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01 April 2019

HCT secures Dubai South solar rooftop EPC deal

South Energy, the energy solution arm of Dubai South (the rebranded Dubai World Central), has signed up HCT Technical Services (HCT) to provide the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for a 2MWp photovoltaic system to cater to five of its facilities.

HCT, the solar arm of Haji Commercial Company (HCC), is a Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa)-approved solar contractor.

Set to power up the Dubai South headquarters and four freight complexes, this project is South Energy’s first lease solar rooftop initiative where it will finance at zero upfront cost for Dubai South, manage the EPC and operate the solar plant within the ideal lifespan of 20 years, said the company.

The deal comes in line with Dubai’s efforts to increase sourcing energy needs from renewable energy and meet the goals under Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, remarked Ismail Al Marzooqi, CEO of South Energy after signing the deal with Unni Krishnan, CEO of HCT and HCC Group, in the presence of several top-level executives from Dubai South and Giridhar Dikshit, the general manager of HCT.

The solar plant is set to generate more than 3,000Wh of clean energy annually and can cover from 40 per cent to 100 per cent of the facilities’ electricity consumption, which when achieved can cut 1,500 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

A leading solution provider to several prestigious projects in the UAE and Bahrain, HCT was established in 1988 to provide a range of solar lighting and power solutions in the region, with over 130 technical and commercial staff.

New chairman for Saudi Binladin group in big shake-up

In a major move, the Saudi government has clipped the wings of the Bin Laden family in the eponymous construction group, naming Saudi businessman Khalid Nahas as the chairman of the newly-established Binladin Group Global Holding Company.

The new development comes following a massive restructuring, in a break from the family’s exclusive control over its earlier company, Saudi Binladin Group (SBG).

Binladin Group Global Holding Company is 36.22 per cent owned by Istidama, a finance ministry subsidiary, while the remaining 63.78 per cent is with Binladin Company for Development and Commercial Investment.

In a move that is aimed at curbing the influence of the Bin Laden family only two brothers, Saad and Abdullah, are represented on the new nine-person board, reported Reuters, citing the document from the kingdom’s commerce ministry.

Other board members of the new entity include senior Saudi businessmen with experience at some of the kingdom’s most successful companies such as state-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco, petrochemical producer Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, and property developer Jabal Omar Development Company.

SBG, which for decades built Saudi Arabia’s roads, mosques and palaces, is crucial to ambitious new plans for major tourism and infrastructure projects.

Following the shake-up, SBG’s chief financial officer Klaus Froelich has resigned, stated the Reuters report citing sources. The former Morgan Stanley banker was hired in 2016 to help the firm overcome a crisis sparked by the collapse of a construction crane in Makkah’s Grand Mosque, it added.

Thyssenkrupp wins Egypt fertiliser complex EPC deal

German industrial conglomerate Thyssenkrupp says its plant engineering business has won a major order from the Egyptian group NCIC (El Nasr Company for Intermediate Chemicals) for its new fertiliser complex coming up near the capital Cairo.

The project is being implemented by thyssenkrupp in a consortium with the Egyptian company Petrojet. It is expected to go into operation in 2022 and produce up to 440,000 tonnes of ammonia, 380,000 tonnes of urea and 300,000 tonnes of calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) every year.

As per the deal, the company will provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for the complex which will be located at Ain El Sokhna, close to the existing NCIC phosphatic and compound fertiliser complex.

On the contract win, thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions CEO Marcel Fasswald says: “We have a particularly successful partnership with Egypt stretching back more than 160 years which offers great potential for the future. Our long-standing experience in plant construction, our strong local presence and close collaboration with our customers form the basis for our success and strong market position in the region.”

Ralf Richmann, CEO Fertilizer & Syngas Technologies, says: “To date, we have planned and built 16 of the 17 existing nitrogen fertiliser plants in the country and are delighted that another state-of-the-art plant will now be added.”