A technical delegation from the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) visited Bahrain recently to review the progress made on projects financed by the fund in the country. The fund to date has allocated a total of Dh10.5 billion ($2.85 billion) in government grants for 26 development projects in Bahrain.

BASF Construction Chemicals has won exclusive sales rights for the BioClad antimicrobial PVC wall cladding systems in the GCC apart from Kuwait. BioClad is described as the world’s first such wall system incorporating BioCote technology. This antimicrobial silver-ion technology kills 99.9 per cent bacteria and is proven effective against E.

Qatar has opened its ambitious Lusail Expressway project following the completion of all its main work including the arches at Interchange 5/6, the biggest and tallest monument in the country.

Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), the first aluminium smelter in the Gulf region, has been making steady strides in the construction of its landmark Line 6 Expansion Project in order to meet the first hot metal (FHM) schedule on January 1, 2019, according to Alba chairman Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al Khalifa.

Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), which has launched the Line 6 expansion of its smelter, has appointed General Electric (GE) to initiate a technical and commercial feasibility study to implement a fourth combined-cycle gas turbine (GT) block using GE 9HA technology at its Power Station (PS) 5.

Barr Al Jissah, the developer of a key luxury destination in Oman, has broken ground on its Al Mina Waterfront Residences and Yacht Club, a key ‘smart’ homes project in an area located outside capital Muscat, said a report.

The Gulf countries continue to invest in transport projects to diversify the region’s $1.4 trillion economy and prepare for the post-oil era, with the combined value of the 1,424 active transport projects in the region having crossed $392.2 billion in 2017, said a report.  Of these, 139 projects worth $207.

Bahrain has awarded the multi-billion-dollar engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) contract for the Bapco Modernisation Programme (BMP) to a consortium led by TechnipFMC, according to the kingdom’s Oil Minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa. The contract, believed to be worth $4.

British oilfield services firm Petrofac has been awarded a lump-sum contract worth $800 million by BP for the development of a central processing facility (CPF) at the Khazzan Phase Two (Ghazeer) gas project in Oman.

Acwa Power, a major developer and operator of power and desalinated water plants, said its consortium with French water and energy management company Veolia and Oman-based Dhofar International Development and Investment Holding Company (Didic) has been awarded the Salalah independent water project in Oman.

Mazaya Real Estate Development, a leading regional developer, has announced that 59 per cent of the work on the first phase (Zone One) of its mixed-use project Mazaya Residence Al Mawaleh, located at Al Seeb area in the heart of Muscat, Oman, has been completed and its units are expected to be delivered in June.

Work is in full swing at the Msheireb Downtown Doha (MDD) project, a new smart city being developed at a cost of around $5.5 billion over a 319,200-sq-m area. The first three phases are undergoing the final testing and commissioning, reported The Peninsula.

Qatar’s government plans to pump in QR1 billion ($274 million) over the next five years towards  beautification of the capital Doha and for other infrastructure development activities to make it a smart city, said a report.

Ford Trucks, one of the largest international heavy truck manufacturers in the world, has appointed Alghanim Auto as the official dealer for Ford Trucks Heavy Commercial Vehicles in Kuwait. Alghanim Auto is part of the Alghanim Industries automotive group, which includes dealership for Ford Motor Company and Lincoln Motor Company.

Sany Heavy Industry, a manufacturer of concrete, road and port machineries and excavators, said it has won a $86-million order – its largest in the Middle East – from a Kuwaiti engineering construction contractor.

Antimony smelter nearly ready Construction of the Oman Antimony Roaster (OAR), a $100-million investment by Strategic & Precious Metals Processing (SPMP), is nearing completion at Sohar Freezone, said a report.

The outlook for Middle East infrastructure investment remains positive as the region increases focus on public-private partnerships (PPPs) and privatisations, according to international law firm CMS.

Senior officials from Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo Group and Hyster recently met in Bahrain to discuss their exclusive 57-year partnership in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The management teams discussed future plans, ranging from providing tough trucks, materials handling and port operations in the UAE.

Egypt has invited preliminary bids from national and international companies interested in building two monorail projects in greater Cairo, according to an Al-Masry Al-Youm report. Bids are due to be submitted to the Housing Ministry before January 15, 2018.