Kuwait’s government said it had awarded a contract to build a new terminal at the country’s international airport to the same consortium that had its earlier more-expensive bid dismissed. Turkey’s Limak Holding and local construction firm Kharafi National won the deal after bidding KD1.312 billion ($4.

A contract for the $815-million expansion of Bahrain International Airport is expected to be awarded by December for completion by the first quarter of 2019, it has emerged. The project will include seven major components such as a new passenger terminal, 24 air bridges, arrival and departure lounges and airport aprons.

Kuwait has approved the construction of a series of power plants, desalination facilities and other infrastructure projects worth a total of around KD3 billion ($9.9 billion), said the Ministry of Finance. The planned projects will add around 3,580 MW of capacity, as well as waste treatment and developments for the education ministry.

Oman has named four potential sites for the establishment of a new domestic airport in Musandam Governorate in the north of the sultanate, a report said.

Qatar’s construction sector growth will continue regardless of the status of the World Cup as much of the infrastructure pipeline is not di-rectly linked to the event, said a report. Over the next 10 years, annual average growth in the country’s construction sector is expected to be 10.

The GCC rail network project is set to be completed and operating by 2018, at a cost of more than $15.4 billion, according to a report.  It will have a total length of 2,117 km extending through all the GCC countries from and Kuwait City all the way to Muscat in Oman, said the Kuwait Times report.

Expansion work at Lusail Port in Qatar is complete, increasing the capacity of the port to three million tonnes per year, a big boost to the booming construction movement in the city. The port is now open for operations.

Bahrain’s Prime Minister His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa has ordered the construction of a fourth causeway linking capital Manama and Muharraq. It will connect North Busaiteen and Bahrain Bay. The Premier also issued another order to build a underpass on Al Fateh Highway at Juffair Interchange.

The Middle East region recorded the addition of a further 75.5 million sq ft to district cooling systems in 2014, according to the latest International District Energy Association (Idea)’s report on growth in district cooling energy.

Hochtief ViCon wins Idris BIM deal Hochtief ViCon has been awarded a contract to implement, manage and execute BIM (building information modelling) on the central section of the Inner Doha Re-sewerage Implementation Strategy (Idris MTS02).

Construction has restarted on the half-built Villamar mixed-use project in the Bahrain Financial Harbour in Manama, following the signing of restructuring agreements by the developer.

The main contractor for the Al Bayt stadium in Al Khor in northern Qatar for the semi-finals of the 2022 Fifa World Cup will begin construction at the site this month (September), with 2018 set as the completion date.

Qatar hopes to decide how many stadiums it will use in hosting the 2022 World Cup by the end of this year, a spokesman for the organising committee said. Qatar has announced details for five stadiums. Its bid included plans for 12 stadiums, but those proposals were not binding and it is obliged to use at least eight.

A total of seven global technology groups have submitted their bids to develop two major independent water projects (IWPs) worth about $1 billion in Oman, a report said.

The Middle East is witnessing a massive development in the hospitality sector with a total of 453 hotel projects planned in the next five years. The new hotels will add 134,217 rooms to the hospitality offering in the region, said the report compiled by JLL for The Hotel Show Dubai, to be held in this month (September 28 to 30).

Kuwait has awarded a new KD475.32-million ($1.57 billion) contract for work on its planned Al Zour oil refinery to a consortium led by Italy’s Saipem, state news agency Kuna reported.

Global engineering consulting firms are preparing bids to design the planned Phase Three expansion of Oman’s Salalah Port, a top container shipment and logistics hub, a report said.

Oman’s proposed new sewage treatment plant (STP) project, estimated to cost about $100 million, has attracted tenders from three global firms, a report said, adding that the bids are currently under evaluation.

Samsung C&T Corp, South Korea’s Number One builder, has won a 2.87-trillion won ($2.46 billion) contract to build a power plant in Qatar. The contract calls for the construction of a combined thermal power plant with a capacity of 2,520 MW, about 15 km from the Qatari capital Doha, Yonhap news agency said.

Drake & Scull International (DSI) said its engineering subsidiary Drake & Scull Engineering Kuwait has secured an MEP (mechanical, engineering and plumbing) development contract worth Dh218 million ($59.34 million) for a major education institution which is scheduled to be completed in 2018.

Bidding is now under way for four engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) packages of Oman Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company’s (Orpic) Liwa Plastics Industries Complex in Oman. Orpic is also aiming to raise $4 billion for the project, according to an Oman Daily Observe report.