Work has started on a huge multipurpose arena in Dubai which will be a biggest of its kind in the region and a touristic destination for global events and live shows.

Hitachi Construction Machinery Middle East (HMEC) has appointed Middle East Crane Equipment Trading (MECET) as its full line dealer in the UAE. Under the deal, MECET will provide sales and after-sales services of Hitachi Construction Machinery as well as Hitachi Sumitomo Crawler cranes in the emirates.

Dubai has opened the Dh2.7-billion ($735 million) Dubai Water Canal, a 3.2-km-long tourist landmark in the heart of the city with a walkway, and jogging and cycling tracks. The canal passes across the Business Bay to Safa Park, Al Wasl Road, Jumeirah 2, Jumeirah Road and ends in the Arabian Gulf, at the Jumeirah Beach Park.

UAE-based Aldar Properties has awarded an early works contract worth Dh30 million ($8.2 million) for the first phase of Mayan, a luxury residential development located on Yas Island, to Abu Dhabi-based Dutch Foundation & Concrete Rehabilitation Company.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and Masdar have jointly developed the first carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) plant in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region. The project, which is now operational, aims to sequester up to 800,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) said a consortium including China’s Harbin Electric and Saudi Arabia’s Acwa Power has begun construction of the 2,400 megawatt (MW) Hassyan clean coal power station which is being developed on the independent power producer (IPP) procurement model.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has received 30 Expressions of Interest (EOI) for the 200 megawatt (MW) concentrated solar power (CSP) Plant, constituting Phase Four of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.

The UAE-based Hira Industries has been conferred the ‘Best Manufacturing Company’ award for its continuous innovation and excellence in manufacturing.

Hyperloop One of the US has signed an agreement with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to study high-speed routes that will reduce travel time between Abu Dhabi and Dubai to 12 minutes from the present two-hour drive.

Emirates Global Aluminium (Ega) has reached a major milestone in the construction of its Dh11-billion ($3 billion) Al Taweelah alumina refinery with 60 per cent completion of the calciners section of the project. The refinery is currently one of the largest industrial construction sites in the UAE, with 5,900 people working on site.

Dubai hotel tower goes up UAE developer The First Group has broken ground on Millennium Place JVT Dubai, a 34-storey hotel which will come up in Jumeirah Village Triangle (JVT). A four-star deluxe property with 599 rooms, Millennium Place JVT Dubai will be managed by Millennium & Copthorne.