iraqi force mandate: 29 November.(NEWS DIGEST on MEED.com this week)(UN Security Council )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The UN Security Council unanimously approves the extension of the mandate of the multinational force in Iraq until the end of 2007. The decision follows a request from the Iraqi government for about 160,000 foreign troops, mostly from the US,...

Coke is it; the sudden revival of interest in the global coal market could have an unexpected impact on Gulf energy producers.(THE COAL REVIVAL)(Cover story)
December 1, 2006... There are many places you might expect to see a coal-fired power station, but the Middle East is not one of them. This is oil country More than 40 per cent of the earth's known reserves of crude sit under the Arabian desert, along with one...

The cost of drilling deeper: the days of easy oil are over, and international oil companies are having to sink ever-deeper wells in search of new reserves.(TECHNOLOGY BRIEFING: DEEP DRILLING)
December 1, 2006... If some energy analysts in the US are to be believed, global oil production has already reached its peak and the industry is entering a long period of terminal decline. But reports of the death of the Age of Oil are premature. Plenty of gas and...

Securing the north: as central Iraq spirals out of control, the Kurdish region is trying to provide a secure haven for businessmen and Iraqis alike.(POLITICAL BRIEFING: IRAQI SECURITY)
December 1, 2006... November heralded one of the bloodiest months yet in central Iraq. The death toll rose to 1,300 in the first 20 days of the month, compared to 1,126 in the whole of October, according to Associated Press. Yet in the areas under the control of...

No call for change: with high penetration, excellent services and two entrenched operators, many doubt whether Kuwait has room for a third telecoms provider.(BRIEFING: KUWAITI TELECOMS)
December 1, 2006... Kuwait may have to wait a little longer for a third operator. Seven months after a fresh draft law paved the way for a newcomer, the Communications Ministry shows no sign of releasing any further plans. Incumbents Wataniya and MTC claim to be...

Courting Muslim investors: London is positioning itself at the heart of the global Islamic financial industry, and hopes to entice Gulf investors to the UK in the process.(BRIEFING: ISLAMIC FINANCE IN LONDON)
December 1, 2006... "I want to explain the importance we attach to establishing a fair and reasonable regulatory framework for Islamic financial transactions and financial institutions," Callum McCarthy, chairman of the UK's Financial Services Authority (FSA),...

Chinese boost gas exploration; Sino-Saudi plans new Empty Quarter drilling.(Sino Saudi Gas )
December 1, 2006... The Chinese/local joint venture exploring for gas in the North Rub al-Khali (Empty Quarter) is to drill two additional wells by the end of the year. Al-Khobar-based Sino Saudi Gas (SSGL) will start drilling on the new wells by late...

Gasco presses ahead on integrated gas.(UAE )(contracts)(Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Company)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Abu Dhabi Gas Industries Company (Gasco) has invited companies to submit technical and commercial bids by 13 January for two project management consultancy (PMC) contracts to oversee front-end engineering and design (FEED) work on the...

More work let on Pearl GTL.(QATAR)(contracts )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Athens-based Consolidated Contractors International Company (CCC) has landed a $980 million construction contract on the Pearl GTL project. The award is the latest to be made on the multi-billion-dollar development by the client, the Royal...

MetalServ wins gas line.(SAUDI ARABIA)(contracts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Saudi Aramco awarded in late November the downstream gas pipeline package on the Khurais crude increment programme to the local Metal Services for Trading & Contracting Company (MetalServ). Estimated to be worth SR 250 million ($67...

New pipeline work terms out.(KUWAIT)(contracts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... State upstream operator Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) has invited 34 international contractors to submit bids by 16 January for the contract to install the gas-oil fuel pipeline between the Mina al-Ahmadi refinery and the planned Subiya power plant....

Shell signed up for study.(ALGERIA)(contracts)(Royal Dutch/Shell Group)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The Royal Dutch/Shell Group signed an agreement on 27 November with state energy company Sonatrach to carry out an optimisation study of the country's liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) storage and export facilities. Under...

New refinery deadline.(KUWAIT)(contracts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The bid deadline has been extended to 17 December for the new refinery project at Al-Zour, planned by Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC). The extension follows the release of an addendum, which reduces the warranty and increases the...

Doha mulls joint venture.(QATAR)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Qatar Petroleum (QP) has revived plans to set up an engineering joint venture with an international company. The state-owned oil and gas company has approached at least 10 international companies to gauge their interest in the venture and is...

Refinery gains investors.(QATAR)(contracts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Four Japanese companies have signed agreements with Qatar Petroleum (QP) to become shareholders in Laffan Refinery Company. Idemitsu Kosan Company and Cosmo Oil Company have each taken a 10 per cent stake in the refiner. while Mitsui & Company...

Bullish OPEC comments have desired effect on market.(MARKET ROUND-UP)(Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries )(Industry overview)
December 1, 2006... Oil prices rose above the $60-a-barrel mark in late November. Riyadh added its voice to a particularly prolonged and intense debate ahead of the forthcoming OPEC meeting, while the dramatically weakening dollar led to fears that it could be...

BP out in front for tight gas development.(OMAN)(British Petroleum Company PLC)(Statoil ASA)(Eni S.p.A.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The UK's BP is the frontrunner for the tight gas contract in the sultanate. Three companies have been shortlisted by the Ministry of Oil & Gas (MoG) for the upstream development and production agreement, with the others being Norway's...

Technip in line for gas contract.(UAE)
December 1, 2006... Paris-based Technip has submitted a low bid of an estimated $610 million to Abu Dhabi Gas Liquefaction Company (Adgas) for package 1 on the offshore associated gas (OAG) project. Three companies submitted commercial bids in mid-November, with...

Bids in for Ruwais sulphur.(UAE)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Two groups of companies submitted commercial bids on 25 November for the main engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract covering the phase 3 expansion of the Ruwais sulphur handling terminal (RSHT) in Abu Dhabi emirate. They are:...

Locals win Nuayyim work.(SAUDI ARABIA)(contracts of Saudi Arabian Oil Co. and Joannou & Paraskevaides (Overseas) Ltd.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Saudi Aramco has awarded a group of the local Arab Company for Projects & Maintenance and Egypt's Petrojet the pipeline package on the Nuayyim field development project. The SR 113 million ($30 million) lump-sum turnkey (LSTK) contract...

Local grouping targets Aghajari.(IRAN)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The local team of Chagalesh and Kayson Group has said it remains hopeful that it can land the estimated $800 million engineering, procurement and construction contract on the Aghajari gas reinjection project. In a statement, Kayson denies...

Mott wins pipeline work.(Mott MacDonald Group Ltd., Qatar Petroleum)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The UK's Mott MacDonald has started work on the front-end engineering and design (FEED) for a new multi-products pipeline, running from the Mesaieed refinery to the New Doha International Airport. The FEED contract, due to be completed next...

Aramco finds new gas.(Saudi Arabian Oil Co.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Petroleum & Mineral Resources Minister Ali Naimi announced on 27 November the discovery of a new gas field in the Eastern Province. The discovery is located about 30 kilometres south of the onshore Ghawar field. Initial flows were reported at...

Manifa bids submitted.(Saudi Arabian Oil Co.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Five groups of local and international dredging companies submitted bids on 28 November to Saudi Aramco for the first major contract on the offshore Manifa oil field redevelopment project. The bidders for the $1,000 million-1,200 million...

Irbil poised to sign production sharing agreements.(IRAQ)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The Kurdistan regional government (KRG) is poised to sign up to 10 new production sharing agreements (PSAs) with international companies once its proposed hydrocarbons law covering northern Iraq has been passed by parliament, says KRG Natural...

Medgaz export pipeline project inaugurated.(ALGERIA)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The $750 million Medgaz project to build a gas pipeline under the Mediterranean from Algeria to Spain was officially launched on 28 November with the signing of the final concession agreement between the international Medgaz project company and...

Bandar Abbas refinery set for petrol capacity boost.(National Iranian Oil Engineering Company, Petrochemical Industries Design & Engineering Company)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... National Iranian Oil Engineering Company (NIOEC) has signed a $400 million contract with a consortium led by the local Petrochemical Industries Design & Engineering Company (PIDEC) to increase petrol production capacity at Bandar Abbas refinery...

Damascus plans bid round.(SYRIA)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The Petroleum & Mineral Resources Ministry has announced its intention to launch in early 2007 its first offshore licensing bid round. Three offshore blocks will be on offer to international oil companies. The offshore round covers 5,000...

Locals win exploration job.(Dindir Petroleum International, Energy and Minerals Ministry )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The local Dindir Petroleum International (DPI) has signed an exploration and production sharing agreement (EPSA) with the Energy & Minerals Ministry for a 200,000-square-kilometre block in the northwest. DPI has a 15 per cent share in the block...

Acergy wins Miskar work.(BG Group)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... UK-based Acergy has been awarded an estimated $65 million contract for construction work on the offshore Miskar field in the Gulf of Gabes. The contract calls for the installation. tie-in and commissioning of two pipelines, together with a well...

Petrofac acquires Chergui.(Petrofac Resources, Entreprise Tunisienne d'Activites Petrolieres)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... UAE-based Petrofac Resources has reached agreement on the acquisition of a 45 per cent interest in the offshore Chergui gas concession from state oil company Entreprise Tunisienne d'Activites Petrolieres (ETAP). In addition to a cash...

Compressor bidders picked.(Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations, ILF Consulting Engineers, Siemens, National Petroleum Construction Company)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Two groups of companies have been prequalified to submit bids by 2007 to Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (Adco) for the combined front-end engineering and design and engineering, procurement and construction contract to install new...

Sahara reveals plant plans; joint venture launched for Jubail alkali complex.(SAUDI ARABIA)(Sahara Petrochemical Company )(Saudi Arabian Mining Company )
December 1, 2006... The local Sahara Petrochemical Company has signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) to jointly develop an ethylene dichloride (EDC) and chlor alkali facility in Jubail. The 50:50 joint venture will tender...

Linde takes Borouge cracker.(UAE)(Abu Dhabi Polymers Company )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Abu Dhabi Polymers Company (Borouge) has awarded Germany's Linde the cracker package on its multi-billion-dollar project to expand its petrochemical complex in Ruwais. The contract is the first major award on the expansion (MEED 10:11:06). ...

More Kayan work offered.(SAUDI ARABIA)(Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Company )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Company has given international contractors until 3 December to submit technical proposals for the amines unit on its estimated $8,000 million Jubail petrochemicals complex (MEED 21:4:06). The engineering,...

Fluor wins Jubail complex.(SAUDI ARABIA)(contracts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The US' Fluor Corporation has taken the project management consultancy (PMC) contract on the multi-billion-dollar petrochemical complex being developed at Jubail by the US/local joint venture of INEOS Enterprises and Delta Oil Company (MEED...

Fertiliser contract signed.(IRAN)
December 1, 2006... The engineering, procurement and construction contract to develop units at Shiraz Fertiliser Company (SFC) was awarded in late November to a team led by the local Petrochemical Industries Design & Engineering Company (PIDEC). The deal is the...

Ain el-Sokhna fertiliser plant set for a revamp.(EGYPT)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Egyptian Fertiliser Company (EFC) is planning an expansion of its urea/ammonia plant in Ain el-Sokhna in the northwest Gulf of Suez. Germany's Uhde is carrying out a feasibility study to expand ammonia production at the plant by 20 per cent...

Aldar and Laing join forces; Aldar CEO Barrott says the JV may work on other Abu Dhabi projects.(UAE)(joint ventures)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Local developer Aldar Properties has formed a joint venture (IV) contracting company with the UK's Laing O'Rourke. The venture has been set up primarily for Aldar's AED 54,000 million ($14,700 million) Al-Raha Beach project, but may be...

Aldar unveils $40bn Yas island scheme.(UAE)(Aldar Properties)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Local developer Aldar Properties has unveiled Abu Dhabi's biggest real estate project to date. The AED 147,000 million ($40,000 million) Yas island development be built on a natural island to the northeast of Aldar's Al-Raha Beach development...

Financial centre bids in.(contracts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Bids are under evaluation for the contract to provide construction supervision services for the $40 million Jordan National Financial Centre project. Bidders include a team of the local Arabtech Jardaneh, the US' NBBJ and the UK's Arup; and...

College bid awaits award.(KUWAIT)(contracts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The Central Tenders Committee has approved the bid by the local United Gulf Construction Company (UGCC) for the contract to build the college of basic education for girls at the Ardiya campus. The client is the Public Authority for Applied...

Athar wins residential job.(Athar Construction and Development Company)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The local Athar Construction & Development Company has been awarded the estimated QR 283 million ($77 million) construction contract on the Lavender Village development. The 24-month residential project will be built on a 65,000-square-metre...

Conference centre offered.(Royal Protocol )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The Royal Protocol has invited contractors to submit bids by 20 December to build a major conference centre in Jeddah. The project calls for the construction of a new facility with a built-up area of 150,000 square metres, The scope includes...

Wade wins more on Mirdif.(contracts)(Dubai Properties)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Local developer Dubai Properties has awarded the local Wade Adams Contracting an estimated AED 100 million ($27 million) contract for the phase 2 infrastructure works on its Mirdif Gate development. Canada-based Cansult is the infrastructure...

Khatib plans Aqaba project.(contracts)(Khatib & Alami)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Lebanon's Khatib & Alami is preparing a masterplan for a $5,000 million mixed-use real estate project in Aqaba, on the Red Sea. The development, by Lebanon's Horizon Development, covers a 22-square-kilometre area in Wadi Araba, 11 kilometres...

Arabtec makes a bid to acquire Dubai Contracting.(UAE)(Arab Technical Construction )(contracts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The local Arabtec Holding plans to acquire the local Dubai Contracting Company (DCC). The acquisition of DCC will complement Arabtec's existing business, expand its current market share in the UAE and allow the company to gain access to...

Prequals out for dredging.(UAE)(contracts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Prequalification has been launched for the first phase dredging package on the Khalifa Port & Industrial Zone (KPIZ) at Taweelah in Abu Dhabi emirate. Companies have been given until 6 December to submit prequalifications for the package,...

Bids come in for Arabian Canal.(UAE)(contracts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Local developer Nakheel has received bids for the first phase of its Arabian Canal project, to dig a canal leading inland from Dubai Waterfront to the Dubai bypass and on to the Gulf. The first phase involves 7.5 million cubic metres of...

Abyaar brings suburbia to Dubai.(UAE)(Abyaar Real Estate)(contracts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Kuwait's Abyaar Real Estate has announced its third major real estate project in Dubai. The estimated $550 million Acacia Avenues project adjacent to Knowledge Village will cover 94,000 square metres. The freehold development will comprise...

Najmat starts Reem work.(UAE)(National Projects and Construction)(contracts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The local National Projects & Construction has started grading works for the $8,000 million Najmat Abu Dhabi development on Reem island. The client, Reem Developers, is also preparing to issue tenders for the first marine works package, which...

Roads tenders reissued.(UAE)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Dubai's Roads & Transport Authority has reissued tender documents for the first phase of its parallel roads scheme, The closing date is 25 December. The package covers the improvement of two north-south corridors running between Shaikh Zayed...

Golf Gardens work starts.(UAE)(Abu Dhabi Maintenance and Contracting)(contracts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The local Abu Dhabi Maintenance & Contracting has started enabling works package for the Golf Gardens development next to Abu Dhabi International Airport. Bids are under evaluation for the main building package. The project involves the...

Six Construct wins piling.(UAE)(contracts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The local/Belgian Six Construct Abu Dhabi has been awarded the piling package on the Al-Gurm development in Abu Dhabi. The seven month contract involves piling works for the villas. The next award will be for the construction of the villas and...

Binladin leads on north-south line; award on $1.8bn contract set for year-end.(SAUDI ARABIA)
December 1, 2006... Saudi Binladin Group (SBG) is low bidder for the first three major packages on the proposed 2,400-kilometre-long north-south railway project. The client, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), is planning to award the contracts, totalling an...

GCC rail award imminent.(REGIONAL)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Plans to build a pan-GCC rail network are moving ahead with a consultant due to be selected by year-end to carry out a feasibility study Commercial offers from consultants are due to be opened on 4 December (MEED 23:6:06). Five groups of...

Operators shortlisted for Dubai Metro contract.(UAE)(contracts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Dubai's Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has shortlisted three groups for the operation and maintenance contract on Dubai Metro. The bidders are: the UK's Sereo; Singapore's SBS Transit with Japan's Mitsubishi Corporation and France's...

Amman set to relaunch light rail scheme.(contracts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The Public Transport Regulatory Commission (PTRC) will issue on 10 December its revised request for proposals for the build-operate-transfer contract for the proposed Amman-Zarqa light rail system. PTRC has prequalifled 17 companies for the...

Firms given more time for Queen Alia airport upgrade.(contracts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The Transport Ministry will issue by the end of December the request for proposals (RFP) for the build-operate-transfer contract to upgrade and expand Queen Alia International Airport near Amman. The ministry is also expected to issue a...

Political uncertainty delays Khartoum airport project.(SUDAN)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Khartoum's failure to reach a peacekeeping deal with the UN over the troubled Darfur area has forced the Civil Aviation Authority to extend the deadline to build Khartoum New International Airport. According to sources close to the project, the...

Filipinos get start date for Tartous terminal.(SYRIA)(Tartous Port General Company)(contracts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... International Container Terminal Services (ICTS) of the Philippines will commence operations at Tartous container terminal in early 2007, following the signing of its operating concession with Tartous Port General Company (TPGC). Under the...

Airport work tendered.(contracts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The Directorate-General for Civil Aviation (DGCA) has invited local grade 1 contractors to submit prequalification applications by 16 December for a contract to build a new air traffic control centre at Kuwait International Airport. The scope...

Canadians plan Jeddah.(SAUDI ARABIA)(contracts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The Transport Ministry has selected Canada's IBI Group to carryout an integrated public transport masterplan for Jeddah. The 14-month study covers design of a public transport network, provision of technology systems and detailed demand...

Rail plant planned.(Al-Tuwairqi Group)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The local Al-Tuwairqi Group of Companies is to build a rail production plant at Dammam in the Eastern Province. The estimated SR 1,000 million ($267 million) plant will have production capacity of 300,000 tonnes a year and aims to serve the...

Tram system nears.(UAE)(contracts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Dubai's Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) is planning a new tram system in Jumeirah to relieve traffic congestion. The 35-40-kilometre network will run along Jumeirah Beach road from Satwa to the hotel district in Jumeirah and will connect with...

Qatalum awards smelter contract; SNC Lavalin takes main engineering contract.(QATAR)(Hydro)(contracts)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Qatar Petroleum (QP) and Norway's Hydro have made the first major award on their $4,500 million project to jointly develop a grassroots aluminium smelter at Mesaieed. Canada's SNC Lavalin has taken the $700 million engineering, procurement...

Nuclear stand-off stalls iron plant.(Gohar Zamin Iron Ore Company )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Mounting international tensions over Tehran's nuclear enrichment programme have led to new delays on the Gohar Zamin mining, iron and steel project as prospective bidders struggle to secure finance for the scheme. The bid deadline for the...

Tehran retenders titanium dioxide plant.(IRAN)(Tehran Regional Electricity Co.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Tehran has retendered the estimated $500 million contract to design and build a titanium dioxide pigment complex at Kahnuj. The contract has been retendered because of a lack of foreign partners among the original bidding teams. ...

Nepheline field extended.(IRAN)(Sarab nepheline plant )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... A tender for the $200 million Sarab nepheline plant has been put back until the new year after delays at the prequalification stage. A tender had been expected in November. Iran Mines & Mineral Industries Development & Renovation Organisation...

Tamu mulls cement bids.(IRAQ)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Saudi Arabia's Tama Design has received bids for the equipment supply contract on its proposed cement plant in the Kurdish region. Bidders are understood to include KHD Humboldt Wedag and Polysius, both of Germany The plant will have capacity...

ABB upgrades smelter.(UAE)(contracts of Dubai Aluminium Company Ltd.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Dubai Aluminium Company (Dubal) has awarded Europe's ABB a $39 million contract to upgrade the rectifier, transformer and automation Systems at its Jebel All smelter. The contract. due to be completed by March 2008, involves replacing existing...