MMC Corporation Berhad (MMC), along with Saudi Binladin Group, has been awarded a contract to develop and manage a new  mega economic city in Jizan, Saudi Arabia. MMC was awarded the contract by the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (Sagia) during the launch of the $30 billion Jizan Economic City (JEC) last month.

Airports in Jeddah, Madinah and Tabuk are to be expanded at a cost of SR30 billion ($8 billion) to meet the growing number of passengers and the requirements of two new domestic private airlines, according to the General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA).

The partnership of Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company and a local company has been awarded the dredging and reclamation contract for the Bahrain Investment Wharf (BIW). BIW chairman Ahmed Al Qattan said that the contract award for the dredging and reclamation signals the completion of a major phase in the BIW project development plan.

Oman-based Al Hassan Engineering Company has won a RO9.25 million ($24 million) contract from Alstom of France, which will require the company to undertake an installation and erection works package at the 1,000 MW captive power plant for an aluminium smelter coming up at Sohar in Oman.

Hempel announces that the retailers conference it held last month was a great success, with more than 80 retailers from the region discussing threadbare the business plans that will be put in place to reinforce the company’s image as a leader in the paints and coatings sector.

Marubeni to build $1.7bn power plant Mesaieed: Japanese construction firm Marubeni has won a QR6.5 billion ($1.78 billion) power plant, considered to be the largest such facility in the Middle East.

Insuwrap, a leading manufacturer of waterproofing and packaging products, has embarked on an ambitious expansion that will see the company using a new production line for the manufacture of PVC waterproofing membranes and TPO membranes starting from next year.

Pearl Development and Real Estate Company (PDREC) recently showcased the mock-up apartments for its landmark Abraj Al Lulu residence in Bahrain enabling existing and potential investors to get a first hand look and feel of the apartments.

Exports of Turkish construction materials to the UAE in the first nine months of this year have risen over the previous year, according to statistics revealed by the Istanbul Mineral and Metals Exporters’ Association (IMMIB). Exports in the nine-month period hit  $673.

Scottish golfing legend Colin Montgomerie has been signed up to design an 18-hole tournament golf course and nine-hole short course for Bahrain’s Riffa Golf and Residential Development Company. Monty will work on the design of the 27 holes in association with European Golf Design, the joint venture design company of the European Tour and IMG.

On the back of a successful year in business, Saudi-owned Al Osais has unveiled a number of plans for the coming year that includes its ambitious expansion and its foray into new partnerships.

Zamil Air Conditioners (ZAC), a leading manufacturer of air-conditioning systems, has won two new contracts worth a total of SR40 million ($11 million) to upgrade air-conditioning systems in schools and prisons across the kingdom.

Zamil Steel has won a SR22.5 million ($6 million) contract to manufacture Asia’s largest pre-engineered steel building for Singapore’s new Aviation Exhibition Center.

Cisco, the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, has entered into a strategic engagement on the ground breaking Energy City Qatar (ECQ) project, tagged the ‘city with a brain’.

Bahrain-based Bonyan International has been awarded a contract to manage the $90 million Lagoon Bahrain project, which is part of the Amwaj Island development. Bonyan will execute the project management contract in a joint venture with the Singaporean BPL Engineering and Construction (BPL), a company spokesman said.

The Big 5 exhibition, the region’s largest construction show, gets bigger every year and this year was no exception with every square metre of space having been taken up.

Saudi Build 2006, the 18th edition of Saudi Arabia’s largest construction exhibition set to open at the Riyadh Exhibition Centre this month (December 10 to 14), has been fully sold out, according to Riyadh Exhibitions Company, the show’s organiser.

An ongoing boom in the Gulf’s property market has positively impacted related sectors – including interior and exterior design, kitchen, table and dining products, home technology, arts and crafts for the home, and garden and outdoor living, says Messe Frankfurt, organisers of the Dubai Ideal Home Show.

The organisers of FM Expo, the region’s only dedicated facilities management exhibition,  have announced plans to double the size of the event next year to reflect the rapidly growing importance of the market. FM Expo was launched in Dubai in June this year and is organised by Streamline Marketing Group and dmg world media Dubai.

As many as 300 participants are expected to attend the fourth Water Middle East International Exhibition and Conference for Water Technology, which will be held next year at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre between January 22.

Cityscape Dubai 2006, one of the most-sought-after exhibitions for the property sector, is expected to lure some of the biggest players in Europe’s property market into Dubai.