big project me february 2014

095FEBRUARY 2014

ALSO INSIDE HUNGRY FOR POWER

SHARJAH AMPHITHEATRESAVING THE KINGDOM

ENERGY CONSULTANTS

Yu Tao on why every Middle East project is a fresh start

for China State Construction

PROVETHEM

WRONG

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BigProjectME_AW_HR.pdf 1 1/23/2014 11:40:44 AM

CONTENTS

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FEBRUARY 2014

PAGE 20Big Project ME

visits the Al Majaz Island

Amphitheatre

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FEBRUARY 2014

07 THE BIG PICTURE

QATAR INVESTMENT AUTHORITY EYES INDIAN MARKET

Residential property market to receive $200 million investment

14 IN PROFILE

NEW BEGINNINGS

CSCECME’s Yu Tao explains why every project is a fresh start for his firm

20 SITE VISIT

DEADLINE DRAMA

Big Project ME visits the site of Sharjah’s celebrations for its Capital of

Islamic Culture 2014 celebrations

22 MAIN FEATURE

POWER HUNGRY

Big Project ME finds out why PPPs are the way forward for the GCC

30 INDUSTRY FOCUS

SETTING NEW STANDARDS

Energy consultants outline the impact of the new green building codes

32 COUNTRY FOCUS: SAUDI ARABIA

SAVING SAUDI

Analysing the new challenges facing the KSA construction industry

38 SPECIAL FEATURE: PAINTS

PAINTING PREVENTIVELY

Big Project ME looks at how paints can help eliminate health hazards

42 SPECIAL FEATURE: POST TENSIONING

STRESSED OUT

Is the industry is giving up on post-tensioning for better fire-resistance?

46 TIME & MONEY

PRECAST PERFECTION

Hard Precast tells us why their precast solutions are the way forward

48 TENDERS

MIDDLE EAST TOP TENDERS

Listing the Middle East’s biggest construction tenders of the month

54 HAPPENING THIS MONTH

MIDDLE EAST ELECTRICITY 2014

Big Project ME previews Middle East Electricity ahead of the show

56 CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT

Gavin Davids says the GCC embracing sustainability is a step forwards

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EDITOR’S COMMENT BIGPROJECTME.COM

Stephen WhiteGroup Editor

Leisure suits

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GROUP CHAIRMAN AND FOUNDER DOMINIC DE SOUSA

GROUP CEO NADEEM HOOD

GROUP C0O GINA O’HARA

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ART DIRECTOR SIMON COBONJUNIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER PERCIVAL MANALAYSAY CIRCULATION & PRODUCTION

CIRCULATION AND DISTRIBUTION MANAGERROCHELLE ALMEIDA [email protected] +971 4 368 1670

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© Copyright 2014 CPIAll rights reserved

While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.

The UAE’s hospitality sector has been relatively sluggish compared to other areas of construction activity over the past 18 months, despite quoted figures claiming that 11,000 rooms are under construction in the Emirate. It will be no surprise to long-time readers that most of the hotels that are underway have been re-starts of older projects.Indeed, despite the economy of the UAE and Dubai, in particular, rebounding, news of new hotels has been few and far between. The problem, it would seem, has been red tape. If Dubai needs hotel beds for 20 million people by 2020 then it is going to have to build a lot more 3-star and 4-star accommodation and thankfully last month saw a range of new measures that will overhaul the way hotels are planned, funded and operated. Introduced by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the measures include the slashing of pre-approval processes to two months. The approval process for planning permission for all hotel establishments in Dubai will also be standardised through the Dubai Municipality. A range of incentives were also introduced, such as exemptions from the 10% Dubai Municipality Fee and, finally, a special committee has been formed to review the re-zoning of plots. While the news may have passed many by, this approach should be welcomed by the construction industry because Dubai has just produced a blueprint for kick-starting a range of projects beyond hotels and resorts. Given the limitations of existing infrastructure, the re-zoning should be especially welcomed, as it demonstrates that it is possible to re-think how limited space and resources can be used. Setting aside now unsound plans for buildings is a reassuring sign that past lessons are being learned. Perhaps the best thing of all is that it has all been developed in co-ordination and collaboration with the private sector. More of this joined-up thinking, please – it works.

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THE BIGGEST PICTURE

BIG PROJECT ME SPEAKS TO YU TAO ABOUT CHINA STATE CONSTRUCTION’S RISE IN THE REGION – PAGE 14

SOVEREIGN WEALTH FUND EYES OPPORTUNITIES IN INDIA’S GROWING RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE PROPERTY MARKET, WILL WORK WITH KOTAK MAHINDRA BANK’S REALTY FUND

QATAR INVESTMENT AUTHORITY, the

sovereign wealth fund of the Gulf state,

is in talks to invest $200 million into

residential property in India.

According to a Reuters report, the

fund is holding conversations with Kotak

Realty Fund, run by Kotak Mahindra

Bank, which would manage investments

on its behalf.

A source close to the deal, who

declined to be named because the deal

was not finalised, said that Kotak would

also make a small investment and that it

planned to focus on residential property

developments in major cities across

India, for QIA.

Kotak has declined to comment, the

report said, while QIA has not responded

to emails or telephone calls.

QIA IN TALKS TO INVEST $200 MILLION INTO INDIAN MARKET

Sovereign wealth funds and

other long term investors are eyeing

opportunities in India’s real estate sector,

betting on property prices bottoming out

after slumping this year on the back of

the country’s slowest economic growth

in a decade.

House sales in major Indian cities,

including Mumbai and Delhi, fell by

22% in the quarter ended September 30.

House prices grew by 9% over the same

period, compared with double digit

increases in the year ago quarter, data

released by property firm, Liases Foras.

Vikram Gandhi, founder of Delhi-

based VSG Capital Advisers, which

has been retained by Canada Pension

Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) to seek

investment opportunities in the country,

said the timing to invest in Indian

property was ideal.

“If you have a long-term perspective

and you believe that the need for capital

in a country is quite high, which it is, and

the supply is limited right now because

people are not investing, then this is the

best time to invest,” he said.

In November, CPPIB said it would

invest $200 million to buy leased,

income-producing office buildings in a

joint venture with Indian construction

company, Shapoorji Pallonji Group,

which will invest $50 million.

QIA’s investment comes after the Abu

Dhabi Investment Authority in July also

appointed Kotak to invest $200 million in

Indian real estate on its behalf, sources

told Reuters at the time.

INDIAN SUMMER:n Expected

growth across all construction market sectors in India for 2014: 20%

n Estimated real estate demand in India: 2,000mn units

n Multiplier effect on the economy: 1.85 times the assets being created

n Growth potential for construction material in India: 7% to 15%

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THE BIG PICTURE bigprojectMe.Com

Phase I of UnIon MUseUM BUIldIng Project BegInsRTA chairman says Phase I to be completed by the middle of 2014

Construction works on Phase I of the Union Museum Building Project have begun, the chairman of the Board and executive director of the RTA, has said.

Mattar Al Tayer said that the project will be constructed beside the Union House, which was the location that saw the signing of the constitutional document of the UAE, and the home of the second biggest UAE flag.

“Construction works of Phase I of the Project comprise preparing the site, shifting and protecting

artefacts and exhibits in the onsite buildings, constructing a six-metre high boundary wall, demolishing the aging buildings at site, inspecting and treating the soil, and shifting the utility lines,” he said.

“The construction firm has started site works and Phase I of the project is set for completion by the mid of this year.

Afterwards the RTA will award the contract of the main building of the Museum,” added Al Tayer.

“The Union Museum building consists of five divisions; with the first one highlighting the story of the region and the life patterns of the population in various (desert, coastal and hilly) terrains in the pre-federation era,” he explained further in a statement.

bPme vIsITs The AmPhITheATRe beIng buIlT foR shARjAh’s IslAmIc culTuRe celebRATIons – Page 20

136,000

Nakheel evaluates coNstructioN bids for the PoiNte Project

136,000sqm retail and entertainment project set to commence leasing in january 2014

Nakheel, the master developer of the Palm

Jumeirah, has announced that it has received

construction bids for its 136,000sqm the Pointe

project.

located at the tip of the Palm and opposite

the atlantis, the Pointe is a waterfront retail

and entertainment project that will contain

restaurants, boutiques and landscaped gardens.

Nakheel has started the evaluation process

with the contract due to be awarded within the

first quarter of 2014. the contract for ground

improvement work at the site was awarded

earlier, the developer said.

Ground preparation work included vibro-

compaction, topographic survey and factual site

investigation, Nakheel said, adding that it was

now complete.

leasing will commence in January 2014,

with the project featuring over 200 retail

opportunities. In addition, road access work and

parking will also be developed.

the Pointe will also be accessible via the

Palm monorail system which will soon be

connected to the mainland tram system, while

water taxis will shuttle visitors across the bay

from nearby hotels directly to the mall’s marina.

the project is one of several new Nakheel

developments underway at Palm Jumeirah.

Others include Nakheel mall, the Boardwalk

and Palm West Beach.

square metres

total size of the pointe project on palm jumeirah

dsi Qatar wiNs $110m mall of Qatar meP coNtract

contractor will execute installation of all incidental electromechanical works on the mall

DuBaI’s Drake aND scull has announced

that it has won a contract worth $110 million

for mechanical, electrical and plumbing work

at the mall of Qatar, which is currently under

construction in Doha.

under the terms of the agreement, DsI Qatar

will execute the installation of all incidental

electromechanical works on the three-storey mall

which will feature a hypermarket, a multiplex, five

department stores and at least 20 restaurants.

In addition to the car parking accommodating

7000 cars, the mall will also have its own metro

station. DsI Qatar is scheduled to start works on

site in the first quarter of 2014 and the project is

slated for completion in June 2015.

urbaCon trading and Development are the

main contractors for the project, which is in the

al rayyan district of Qatar. the project win is the

latest in a series of multi-million commercial and

residential project wins for DsI.

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THE BIG PICTURE

RTA TO RELEASE UNION METRO STATION TOWER TENDERSAuthority plans to build towers above Union Metro Station

Tenders will be released for the construction of the towers, featuring shops, restaurants, offices and residences in partnership with a private company.

“The project is aimed to raise the efficiency and users of mass transit systems through re-planning of districts around the metro stations,” said Mattar Al Tayer, chairman of the board and executive director of the RTA.

“It focuses on providing high-class residential and office environment characterised by pedestrian-friendly roads, greens, vital utilities, retail outlets among others.”

The RTA will study transit-oriented communities and adapt to local conditions.

VACANT PLOTS BLOCKING HARAMAIN PROJECTS INCREASE

Number of plots blocking KSA rail project increased by 40.6% in last two months

VACANT PLOTS BLOCKING the Haramain

High Speed Rail project in Saudi Arabia have

increased by 40.6% in the last two months,

an anonymous source from the Ministry of

Transport has revealed.

These plots, whose owners have not yet

finalised expropriation procedures, are a part of

the Jawhara Thuwal Plan in north Jeddah, said a

report by Arab News.

The rail project will go ahead despite

these land issues, continued the source, and

the ministry will address the Saudi Railways

Organisation (SRO) to invite the owners of these

lands for the same, he added.

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THE BIG PICTURE BIGPROJECTME.COM

ABU DHABI’S DEPARTMENT of Transport has announced that it is set to

begin engineering design for the first green road in the Middle East.

The 5km long pilot project will link the existing Abu Dhabi – Dubai

Main Road (E11) and the new Abu Dhabi – Dubai Main Road (E311).

Construction work on the project is expected to begin by the first quarter

of 2015.

According to a statement released by the Department of Transport, the

project will serve as a benchmark for future-to-be-built roads in the Emirate

of Abu Dhabi, as it will support the highest sustainable practices adopted

worldwide, such as state-of-the-art technology and solutions to lower

carbon emissions, as well as environmentally friendly construction material

such as recycled asphalt/concrete aggregates and scrap rubber tires.

The green road project is one of the strategic initiatives undertaken by

the DoT to attain the Surface Transport Master Plan (STMP) vision and

its priorities by developing world-class and integrated road network that

addresses the current and future needs of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi whilst

setting an example of environment-friendly projects.

ABU DHABI DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT ANNOUNCES FIRST GREEN ROAD IN ME

BIG PROJECT ME LOOKS AT THE STATE OF THE POWER AND WATER INDUSTRIES IN THE GCC – PAGE 24

OMAN CANCELS CONSTRUCTION TENDER FOR RAS AL HADD AIRPORT

No reasons given for the cancellation of tender package for terminal building

Oman’s Ministry of Transport and Communications has cancelled a tender package for selecting a contractor to construct the terminal building at Ras Al Hadd Airport.

The date for opening the bids was set to be December 9, 2013, but the contracting firms that bought the tender document have been informed that the tender document has been cancelled, a report by local media said.

The ministry, which is overseeing the development of three green-field regional airports and the massive expansion of two international airports, did not give any reasons for cancelling the tender – which has been much delayed.

The report added that it was not known whether the ministry was contemplating a redesign of the terminal building, having already delayed the tender previously for the same reason.

VOLUME OF KSA CONSTRUCTION MARKET TO HIT $300BN BY 2015

Chairman of National Contractors Committee says sector is Kingdom’s second largest economic sector after oil

THE VOLUME OF Saudi Arabia’s

construction and contractor market

is expected hit $300 billion by

2015, the chairman of the National

Contractors Committee has said.

Fahd bin Mohammed Al-

Hammadi told the Council of

Saudi Chambers that construction

was the Kingdom’s second largest

economic sector after oil.

In 2012, the sector contributed

16.5% of the gross domestic

product compared to the private

sector growth of 11.5% and GDP

growth of 8.6% in current prices, he

explained.

According to an Arab News

report, the construction sector’s

total assets are valued at $53.32

billion while the value of

government contracts awarded in

2013 amounted to nearly $41.86

billion.

“We don’t have the correct

figure of disrupted government

projects,” Al-Hammadi said.

“We have to differentiate

between delayed projects and

disrupted projects.”

Since the beginning of 2013

to its third quarter, the Finance

Ministry sanctioned 1,855 contracts

worth $32.06 billion, he added.

“They included 627 contracts

for operation, maintenance and

cleaning with a total value of $6.46

billion,” Al-Hammadi pointed out,

adding that government contracts

accounted for 65% of the sector’s

activities. The number of registered

contractors in the Kingdom

reached 115,000 by the end of 2013,

the report said.

This figure is 41% less than the

figure reached in 2010, when it was

280,000. Amongst them, 3,052 are

classified contractors.

The firms licensed to provide

contracting and maintenance

services reached 3,487, which

accounted for 77% of investment

licenses in the Kingdom.

Al-Hammadi said that he

expected the private sector’s

contribution to nonoil GDP to

stand at 58.75% in 2013 while

estimating actual growth in the

sector at 8.11%.

Five kilometre pilot project expected to begin construction by first quarter of 2015

CONTRACTORS

THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED CONTRACTORS IN KSA AT THE END OF 2013

115,000

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IN PROFILE YU TAO BIGPROJECTME.COM

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IN PROFILE YU TAO

Big Project ME’s Gavin Davids sits down for a chat with Yu Tao, president and CEO of China State Construction Engineering Corporation (Middle East),

who explains why China’s largest contractor is set for regional success

NEWBEGINNINGS

When you’re part of the third largest

construction company in the world

and have racked up a total revenue

of $81.3 billion (in 2012), it wouldn’t

be unreasonable to assume that you’d have a

certain amount of swagger when you approach a

new market, no matter how competitive it is.

After all, it’s not like China State Construction

Engineering Corporation Ltd. is some sort

of brash newcomer in the market. Having

been established in 1957, the firm has seen

its operations reach 27 countries and regions

around the world, while it has conducted

business in more than a 100. From 1982 to

2011, the corporation’s accumulated contract

value stood at $661 billion, while turnover

accomplished stood at $380.5 billion.

As staggering as those figures are, they

hold almost no significance with Yu Tao, the

president and CEO of China State Construction

Engineering Corporation (Middle East), when it

comes to his operations in the region.

He tells Big Project ME that as he sees it,

CSCEC(ME) needs to convince the market of

its own worth, irrespective of what its parent

company has done over the years.

“It’s very natural. If they don’t know you,

even though you have a very big name around

the world, they’ll still have many questions to

ask. To manage this situation, what we have

done is to deliver,” he explains.

The company first started operations in

Dubai in 2003, when it won the contract to

build the Palm Jumeirah Garden Home Villas

Project. The successful completion of that

project underpinned its growth in the UAE and

its subsequent expansion into the GCC region.

By 2005, the company was formally established

in Dubai and by 2008, it had ventured into other

Emirates and established branches in Abu

Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah. During

this time, the company expanded and became a

diversified contractor with its own infrastructure

and MEP divisions.

“The Palm Jumeirah villa project was a

contract that, I believe, allowed us to concentrate

– from the beginning – first on the finish,” Tao

explains. “The project itself was big, it was so

much bigger than any other advertised. So for

the first three years, we focused only on the

Palm Jumeirah contract. And after three years,

we became the first one, or may the only one,

to finish a contract with Nakheel (on time). The

client spoke highly of our achievement and the

ruler of Dubai, HH Sheikh Mohammed himself,

visited our company, our projects and spoke

about our achievements. The first sentence he

told me was that ‘we’d done a great job’, ” he

relates during the interview at his offices in JLT.

“So we eventually had the breakthrough and

it was natural for any company coming to a new

market to have a learning curve. It’s a matter

of how we cut (that learning curve) short and

ensure that we don’t run off track. That is very

critical. Having a good start is important for any

contractor in the world.

“Today, as China State, we’re probably the

biggest building contractor in the world, but

that doesn’t mean that we take projects easily

or that we believe that our reputation is there

(established) and we don’t need to spend much

time on project management. This won’t work,”

Tao asserts.

“I’ve been spending a lot of my time not just

pursuing clients to award the contract, but also

with my colleagues on the day-to-day operations.

I have been chairing operation meetings every

month for the last ten years and I know most of

the details for each project, so when the client

asks me for details, I’m prepared and I know what

we’re doing and where we need to improve.”

This approach is set to stand CSCEME

in good stead as it steps up its plans for its

GCC expansion. All told, the company has

been awarded 35 projects (all three divisions

included) in the UAE alone. Out of these, 21 have

been completed, with 14 on going or kept on

hold as per the owner’s request.

“SAUDI ARABIA IS A HUGE NEW MARKET AND MANY OF OUR CHINESE COUNTERPARTS WHO HAVE ALREADY WORKED THERE HAVE TOLD ME THAT IT IS EXTREMELY CHALLENGING, SO WE HAVE TO BE CAUTIOUS”

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The project values that have been awarded

since the company’s first assignment exceeded

$3.2 billion in a time frame of ten years. The

contract value of ongoing projects stands at

more than $1.63 billion.

Given the wealth of experience under the

belt, Tao feels that the time is ripe for CSCEME

to expand its operations into the rest of the

Middle East, especially given its initial success in

the Qatar and Kuwait markets.

“In the region, we have experience in Kuwait,

Qatar and Bahrain – where we’ve done two five-

star hotels – and of course in the UAE. In these

countries, we’re already established and it’s

easier for us as our staff more or less understand

the culture, the local practices and the network,”

he says.

“However, for Saudi Arabia, it’s a huge new

market and many of our Chinese counterparts

who have already worked there have told me

that it is extremely challenging, so we have to

be cautious. We don’t want to be making any

unnecessary mistakes. To make it successful, I

believe you need a very good partnership. This is

something I’m always looking for.

“You also need a reasonable project to start

with. I use the word reasonable in the way that,

as a foreign company, we can go inside – with

our partner – and we can digest it. I don’t want

to become a hero from the beginning, coming in

and trying to declare ‘I’m coming! We’re number

one in the world!’ Certain things won’t be good

for us and we’re beginners in the market. Even if

we’re number one in the world, in Saudi, we’re

beginners, so beginners need some sort of ‘baby

feed’ to start with,” he points out.

This ‘softly-softly’ approach is set to be

extended to the wider Middle East, as Tao

reveals that there are plans afoot to expand the

reach of the contractor.

“For the last three years, China State Middle

East has been the regional headquarters for

regional operations. In general, we’re covering

the whole operations in the GCC and also part

of the other areas, like Iraq. If possible, we’d

also like to target places like Turkey and Yemen,

basically the whole region.

“We have other focuses, not only Yemen

and Iraq, but generally, our main focus is in

the GCC region. The UAE is of course our main

priority, and we also have a presence in the

Kuwait market. We’re building two major bank

buildings there; the first is the Central Bank of

Kuwait and the second is the National Bank of

Kuwait,” he says.

“Kuwait is one of the main markets for us

in the GCC. At the same time, we’re looking

for opportunity in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. We

believe that these two countries has potential.

First of all, the population of Saudi – they have

a population of nearly 30 million, which is the

biggest in the GCC. We believe that there is

certainly demand and also the government

is launching a lot of projects - residential,

infrastructure, railway, metro. It’s a booming

market,” Tao adds.

“But what we’ve observed is that even if it’s a

booming market, that doesn’t mean that it’s easy

China State Construction Engineering Corporation Middle East (CSCECME) has announced a $1bn investment in SKAI Holding’s Viceroy Dubai Palm Jumeirah project, which is the firm’s first Middle Eastern investment in its 61-year history.

CSCEC(ME) is the main contractor for the Viceroy Resort, and has formed a special purpose joint venture, ASSAS, with the Dubai based real estate firm, SKAI Holdings.

Yu Tao, president and CEO, says: “This is CSCEC’s first investment in a development project in the Middle East and marks a significant milestone in our growth in the region.”

“China has witnessed a surge in the number of individuals turning to alternative investments overseas as they look to preserve their wealth in light of its fast-changing economy. Dubai’s strategic location between Asia, Europe and Africa together with its burgeoning real estate sector is set to become a vital area of growth for Chinese investment.”

SKAI’S THE LIMIT

ONGOING VALUEChina State Construction Engineering Corporation (Middle East) has a contract value of ongoing projects that stands at more than $1.63bn.

“MY FEELING IS THAT THE GOOD YEARS ARE COMING. THE REASON I SAY SO IS BECAUSE THE CONFIDENCE IS COMING BACK”

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for us to penetrate. You need to be extremely

capable to manage the resources and to move

in the resources in time for you to deliver the

project. It really poses a great challenge to any

contractor in the world,” he insists.

The Kuwaiti projects illustrate CSCEME’s

range of work, with the contractor working as a

steel structure specialist for the National Bank

and as a main contractor for the Central Bank.

Another project that is illustrative of the firm’s

growing clout in the construction industry is the

Midfield Terminal complex in Abu Dhabi, where

it is also working as the steel structure specialist.

“It’s one of the most complex steel structure

buildings in the world,” Tao says. “So far, it’s

been good. We’re doing well and we’re two

weeks ahead of schedule.”

He adds that the complexity of the building

comes down to its size, with a single span

reaching 180 metres, while the combined span is

close to 300 metres. Another complication is the

design of the building, which he terms as “three

dimensional and changing all the time,” which

creates complications for the fabrication and

installation of the steel structure.

CSCECME is also heavily involved in the

MEP area of operations, working on both the

Abu Dhabi Midfield Terminal project and Dubai

International Airport.

As complicated as these projects are, Tao

says that he wouldn’t have it any other way, as

he believes that succeeding at these massive,

high-profile projects is the best way to cement

CSCECME’s reputation and standing in the

regional construction market.

“At China State, in general, we look for big

projects in the building sector. What we classify

as big projects – we’re talking about terminal

“IT’S VERY NATURAL. IF THEY DON’T KNOW YOU, EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVE A VERY BIG NAME AROUND THE WORLD, THEY’LL STILL HAVE MANY QUESTIONS TO ASK”

Yu Tao tells Big Project ME that CSCEC(ME) has recently begun focusing on bringing in project finance, in order to assist developers who are struggling to find the funds to complete their projects.

“Although the GCC countries generally have very high GDP, this doesn’t mean that project finance is not required. Recently we have been talking to a lot of clients, our partners, to provide support for project finance,” Tao says.

“We’re then bringing the project finance from the international banks or major Chinese banks. We facilitate the deals, in a way, to structure the funds provided, from the banking system to the client.”

“At certain times, we also become an investor, we started our investment on the Palm Jumeirah, where we’ve developed the Viceroy Hotel,” he adds.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANT

2013 RANK

2012 RANK COMPANY

2012 TOTAL REVENUE (US$M)

1 2 China Railway Construction Corp. Ltd., Beijing, China 84,642.0

2 1 China Railway Group Ltd., Beijing, China 81,805.7

3 3 China State Construction Eng’g Corp., Beijing, China 81,366.8

4 6 Grupo ACS, Madrid, Spain 50,654.6

5 4 VINCI, Rueil-Malmaison, France 50,338.7

6 5 China Communications Construction Group Ltd., Beijing, China 47,327.3

7 7 HOCHTIEF AG, Essen, Germany 36,452.7

8 8 BOUYGUES, Paris, France 33,885.0

9 9 China Metallurgical Group Corp., Beijing, China 31,522.6

10 10 Bechtel, San Francisco, Calif., USA 29,436.0

THE TOP 250 GLOBAL CONTRACTORS

buildings for airports, major stadiums, mega-

sized hospitals, super-tall high-rises or a large

amount of villa or residential developments,

that’s the work we’re talking about in the

building sector.”

“In the infrastructure sector, what we’re

looking for is railways, metros, highways, those

types of projects,” he asserts.

And it is these large-scale projects that Tao

has in mind as he discusses his outlook for

the coming year and the build up to two of

the biggest global events in the Middle East’s

history, the Expo 2020 in Dubai and the 2022

FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

“My feeling is that the good years are coming.

The reason I say so is because the confidence

is coming back. With the World Cup and the

Expo coming, the infrastructure must be built

up to support these events,” he says, adding that

tourism numbers will continue to climb, which

means that the tourism industry must be geared

up and prepared for them.

“How are we going to line up to benefit from

the opportunities? I think first of all, we need

to set higher standards for ourselves, to deliver

top class projects for clients. In the region,

you’ll find that the fiercest competition is the

so called ‘low-entry’ business. If there’s some

ordinary job, you’ll find 40 to 50 competitors.

It’s only these niche projects which will require

very skilful contractors who have the best

technical staff and the most experienced project

managers, who have the ability to control or put

the resources together.”

“In those niche projects, we, as world class

contractors, find something in our favour. We

find that our service has become value added to

the client,” he concludes emphatically.

FOR A SPACE THAT REALLY ‘GETS IT’.THE FLOOR IS YOURS. TALK TO US.WHEN IT COMES TO IMPROVING YOUR FACILITY, NOBODY HAS MORE TO SAY THAN YOU DO. SO OUR FIRST PRIORITY IS TO LISTEN. BY WORKING WITH YOU EVERY STEP OF THE WAY, NORA WILL HELP YOU TURN YOUR IDEAL SPACE INTO A REALITY.

Sales contact UAEnora systems GmbH (JLT Branch)

2008 HDS Business Centre| Jumeirah Lakes Towers

PO Box 478392 | Dubai, UAETel.: +971 (4) 450 8175Fax: +971 (4) 450 8374

E-mail: [email protected]/corp

Anz_Crossline_Dubai_220x275.indd 1 22.01.14 14:37

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ON SITE AL MAJAZ ISLAND AMPHITHEATRE BIGPROJECTME.COM

Project Name Al Majaz Island Amphitheatre

Project Type Mixed-Use Cultural and Retail landmark

Project Developer Sharjah Government

Contractor Emirates Stone Company

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ON SITE AL MAJAZ ISLAND AMPHITHEATRE

Last year, Sharjah was named the Capital

of Islamic Culture for 2014 in recognition

of its contributions towards ‘preserving,

promoting and disseminating culture at

local, Arab and Islamic levels’. As a result of being

awarded the title, the UAE’s third largest emirate

has decided to launch a series of projects to

celebrate its momentous achievement.

First amongst these will be the Al Majaz

Island project, which will be the official venue

of the Sharjah Capital of Islamic Culture 2014

celebrations. At the centre of the $38.1 million

artificial island is an open-air amphitheatre,

which is set to be the first of its kind in the region.

Early in December 2013, Big Project ME was invited by the Sharjah Media Centre,

the implementers of the project, to visit the

construction site of the 7,238sqm amphitheatre

and its accompanying access bridge, which will

link it to Khalid Lagoon Street.

Scheduled to be completed by February 2014,

the pressure to complete the project on time is

immense, says Saleem Saada, project manager

for the Government of Sharjah’s Directorate of

Public Works.

“There’s a team that needs time to start

(the planning) for the show,” he explains. “The

contractor is promising he’ll finish by the 15

February. He’s doing precast moulding in his

factory and they’re working full time there. The

buildings are, let’s say, 70% ready.

Big Project ME visits the construction site of the 4,500 seat amphitheatre hosting Sharjah’s Capital of Islamic Culture 2014 celebrations. With an opening scheduled for March 2014, the clock is ticking, as Gavin Davids reports

TIGHT TIMESContractors on the Al Majaz

Amphitheatre are racing against time to complete the project.

DEADLINE DRAMA

“The people will work day and night on the

project and we’re trying to push them to finish

before the 15th of February, because the other

teams will need time to practice their show, and

they need to inspect the place and the site.”

Part of a $74.32 million development of the

area, the amphitheatre, man-made island and

bridges connecting the two to the mainland will

all have to be built within 90 days, the chairman

of the executive committee for Sharjah’s Islamic

Culture Capital organisation, Sheikh Sultan bin

Ahmed Al Qasimi says.

“We have discussed with the contractors and

they have agreed to deliver the project on time

“THE PEOPLE WILL WORK DAY AND NIGHT ON THE PROJECT AND WE’RE TRYING TO PUSH THEM TO FINISH BEFORE THE 15TH OF FEBRUARY, BECAUSE THE OTHER TEAMS WILL NEED TIME TO PRACTICE THEIR SHOW”

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and with a lot of efficiency,” he is quoted as saying

in a local newspaper late last year.

Clearly, time is of the essence and the pressure

is on, given that the first show is pencilled in

for March 2014. However, if Jawdat Barqawi,

Emirates Stone’s general manager is feeling the

pressure, he’s hiding it very well.

“We are working 24 hours a day in the factory

itself, in order to prepare all the precast elements.

We have also made extended shifts for the design

team to prepare the design drawings for the

factory,” says the general manager of the firm

organising precast works for the amphitheatre.

“On site, we’ve also made them extend the

shift work till midnight. That’s the plan as we’ve

made it in order to finish on schedule, and

hopefully we’ll make it, but I feel the plan may

extend by a couple of weeks,” he confides.

“Definitely, when we come to the stage of

finishing (on site), we’ll work shifts here to 24

hours. With the manpower that we have here, we

can (easily) work two to three shifts to complete

the project.”

“We’re used to fast-track projects; we’ve been

doing them for 20 years, projects like this. When

a job is required to be done in a few months,

we plan ourselves to do it. We’ve done similar

projects in Kalba and Khorfakkan, which were

also done (within a) very short time,” Barqawi

reiterates emphatically.

“What we’re doing is working in parallel with

design, production and erection. So far, there is

work going on in the design office. This is because

our project contains more than 1,500 elements.

“WE ARE LIMITED BECAUSE OF TIME, BUT THE PRECAST IS FINE, THEY’RE WORKING ACCORDING TO SCHEDULE. THE CHALLENGE NOW FACING EMIRATES STONE IS TO FINISH THIS SIZE OF BUILDING WITHIN A VERY SHORT TIME”

The whole project is broken into elements and

each element has to be studied in order to not

have any problems later, when we erect it,” he

points out.

The $32.6 million amphitheatre has been

designed in the open-air Roman-style style, and

will include several terraced seating areas that

can accommodate up to 4,500 spectators.

Furthermore, there will be a centre stage

which will be equipped with state-of-the-art

audio and lighting systems. In addition, the

amphitheatre will have conference rooms and

galleries, and a number of shops, restaurants and

green areas that will surround it from all sides,

offering ‘panoramic views’ of the waterfront.

Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Qasimi,

chairman of Sharjah Media Centre, adds that

choosing the design for the amphitheatre was a

brief, if intensive, process.

“It was all done in a few days actually,” he tells

Big Project ME during the tour of the Al Majaz

Island construction site.

“We spoke to His Highness about the show

and what we needed to do with a big production

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ON SITE AL MAJAZ ISLAND AMPHITHEATRE

ACCESS ALL AREASHalcrow and Emirates Stone have to work together to en-sure both teams had access to the site at all times.

in March 2014. We started looking for places and

we chose a few places where we had done several

shows before.

“But His Highness said that we needed a place

that can be a landmark, so to speak. So we looked

around and His Highness decided on this area,”

Sheikh Sultan explains.

“We wanted to have an open amphitheatre

and I think when most people see an open

amphitheatre, they link it to Roman architecture;

but it’s an open air amphitheatre and we think it’ll

be one of the biggest and best in the region.

“With regards to the show, we brought in an

expert in the ‘creative areas’ so that if we have

another show, we don’t need to do any more

work on the theatre; it’s fully ready for anything.”

The contract for the Al Majaz Island project

has been awarded to Gulf International

Engineering Consultants and Emirates Stones,

while the bridge linking the project to the

mainland has been awarded to the Halcrow

PROJECT SPECIFICATIONSn Total size of

amphitheatre: 7,238sqm

n Number of seats available: 4,500

n Cost of amphitheatre: $32.6 million

n Cost of Al Majaz Island: $38.1 million

n Cost of bridge: $3.53 million

n Number of pilings for bridge: 44

n Number of precast elements: 1,500

Group and Al Darwish Engineering, says Saada.

The bridge is set to be another challenge for

the project, with Halcrow and its construction

team working overtime to ensure that the project

is completed on schedule.

Achal Kumar, project manager (bridges) for

Halcrow Group Middle East, says that 29 January

was the main deadline for the project.

“Everything, the bridge and the access road,

needs to be ready by then,” he tells Big Project ME during the visit.

“There will also be a small fountain, which

will be ready by the end of February. Basically

everything is going to be ready (by March),

with the main components ready by the end of

January,” Kumar asserts.

“I think the bridge will be done with no

problems, we built the causeway early on so that

the contractor could go on and build the building,

while we’re building the bridge. Both parties are

working together.”

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“The causeway is much wider than the actual

bridge, just to give access to the contractor,” he

adds, citing it as an example of the cooperation

between the parties.

Costing $3.53 million, the bridge has 44

pilings, with depths ranging from 19m for the

carriageway to 22m for the piers.

“For the pouring, we have had to use some soil

stabilisation,” says Kumar. “The subcontractor

for piling, Soiltech, has used stabilising (for the

bridge). It is for both vehicles and pedestrians. We

have walkways and a seven metre carriageway,

with limited, VIP access.”

Expanding on the theme of cooperation,

Jawdat Barqawi, explains that there was a need to

widen the access point so as to allow access for

the precast segments and heavy equipment.

“In the beginning, there was only a small

access area to the site. In order to start the work

here, we asked for access to the site from Al

Darwish Engineering and Halcrow. They made

the temporary access that we have here. The site

requires heavy equipment, at the beginning we

had to excavate the area, we had to push all the

heavy equipment to move in, and later we had

to move with all the precast elements, with all

our trailers, which was done using the temporary

access,” he explains.

Mousa Mansour, civil engineer and area

manager for Emirates Stone, points out that

about 30% of the precast work is now complete,

while the foundation works has all been

finished. However, in contrast to the bridge, he

explains that his firm has to approach laying the

foundations in a different manner.

“The soil is soft, so we couldn’t do piling,” he

says. “So we did what we call ‘strut foundation’.

“WE’RE USED TO FAST-TRACK PROJECTS, WE’VE BEEN DOING THEM FOR 20 YEARS, PROJECTS LIKE THIS, AND SO WE’RE USED TO IT”

The bearing capacity for it was very good. We

were concerned, at the start of the project, that

we would spend more time on piling, so we

did the soil investigation and we designed our

foundation accordingly,” he adds.

Finally, Saleem Saada says that given the

express nature of the project, it has been

necessary for the Directorate of Public Works to

step in and ensure that the entire process is as

smooth as possible.

“We are limited because of time, but the

precast is fine, they’re working according to our

construction schedule.”

“The challenge now facing Emirates Stone is

to finish this size of building within a very short

time. It’s almost, you can say, three months from

the day they gave the formal order,” he says.

“This of course includes all the MEP work,

all the fire safety, and the authorities’ approvals.

We’re helping them get that solution, we’re trying

to remove all the obstacles for them.”

Sharjah was named as the Capital of Islamic Culture for 2014 by ministers of culture at an Organisation of Islamic Countries conference that was held in Azerbaijan’s capital city of Baku in 2009.

Speaking at the time, Abdul Rahman Mohammed al Owais, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, and the head of the UAE delegation, said that the UAE had a strong commitment towards Islamic causes and cultural issues.

He said that the title of Capital of Islamic Culture would provide a boost for Sharjah’s cultural development and came as a tribute to the emirate’s work towards spreading awareness of Islamic culture.

CULTURE CAPITAL

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SPECIAL FEATURE POWER AND WATER BIGPROJECTME.COM

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SPECIAL FEATURE POWER AND WATER

Big Project ME examines the scope of the Power and Water industry in the GCC and how private public partnerships could be the way forward. Gavin Davids reports

POWERHUNGRY

Over the next decade it is predicted that

the GCC will see its population soar by

30% to more than 50 million people, a

consequence of the region continuing

its strong economic development and growth

despite the various financial and political crises

that have affected its neighbours.

What this population boom means is that the

GCC’s existing supplies of electricity and water

will be put under tremendous strain, given that

the bulk of them were created for a significantly

smaller population and demand. Thus it

becomes vital for the region’s governments to

face up to these challenges or face significant

impacts to the quality of life and prosperity of

their people in the decades to come.

According to a report published by the

Economist Intelligence Unit entitled: ‘The GCC

in 2020: Resources for the Future,’ the region’s

governments have already begun taking the

necessary steps to ensure their long-term,

sustainable growth. Some of these measures

include: the introduction of energy-efficiency

measures, investing in clean fuel and renewable

energy supplies, improving water efficiency and

investing in new water desalination capacity.

Big Project ME spoke to a few of the

leading experts in the region to find out how

these measures could be addressed and what

more needs to be done. We also asked, from

a construction point of view, how Private

Public Partnerships could be beneficial to the

completion of projects and their operation.

“If we talk about the GCC over the last ten

years, we would see something like 2,000MW

to 3,000MW installed every year. The trend

has been quite the same and it is expected to

increase significantly with Dubai Expo 2020 and

with the Qatar World Cup in 2022. These are the

two big areas of growth within the region and

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Big Project ME examines the scope of the Power and Water industry in the GCC and how private public partnerships could be the way forward. Gavin Davids reports

POWERHUNGRY

Over the next decade it is predicted that

the GCC will see its population soar by

30% to more than 50 million people, a

consequence of the region continuing

its strong economic development and growth

despite the various financial and political crises

that have affected its neighbours.

What this population boom means is that the

GCC’s existing supplies of electricity and water

will be put under tremendous strain, given that

the bulk of them were created for a significantly

smaller population and demand. Thus it

becomes vital for the region’s governments to

face up to these challenges or face significant

impacts to the quality of life and prosperity of

their people in the decades to come.

According to a report published by the

Economist Intelligence Unit entitled: ‘The GCC

in 2020: Resources for the Future,’ the region’s

governments have already begun taking the

necessary steps to ensure their long-term,

sustainable growth. Some of these measures

include: the introduction of energy-efficiency

measures, investing in clean fuel and renewable

energy supplies, improving water efficiency and

investing in new water desalination capacity.

Big Project ME spoke to a few of the

leading experts in the region to find out how

these measures could be addressed and what

more needs to be done. We also asked, from

a construction point of view, how Private

Public Partnerships could be beneficial to the

completion of projects and their operation.

“If we talk about the GCC over the last ten

years, we would see something like 2,000MW

to 3,000MW installed every year. The trend

has been quite the same and it is expected to

increase significantly with Dubai Expo 2020 and

with the Qatar World Cup in 2022. These are the

two big areas of growth within the region and

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3,000MW is almost the minimum that you’ll see

every year, within the GCC,” says Francois Dao,

Industry vice president for Gulf Countries at

Schneider Electric.

However, Basseem El Halabi, the group

business development director for Metito

(Overseas) Ltd, points out that any expectations

and predictions for the GCC’s power and water

market are fraught with risk given the ever

changing nature of the market.

“The problem with the GCC countries is that

it’s difficult to tell. Every year you hear about

forecasts and requirements and five-year plans

and ten-year plans. But so far, I’ve not heard

anyone stick to this. It’s always lagging or ahead

of what has been publicised or known to the

industry, specifically in countries like Saudi

Arabia. The UAE is more or less stable, the market

or the size of the water sector is known. What is

coming up in the market, on the municipal side,

is reasonably known,” he tells Big Project ME.

“(However) there’s a problem in Kuwait.

Kuwait announces projects and cancels projects

(abruptly), so you don’t know where you are in

the market. They have their own reasons and

that’s the way it is,” El Halabi muses, adding that

the most active markets in the water sector are

Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and Qatar, of which

the latter is going through a major expansion in

its water sector.

A report by Research and Markets, entitled:

‘Power and Water in the GCC: The Struggle to

Keep Supplies Ahead of Demand’ claims that

the GCC is facing an ‘unprecedented capacity

building programme’, with an estimated

60,000MW of new capacity, which represents 80%

of current installed capacity, required by 2015.

The report continues to state that desalination

capacity will have to double to more than

5,000 million gallons a day to meet projected

demand. Furthermore, the actual capacity

requirements will be even greater if the planned

decommissioning of existing capacity takes place.

It is against this backdrop that the GCC

governments have been discussing the need

for a region wide power grid that will meet the

demands of a growing population, while also

alleviating the demands on national grids.

“The GCC grid is a project that started at least

five years ago, lines are being built and connected

and I know at least two have been connected,”

says Dao.

“One is between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain

and the other is between Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

I am not sure about Saudi Arabia and UAE, which

is definitely one of the major connections where

power would be exchanged. The UAE has built

large power complexes closer to the Saudi border,

which is definitely something that was made for

it (the power grid), as well as the coming nuclear

plants,” he points out.

“I think there is a clear political will amongst

the GCC countries to interconnect, for sure.

Mains are being built and I think...I’m not sure

about this...but trading agreements in all the

various countries are being developed,” he says.

“But it definitely makes sense to connect these

all together, to cope with this big demand, by

sharing the spare capacity.”

On the water side of things, things are

changing as well, with Bassem El Halabi saying

that not only is the focus moving away from

“EVERY YEAR YOU HEAR ABOUT FORECASTS AND REQUIREMENTS AND FIVE YEAR PLANS AND TEN YEAR PLANS. BUT SO FAR, I’VE NOT HEARD ANYONE STICK TO THIS”

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generating potable water through desalination,

but GCC governments are seriously considering

pushing through wastewater treatment and

recycling policies.

“We’re mostly in the wastewater phase, what

is coming onto the market, apart from IWPPs and

IPPs, is mostly waste water. In Qatar for example,

there are several projects under prequalification

for bidding. You have, for example, the Al

Dhakhira plant, which is one of the major

package plants. It’s being retendered on the

basis of a major plant. This is for wastewater,” he

explains further.

“You then have the Industrial City and Al

Shamal, this is again wastewater. And then you

have the ‘Master Plan’, which is called Inner Doha

Re-Sewerage Implementation Strategy (IDRIS),

which is a master plan for the whole of the waste

water treatment sector for Qatar. It involves huge

pumping stations and they’re talking about

tunnels for the future. So it’s clear that they’re

quite active in waste water,” El Halabi asserts.

“It’s mostly about recycling water now,”

he adds, pointing out that Qatar has the most

stringent discharge requirements amongst the

GCC countries, with even brine discharge into the

sea not allowed.

“They’re now looking at how to treat brine

rather than discharge it into the sea, even though

it’s not a pollutant. So yes, it’s mostly wastewater

and mostly about recycling. Thoughts are now

going towards injection, where they treat the

wastewater and then inject it into the aquifer for

future use. Qatar is a bit far ahead of everyone in

the Gulf in that regard.”

“Water sources in the Gulf are scarce, it’s a

semi-arid zone. We can’t rely on these resources,

and they have to look at renewable resources,

there’s no other way. Building desalination plants

may not be sustainable in the future. You cannot

build plants that will eventually have an effect on

the marine environment. Whether it’s salty water

or if you’re building thermal plants, you maybe

discharging high temperature brine, in which

case it may affect the marine environment,” El

Halabi says.

“The whole idea is to have a sustainable

resource and this is why they’re promoting

WATER FOR ALLThe GCC is looking at recycling of

wastewater as an alternative source for providing water to the region.

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recycled wastewater. You must rely more and

more on recycled water rather than building

desalination plants because firstly it’s cheaper

and secondly the resource is there, so rather than

wasting it, make use of it.”

Someone who is in absolute support of

building water treatment plants and recycling

plants is Nick Carter, director general of

the Regulation and Supervision Bureau in

Abu Dhabi. He points out that Abu Dhabi’s

desalination capacity stands at 950 Million

Imperial Gallons a Day (MIGD).

Carter says that part of RSB’s plans are to

cap the amount of water that is being produced

by encouraging the use of recycled water and

ensuring it’s used more efficiently. Using water

twice has a strong impact on the amount of water

produced at the beginning of the supply chain,

he says.

Speaking during a panel discussion at the

Power + Water Leaders Forum 2013 in Abu

Dhabi, which was held in November, he and

other experts – Carl Sheldon, CEO of Abu Dhabi

National Energy Company (TAQA) and Ali Al

Barrack, president and CEO of Saudi Electric

Company (SEC) – agreed that the privatisation

of the utilities sector had been instrumental in

meeting current demand, but that the system

bred by this success is proving to be unwieldy in

terms of meeting future demand.

“The load for power is much more seasonal

than the load for water,” explains Sheldon. “In

Abu Dhabi, all the power plants are combined

cycle gas turbines with desalination attached.

This configuration forces us to run our plants

part load during the winter because you need the

water, but that’s also very inefficient.”

With Abu Dhabi planning to bring on line a

couple of nuclear power plants, it is expected

that 4,000MW would run as the base load, which

Sheldon believes will assist with reducing the

existing inefficiency.

“The idea then will be to build near to

the water load, and powered with electricity

generated by the nuclear plants so that the

inefficiency associated with gas-fired plants

producing all the water is eliminated,” he

explained during the panel discussion.

Bassem El Halabi tells Big Project ME that this

approach could be quite feasible, with the King

Abdullah Centre for Atomic Research leading the

research into building a nuclear power plant and

using it to desalinate water.

“Each country is starting to look at its own

options, what is feasible or viable to their specific

country. Saudi Arabia has the resources, but

it’s a matter of demonstrating that they own the

technology and that they can develop it. For

example, they’ve built the first solar desalination

plant. That’s now producing 30,000m3. Other

countries are now considering that, Abu Dhabi is

considering a solar desalination plant and I think

Masdar is leading the way with technologies for

renewable resources in that sector.”

However, what both Francios Dao and El

Halabi agree on is that there needs to be greater

involvement with the private sector. For El Halabi,

the reasoning is simple. There’s an opportunity

for money to be made here and private

companies are hungry to take advantage of the

gap in the market. By allowing them to do so, he

believes that the governments of the GCC can free

up resources to go to other, more necessary areas.

“What they need to do is involve the private

sector more, the (government) money could be

better spent on better needs for the people, like

education and healthcare, rather than spending

on water. They (the governments) could involve

the private sector more because it’s hungry for

this type of business in all the GCC countries,” he

points out enthusiastically.

“You can see this interest in the Al Zur plant in

Kuwait, which was recently signed, Saudi Arabia

is also tendering a project now, an independent

power plant – Rabigh II – and they’re tendering,

or will be tendering Duba I and Duba II. That

means that there is a private entity involved

in that as well, so governments are becoming

a bit more open towards the idea of private

investments, but they need to do a bit more.”

Francois Dao adds that the model for

developing all these power and water projects in

the GCC were based on PPP schemes, typically

with build and operate contracts running for up

to 15 years.

“They started the GCC PPP scheme something

like 15 years ago,” he tells Big Project ME. “Abu

Dhabi is definitely the reference in the GCC for

these things and till now financing has never

been a big issue. Even when there was the crisis,

during the Gulf Wars and during the financial

crisis, a project would manage to get closed.

Definitely it would be at high costs and would

take a little bit more time, but they definitely

managed to close it.”

El Halabi adds that the necessary framework

for PPPs now exists, but it’s now a matter of

governments expanding their scope towards the

water sector as well.

“The legalities are there, so as I said earlier,

private investors are hungry, they’re aware that

this is a good business for them. So yes, the

interest is there, we can see it every time a project

is tendered. We see the number of companies

and consortiums involved, from all over the

world,” he says.

“If there was an issue, you wouldn’t find these

people interested in bidding. It means that they

feel safe and that the legal framework is there and

they will be getting the returns on their money.

It’s just a matter of the governments being a bit

more open towards the idea of investments in the

water sector, not just power.”

“THE PROBLEM WITH THE GCC COUNTRIES IS THAT IT’S DIFFICULT TO TELL. EVERY YEAR YOU HEAR ABOUT FORECASTS AND REQUIREMENTS AND FIVE YEAR PLANS AND TEN YEAR PLANS. BUT SO FAR, I’VE NOT HEARD ANYONE STICK TO THIS”

NUCLEAR LEADERBassem El Halabi says KSA is leading research into using nuclear power to desalinate water.

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ENERGY CONSULTANTS BIGPROJECTME.COM

Big Project ME talks to energy consultants about how the introduction of green building codes has changed the way buildings are being designed and built

SETTINGNEW STANDARDS

With Dubai’s Green Building Code

introduced in January, there has been

a significant shift in the way developers

have approached their construction

projects in the Emirates.

Whereas previously developers, consultants

and contractors would look at the bottom line

and aim to get the best price, the introduction

of the comprehensive green building codes in

Dubai and Abu Dhabi means that they have to be

more selective about the materials they choose.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the

selection of energy efficient materials, with

standards such as LEED and Estidama now

providing stringent guidelines that must be

adhered to, as Mark Grogan, contracts and QS

manager at KEO Consultants explains.

“Due to Estidama, Dubai’s Green Building

Code, GSAS and LEED standards’ requirements,

the consultants have to make projections,

at concept design, on the energy and water

characteristics of the buildings to comply with

the required environmental and sustainability

targets,” he tells Big Project ME. “In order to allow flexibility on the

architectural design development, there is not

an actual ‘golden solution’ for all buildings; for

this reason, KEO is always proactive on its design

approach to minimise overall construction

cost while achieving the highest environmental

standards,” Grogan adds.

“For example, if the correct building envelope

specifications are not integrated into the design

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ENERGY CONSULTANTS

“THE REASONS WHY BUILDINGS LEAK IS USUALLY VERY SMALL PROBLEMS. IT’S NOT ABOUT THE FAÇADE. IT’S ABOUT PUTTING THEM TOGETHER. IT’S THE GAPS, IT’S THE JOINTS AND THE SHAFTS, THE PENETRATIONS (INTO THE BUILDING). IT’S VERY SIMPLE THINGS LIKE THAT”

THE JUGGLING GAMEContractors have

learnt to be ‘fair and balanced’ in their

pricing, cost control and planning.

correctly and appropriately, expensive add-on

sustainable technologies may be required to

achieve the required Estidama’s Pearls, GSAS

Star’s and LEED Certification standard,” he warns.

This approach is echoed by William Whistler,

managing director of Green Building Solutions,

an energy consultant that specialises in the

building envelope.

“The key is inspections during construction,”

he says. “The reasons why buildings leak is

usually very small stuff (problems). It’s usually

not about the façade; façade engineers are very

smart people who design these beautiful things

that can withstand cyclone conditions. It’s about

putting them together. It’s the gaps, it’s the

joints and the shafts, the penetrations (into the

building). It’s very simple things like that,” he

explains during an interview with Big Project ME.

Grogan adds that during the design phase, it is

vital that energy consultants, in order to minimise

energy consumption results, offer inputs about

the selection of the entire façade system to ensure

a cost-effective solution in terms of capital cost

and life-cycle costing.

Convincing their clients of the value of

life-cycle costing is an issue that a number of

energy consultants face, given that the traditional

attitude of developers in the region has been

‘build to sell’ with the aim of maximising profits.

However, this could be about to change,

thanks to the introduction of the green building

codes and standards.

“It’s becoming more frequent now,” says

Grogan. “Clients are requesting that design

achieves the environmental and sustainability

standards of Estidama, LEED and GSAS.

“As all of the standards focus heavily on energy

efficiency, the industry is moving more towards

higher targets during the design.

“Contractors are starting to understand such

design obligations and there is an increased

interest by informed contractors about good

construction practices to achieve them.”

Although he agrees with this change, Whistler

points out that it’s not as clear cut as it appears,

citing his own personal experience to illustrate

his point.

“The clients that come to my company are

those looking to build a quality building,” he says.

“Now there are plenty of people out there that

say, ‘oh I just need this test’. They’re not looking

for inspections, they just want the test (to show

they’re meeting standards). And guess what, 99%

of them will fail.

“It’s like taking a course; if you don’t pay

attention all year long, if you try to cram it all in at

the end, you’re not going to pass.

“That’s the equivalent of putting silicon

everywhere. By then, it’s way too late,” he adds.

However, both Grogan and Whistler remain

very optimistic about the future of green

building in the country and the role that energy

consultants can play in the construction industry.

Comparing it to the USA, Whistler says the

most promising thing for the UAE is that the

federal government has pushed through these

reforms and that there is going to be a uniform

approach going forward, with the governments

of Abu Dhabi and Dubai leading the way towards

green building.

“It’s a lot closer than most of the world. I’m

not kidding. This place, I love that almost every

third day that I pick up the newspaper, there’s

something about green, renewable, saving energy

projects and regulations. This place has a goal,”

he enthuses.

“I come from the United States of America,

which is completely haphazard at the moment.

You have 50 states, with a loose federal

organisation and there isn’t a uniform approach.

In some states, such as Washington, Colorado

and California, the regulations are well underway;

but go to West Virginia, where they mine coal

and they don’t even want to talk to you (about

sustainability),” he relates.

Grogan adds that with regular conferences

being held about sustainability and water

efficiency, information is spreading through the

GCC and clients are starting to respond.

“There are sufficient mandated regulations

here that now exist for the design of energy

efficient buildings. Design teams are designing

energy efficient buildings based on the current

codes,” he says.

“Appropriate and adequate construction

supervision can ensure that the energy-efficiency

design inclusions are actually constructed

and fully commissioned. Qatar has also made

progress with their minimum standards. Other

GCC countries show signs of also enhancing

their regulatory environment to mandate energy

efficient designs,” Grogan concludes.

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MARKET REVIEW SAUDI ARABIA BIGPROJECTME.COM

Following a depletion of traditionally-abundant manpower in its construction market, Big Project ME’s Neha Bhatia explores the new challenges of contracting in Saudi Arabia.

SAVING SAUDI

VISA ISSUESContractors have said that the new laws have changed the dynamics of the Saudi construction industry.

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MARKET REVIEW SAUDI ARABIA

“VISAS! VISAS! VISAS!” is Raji Daou’s

exasperated reply when asked about

the challenges faced by Saudi Arabia’s

construction sector. Daou is the deputy

general manager at Emeco General Contractors, a

multi-divisional construction company.

“Visas are a rare commodity,” he says. “The

new law has changed the dynamics of the

contracting industry and has flushed out the

weaker companies. Any company now with visas

is definitely in a very strong position.”

Daou’s views encapsulate the current state of

construction in the Kingdom. The GCC’s largest

construction market with nearly $81 billion in

contracts under construction as per a study by

MEED, the Kingdom’s strong position is also

validated in global economies owing to the

country’s bountiful oil coffers.

Local Saudi newspaper Arab News recently

published a report saying the value of KSA’s

construction market could reach up to $300

billion in 2016. According to Mohamed

Al-Husaini, CEO of Dhahran International

Exhibition Company, the construction sector’s

contribution to the GDP in 2012 was 16.5%,

second only to the oil sector.

Saudi Arabia has inexhaustible manpower

and deep pockets – construction is a natural

orientation. Nevertheless, even the world’s

13th largest country is naturally prone to facing

drawbacks and challenges in its conduct of

industry, as is best evidenced by its recent labour

losses and ensuing contractor disputes.

Most of the stoppage in Saudi’s construction

market is due to the latter – in their decision-

making role, contractors play a pivotal role in

construction activities across the GCC.

Given the competitive nature of supply and

the developing markets in the region, those with

the most manpower and best materials survived

and flourished – this was, until recently, the

Kingdom’s trump card.

Numerous local and international reports

have highlighted the causalities associated

with the influx of illegal labour, nationals’

unemployment, foreign workforces and labour

exploitation in Saudi Arabia over the years. An

IMF report published in July 2013 explained the

heavy reliance between foreign labour and the

country’s private sector:

“Easy access to low-wage, low-skilled foreign

labour has meant that sectors such as wholesale

and retail trade, personal services, transport,

and construction have been the main engines

of private sector growth. These sectors have not

contributed to increased Saudi employment.”

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The government has, over the last few years,

implemented a two-pronged approach to

increasing Saudi representation in the country’s

workforce – cleansing the country’s employment

market of illegal immigrant workers (essentially

the pool of ‘cheap labour’ in the market), and

raising compulsory quotas for the ratio of local

Saudis in the country’s private sector.

The Nitaqat scheme, launched in 2011 by the

Ministry of Labour was a measure to ease exactly

these concerns. Part of the country’s Saudisation

drive, the policy involves the division of the

country’s private firms across four categories

based on the share of Saudis in the companies

vis-á-vis total number of employees in the same.

Incentives or penalties are then handed out based

on the category a company falls under.

Welcomed by scores of unemployed Saudi

youth in the country, Nitaqat’s enforcement

– and its impacts on construction activity –

gained considerable flak through 2013 from the

construction sector - private and governmental

alike. In November 2012, Raed Al Oqabli, the

deputy chairman of the Contractors Committee

at Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry

had warned that the ministry’s decision could

have a negative impact on the economy.

“About 90% of the one million workers in the

contracting sector are foreigners. This is because

most Saudis are not willing to undertake jobs

offered by contracting companies as they have

to work under difficult conditions,” he told local

media at the time.

“VISAS ARE A RARE COMMODITY. ANY COMPANY NOW WITH VISAS IS DEFINITELY IN A VERY STRONG POSITION”

“This decision is going to affect all contracting

companies in the Kingdom as there is no

company that has an equal number of Saudi

workers to foreign workers,” Oqabli cautioned.

True to his predictions, reports emerged late

last year suggesting the contractors committee

within the government was unhappy with the

Nitaqat laws, which were now hindering their

working-pace and completion schedules –

reports say nearly half of the country’s certified

200,000 contractors shut shop in 2013.

Fahd Al Hammadi, chairman of the National

Contractors’ Commission at the Saudi Chambers

Council also claimed the country’s construction

sector is suffering with stalled projects worth over

$267 billion as of late last year.

“Large firms have no problems regarding

foreign labour,” Hammadi told Saudi daily Al

Hayat in November 2013.

“But the medium and small companies

have started to suffer. Nearly 40% of them have

suspended operations while all tiny firms have

stopped,” he added.

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Unsurprisingly, industry giants from within

the Saudi market, who wished to remain

anonymous, told Big Project ME that the loss of

labour has not affected them in any way.

“Construction is continuing as per schedule,”

said a site officer who handles operations for a

Saudi construction powerhouse. “Slowdown in

operations is only up to 15%, which is a fairly

negligible rate.

“Working with sub-contractors here will

always lead to failure,” he quips.

This is not the first time doubts have been

raised regarding the integrity of contractors in

Saudi Arabia. A Saudi Gazette report in March

2012 claimed homeowners were “cheated by

building contractors who use sub-standard

roofing and waterproofing materials in

construction to cut costs”.

“In this country, either the consultant or the

contractor sacrifices quality for nominal savings

in prices, thereby shortening the lifecycle of

buildings,” Syed Abdallah Rizvi, president of

Bitumat International Roofing Academy had said

as per the report.

Rizvi further added that ‘such cheating is often

done by short-term contractors and consultants

who leave the country after completing their

construction work’.

Ammar Al Asam, executive director of

Dewan Architects & Engineers believes the

standardisation levels in Saudi’s construction

also need an adequate level of governmental

involvement, much like UAE’s.

“Countries as fragmented as Saudi Arabia

require regulation. Construction in the Kingdom

does not function under a centralised body, and

each region has the freedom to operate with its

own methods.

“To a large extent, construction in Saudi

Arabia is the developer’s responsibility after

relevant approvals have been procured, but there

is no quality control on construction per se,”

he adds. “It is largely the landowners’ choice -

whether they want to spend for a quality product

or not.”

Explicably, then, the eradication of transient

construction professionals became a priority

for the Kingdom, which was also suffering in

remittances sent abroad besides employment

opportunities and industry standards.

“Saudi has had illegal immigrants for

generations and it’s a problem they need to

resolve,” says Al Asam. “The country needed

a programme to find solutions for the many

immigrants who either illegally enter the country

or stay back following the pilgrimage (Hajj).

“It is their right to insure themselves against a

skewed demographic and potential threats to the

country’s safety & security.”

Al Asam further elaborates on the need for

Saudisation: “It will continue to affect the market

in the short term; its resultant labour gaps need

to be filled, and the government will have to

consider the creation of a system that allows for

ease of visa procurement for expats to work in the

construction market, mostly for on-site work.

“However, the programme itself is about

allowing the young population of Saudi Arabia

to enter the market, and in the long run, should

focus on education and income generation for

those willing to work in the region,” Al Asam adds.

Despite the hurdles – perceived or real

– in the Saudi construction sector, the need

for infrastructure building in the country is

undeniably large, and reduced foreign expertise

in its projects could prove detrimental to the

quality of its projects. Colin Morris, location

leader for Saudi Arabia at EC Harris predicts a

lack of expat accommodation could lead to a

potential brain-drain as activity picks up in other

Middle Eastern and Asian markets.

As the country seeks to move away from its oil-

dependent economy towards a more diversified

model, work on the ongoing rail and mining

projects will escalate at an unprecedented rate.

“The need for infrastructure in the country

is huge and can’t be estimated,” says Daou.

“Saudi Arabia is building to fulfil its current

requirements in all sectors, whether commercial,

industrial or residential. “The construction boom

here is unstoppable.”

In a region of rapid rail development and

major world events to look forward to in the

next half-decade-odd, Saudi Arabia can safely

presume it will retain its position as the market

leader for construction activities in the GCC - by

virtue of its size, economy or reserves.

Awaiting a break-even when the ratio between

local and expat labourers reaches a sustainable

and equitable point, Saudi Arabia and its many

construction players – wealthy developers,

government-owned companies and contractor

alliances alike – have a fruitful year, if not decade,

of massive nation-building to prepare for.

“MOST SAUDIS ARE NOT WILLING TO UNDERTAKE JOBS OFFERED BY CONTRACTING COMPANIES AS THEY HAVE TO WORK UNDER DIFFICULT CONDITIONS”

NEGATIVE IMPACTThe Contractors Committee

has long warned about the damaging impact the Nitaqat

programme could have on the industry.

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PAINT MANUFACTURERS BIGPROJECTME.COM

Paints manufacturers tell Big Project ME how their products can eliminate health hazards in populated regions. Neha Bhatia reports

PAINTINGPREVENTIVELY

Dubai last month announced a new set

of 79 regulations which will make up

the Green Building Code endorsed

by the Dubai Municipality. The latest

attempt towards sustainability has received

unanimous appreciation from across the

country’s construction industry, and all

eyes will now be on the various supplying

components in the market – particularly, their

ability to adapt to the new directives.

Paint manufacturers, though, it would

seem, are already ahead in the race towards

achieving their ‘green’ goals.

“Paint is one of the oldest construction

materials,” says Syed Ameer Hamza Hasan,

CEO of Kansai Paint ME. “It is a medium of

communication and expression for the end-

users, but essentially it’s been intertwined

with life itself,” he adds, referencing the

protective aspect of paints, which come into

play during the lifecycle of a building.

Broadly speaking, three codes regulate

the specifications and processes for paint

products in the region.

Besides the extensive LEED and Estidama

ratings, manufacturers often also work within

the framework of the Master Painters Institute,

an international body dedicated to accrediting

and educating the global construction market

about the paints industry.

At least two local and multiple

international companies in UAE are

household names, and their share in the

regional market is large.

“The country’s market alone is worth 75

million litres per annum,” says Laurence

Brown, the country manager for Hempel

Paints Emirates.

“Our architectural and concrete coatings

account for 5-6% of the current market share,”

he adds.

“THE NEED IS HIGH FOR A PAINT THAT LIVES AND THINKS. FOR INSTANCE, LOCATIONS SUCH AS DUBAI MALL REQUIRE PAINTS WITH EVOLVED CHARACTERISTICS TO ENSURE THE HIGH TRAFFIC DOES NOT PROMOTE SPREAD OF DISEASES”

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PAINT MANUFACTURERS

75 million litres is a substantial number

in a country that is rapidly moving towards

glass façades, and paint manufacturers are

now focusing on – much like their glass

counterparts – increasing the functionalities of

their products.

“Global companies are leading innovation

in paints,” explains Hasan, “not only with a

sense of altruism – although there are such

companies too – but mostly to create a sense of

brand differentiation.

“Therefore, the trend now is towards

sustainability – vegetable-based resins

have replaced oil-based ones, and there is a

reduction, if not total elimination of solvents in

products to avoid their associated fumes.”

Hasan’s point is a valid one – indoor paints,

for all their advantages of economy, decoration

and flexibility, are questionable for sensitive

audiences, such as schools and hospitals.

“In schools, for instance, there are greater

pollution levels due to the increased number of

children, and the propensity to get infected is

higher,” says Hasan.

“Unfortunately, most people (developers/

contractors) don’t use anti-bacterial paints in

schools, despite the fact that high quality anti-

bacterial paints are known to reduce bacterial

elements by 99.99%!”

Brown lists the primary ingredients that go

into the creation of audience-friendly paints.

“The two most important requirements from

paints common across all rating and building

codes are the use of non-toxic raw materials for

production, and low rates of volatile organic

content (VOC) in the final product.

“It is also our policy as a company to ensure

all our products are ‘zero-lead’”, he adds,

referring to the elimination of lead as a raw

material to reduce the toxicity of applied paint.

While municipal codes govern the

specifications of a product, competition

ensures continuous research and development

is undertaken to promote market share.

Returning to his argument about altruistic

practices, Hasan adds, “augmenting the

existing functionalities of paints has become

essential, especially in countries like UAE

where high footfall is a commonality.

“The need is high for a paint that lives and

thinks. For instance, locations such as Dubai

Mall require paints with evolved characteristics

to ensure the high traffic does not promote

spread of diseases.”

Undeniably then, the role of the government

becomes crucial in the decision-making

process pertaining to the choice of paints.

Contractors, often in a bid to cut costs, may

compromise on the functionalities and safety

aspects of their buy – as might a layman

customer. Hasan identifies this as scope for

governmental activities to promote better

construction practices.

“UAE is a thriving country on its road to

bigger achievements in the next few years.

However, most global governments or national

systems are typically not organised to realise

the cost of expensive, multi-functional building

products as a prevented loss of manpower or

medication,” he says.

“Showing the construction industry and

end-users the bigger picture through education

is definitely something the government can

undertake in the future,” Hasan adds.

The paints industry is an oft-forgotten

one in the myriad of construction elements

– its quality is an expense best calculated as

profiting longevity or deteriorating health

standards. As technology evolves to develop

functionalities like temperature-reduction,

bacteria-resistance and fire-safety, UAE’s

market for paints will evolve into a critical one

for the construction industry.

When bird flu hit Japan in 2003, the government sent out an SOS to the many industries in the tech-intelligent country.

Kansai Paint, a homegrown Japanese paints manufacturer developed a product that eliminated the bird flu virus when it came into contact with surfaces and air supply in the room. “The product was even accredited by the government,” Hasan beams.

FIGHTING THE FLU

LAURENCE BROWN, COUNTRY MANAGER, HEMPEL PAINTS EMIRATES“It is our policy as a company to ensure all our products are ‘zero-lead’.”

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Showroom: Al Kwakeb Building, (B-Block) Sheikh Zayed Road, P.O. Box: 2904, Dubai, U.A.ETel.: +971 4 343 7400 / 343 7500 Fax: +971 4 3437600

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SPECIAL FEATURE POST-TENSIONING BIGPROJECTME.COM

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SPECIAL FEATURE POST-TENSIONING

Big Project ME asks if the industry is giving up on post-tensioning for better fire-resistance

STRESSED OUT?

Earlier this year, Dubai Municipality

announced that it would permit restoration

work to be undertaken at Tamweel Tower

in Jumeirah Lakes Towers. The building

was completely gutted in November 2012, and

eyewitnesses had claimed the fire raged on for at

least two hours before it was entirely doused.

Various reports in local media at the time

claimed the fire – which started on the building’s

upper floors – only spread downwards into the

apartments and parked cars due to the burning

debris of disintegrating concrete.

Coupled with the Dubai Civil Defence’s

new announcement last month calling for the

installation of interlinked fire-alert systems in all

the emirate’s new homes, Big Project ME has spent

the last few months examining fire safety in UAE’s

construction industry.

The raw materials that affect a structure’s

flammability include the varied construction

techniques that contribute – or take away – from

the overall fire-resistance of the building.

The post-tensioning industry in the UAE,

therefore, is one with ample responsibility to

ensure their products and techniques meet the

local fire-resistance standards.

Post-tensioning involves the strengthening of

construction materials, mostly concrete, with steel

strands to increase the building’s tensility. The

typical post-tensioning process focusses heavily

on the tenacity of tendons – a critical element of

post-tensioning – made up of a steel strand or bar

covered with protective coating, contained within

a sheathing. The resultant product is popularly

known as ‘pre-stressed’ concrete.

Un-tensioned concrete can often result in

cracks when subject to heavy loads, such as the

weight of cars in a parking garage or high footfall in

a shopping mall.

“Post-tensioned structures are typically lighter

in weight due to thinner slabs, smaller beams

and transfer girders, and smaller foundations,”

says Miroslav Vejvoda, technical and certification

director at the Post-Tensioning Institute (PTI), a

Michigan (USA)-based body to study and regulate

post-tensioning practices universally.

“These structures can accommodate a more

rapid construction schedule when compared with

“OFTEN, COMPANIES IMPORT LOW-PRICED, LOW-QUALITY PRODUCTS TO SAVE COSTS AND INCREASE THEIR MARGINS. THE MARKET’S COMPETITIVENESS IS GREATLY DEPLETED”

FIRE WORRIESPost tensioning experts have

expressed concerns about the fire-safety of post-tensioned

slabs of concrete.

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SPECIAL FEATURE POST-TENSIONING BIGPROJECTME.COM

projects,” Hisham tells Big Project ME during a

phone interview.

Stephen Burke, deputy general manager for

the Middle East operations of Swiss structural

engineering specialists VSL International Burke is

of the same view.

“Post-tensioning technology is a well-proven

one that has demonstrated value addition for

architects and engineers alike, besides showing

a healthy track record of cost-reduction and

increased flexibility.”

Post-tensioning is differentiated as bonded or

un-bonded based on the type of coating used on

the steel; grout as a coating attaches the steel to the

conventionally reinforced structures,” he explains

during a phone interview.

Ahmed Al-Rifai, head of business development

at OVM MENA explains the advantages of the

technique further. “Post-tensioning allows for

‘greener’ construction than traditional systems,

due to the reduced carbon & steel quantities per

square metre.”

“Furthermore, post-tensioning is the primary

choice for watertight structures (such as reservoirs,

water/LNG tanks, silos, etc.) due to its impeccable

crack control,” Al-Rifai adds.

The long-lived technique has often faced flak

for the supposed reduction in fire resistance it

brings about in the construction process.

“Post-tensioned concrete construction has

less mass than other types,” points out Al-Rifai.

“Reduced mass means less inherent fire resistance.

It also presents some hazards to firefighters. The

tendons are made of tempered steel cable that fails

when heated to 800 °F (427 °C), and weakens at

lower temperatures. The tendons can whip when

cut or broken, causing severe injuries.”

“The overall mass of concrete in a post-

tensioned building is reduced, inherently

translating into more susceptibility to fire hazards,”

adds Al-Rifai.

However, Engineer Mohammad Hisham

of Fastech Prestressing, a local PTI-member

company operating in UAE for over a decade offers

an interesting counterpoint.

“Post-tensioning, like all construction

techniques, follows the same principles as laid

out by local municipal bodies and building code

authorities. Fire-resistance is an aspect covered by

the same.”

Broadly speaking, though, post-tensioning has

been widely accepted for its many benefits to the

construction process, most evidently those of time

and cost reduction.

“Post-tensioned structures typically use less

concrete,” says Vejvoda, “(They also) have smaller

floor-to-floor heights, and use less cladding and

finish materials which translates into a more

sustainable structure.”

Hisham agrees about the affordability of

post-tensioning. “Savings are primarily in costs

of concrete and steel itself. The thickness of the

concrete slab is controlled since its functionality of

compression is used to the fullest, thus reducing

the costs of concrete procurement.

“Slab layout is also completed quickly, which is

an added advantage. For instance, the scaffolding

can then be moved to the next level of the structure

or to another site – this often comes handy for

contractors who simultaneously work on multiple

sheathing, making it a bonded tendon, whereas

grease coatings allow the steel some freedom

to move relative to the covering, resulting in an

un-bonded tendon. Al-Rifai makes the case for

bonded post-tensioning as a preferred choice in

the region.

“Consultants/designers feel more confident

with the wires being more safely held in place (in

case of wire failure) making the risk/failure only

localised at the point of cutting rather than for the

entire area support by the failed wire.

“The wire is firmly held in place by the

now hardened grout, which typically act as a

conventional reinforced concrete structure. Also,

the grout helps protect the wires from rust in

aggressive environments, specifically at locations/

environments of high humidity and salinity,” Al-

Rifai adds.

General industry consensus, though, is uniform

across the bonded/un-bonded debate: post-

tensioning remains an extensive process requiring

seasoned handlers to ensure safe completion.

“An experienced post-tensioning contractor

must ensure that the tendons are placed accurately

and held in place during concrete placement,”

says Vejvoda, echoing Hisham’s views about the

employment of “professional staff to keep post-

tensioning standards intact.”

Burke is also insistent regarding the basic

quality of products employed in the post-

tensioning processes.

“There is an unquestionable need for pre-

qualification processes to be laid out for suppliers

of post-tensioning products,” says Burke. “Products

and services employed need to be maintained

to specified levels and regular audits must be

undertaken to ensure they are sustained.”

Hisham takes the argument forward. “One

often finds vast price differences in the local

UAE market for post-tensioning products. Often,

companies import low-priced – and therefore,

potentially low-quality – products to save costs and

increase their margins.

“Resultingly, the market’s competitiveness

is greatly depleted, as is the quality of the final

structure which is now in jeopardy due to poor

standards of construction,” he adds, highlighting

the need for a local post-tensioning committee in

UAE on the lines of the PTI.

“Not all engineers are necessarily equipped to

design – let alone implement – post-tensioning

in a building. Roping in local municipal bodies to

handpick post-tensioning specialists will greatly

aid the industry.

“That is what the post-tensioning industry

should look forward to,” he concludes.

“THERE IS AN UNQUESTIONABLE NEED FOR PRE-QUALIFICATION PROCESSES TO BE LAID OUT FOR SUPPLIERS OF POST-TENSIONING PRODUCTS”

SILGA is a consulting company specialized in engineering projects, mainly focused on civil, industrial and building structures. Its areas of activity are: Construction Projects: SILGA provides its experience in general civil engineering projects, specialized in structures. On site construction assistance: control, problem solving and partial modifications or extensions of the initial project. Project control and supervision of projects done by other consulting offices. Calculations, drawings and bill of quantities are checked. Supervision often involves full recalculation of the structure. A global approach Besides Spain, SILGA has had the opportunity of working in countries such as USA, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Mauritania, Peru, Bolivia and Portugal, and with several construction codes.

Welcome to SILGA

Civil and Structural Engineering

+34 91 639 80 50 • www.silga.es

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING

SILGA is a consulting company specialized in engineering projects, mainly focused on civil, industrial and building structures. Its areas of activity are: Construction Projects: SILGA provides its experience in general civil engineering projects, specialized in structures. On site construction assistance: control, problem solving and partial modifications or extensions of the initial project. Project control and supervision of projects done by other consulting offices. Calculations, drawings and bill of quantities are checked. Supervision often involves full recalculation of the structure. A global approach Besides Spain, SILGA has had the opportunity of working in countries such as USA, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Mauritania, Peru, Bolivia and Portugal, and with several construction codes.

Welcome to SILGA

Civil and Structural Engineering

+34 91 639 80 50 • www.silga.es

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING

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TIME & MONEY HARD PRECAST BUILDING SYSTEMS BIGPROJECTME.COM

WHAT IS THE CREATION PROCESS FOR YOUR PRECAST MODULES?In the first stage a mould is prepared as per

the exact dimensions of the required element

& placed onto the casting table. The steel

reinforcements & cast-in parts are then put in

place & secured firmly so as to avoid movement

during casting and vibration.

The concrete is prepared as per the required

mix design and is then poured into the above

mould. The element is kept in the curing

chamber until it reaches 70% of the specified

final strength and then demoulded using the

overhead cranes.

Helping you makethe smartest decisions

Big Project ME speaks to Hard Precast Building Systems to find out how their precast modules provide a wide range of benefits to contractors and developers

PRECASTPERFECTION

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TIME & MONEY HARD PRECAST BUILDING SYSTEMS

The panel is then moved to the demoulding

area ready for transportation to the specific site.

HOW ARE THESE UNITS BENEFICIAL TO CONTRACTORS OR DEVELOPERS?Precast offers a wide array of benefits both to the

contractors as well as to the developers, some of

them being:

• On-siteinstallation&offsitemanufacturing

can be carried out, thereby reducing the

overall project duration.

• Easyandhasslefreeinstallationprocess

allows for much faster installation progress

rate at site.

• Differentfinishesofpanelscanbeachieved

likeExposedAggregateFinishetc…using

aggregates; these finishes are almost not

possible to achieve on site.

• Astheproductionhappensinacontrolled

environment, the quality of the finished

panels is very good.

• Precastinstallationrequireslessersite

manpower and reduction in scaffolding

requirement. Hence a huge cost saving

opportunity for everyone.

HOW MUCH DO THEY COST COMPARED CONSTRUCTED HOUSING UNITS?Eachprojectisreallyuniquewhichwillmakeit

difficult to give a figure or percentage applicable

for all the projects but it’s definite that precast

saves time and reduce risks which will have a very

good impact on the overall cost of the project.

IN TERMS OF PERFORMANCE AND DURABILITY, HOW DO THEY COMPARE?We at HPBS utilise the latest precast technology

fromourEuropeanpartners:Avermann

(Germany),X-Tec(Finland),Wiggert+Co.

(Germany),Konecranes(Finland)&other

wellregardedEuropeanbrands.Itisafully

computerised system, right from design to

“ALL THE ELEMENTS ARE DESIGNED & PRODUCED IN A WAY SO AS TO MATCH THE ARCHITECTURAL REQUIREMENTS AS CLOSELY AS POSSIBLE”

delivery, built according to all the major

international standards.

Ourqualityproductsandservicesaretotally

drivenbyanISO9001QualityManagement

SystemandfollowthehighestQA/QC&HSE

requirements, complying and contributing

towards green building schemes, standards and

codessetbyLEEDSandEstidama.

HOW CAN THEY BE ADAPTED AND CUSTOMIZED TO INDIVIDUAL NEEDS?HPBS employs a highly skilled design team

which has the capability to propose and convert

a traditionally designed project into a fully

compatible precast project.

Alltheelementsaredesignedandproduced

in a way that matches the architectural

requirements as closely as possible, thereby

reducing the rework on the project to minimal

levels.Asallkindsofopeningsandcast-in

parts are accommodated at the design stage

itself, hence the end product do not have many

requirements for further civil activities. n

FEBRUARY 2014

LATEST TECHNOLOGY HPBS utilises the latest precast technology from its European partners.

ONSITE INSTALLATIONThe precast segments can be installed onsite and manufactured offsite, sav-ing considerable cost.

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TENDERS BIGPROJECTME.COM

1,360,000 tonnes per annum of ethylene and polyethylene, as well as significant quantities of propylene, benzene, butadiene and linear alpha olefin, including a power, water desalination and water treatment plant

STATUS Current Project

www.ccsgulf.com | Tel: +971 4 346 6456 | [email protected]

INTEGRATED ESTIMATING, PROJECT CONTROL

AND ERP SOLUTION FOR CONTRACTORS

TOP TENDERS

BUDGET $150,000,000

BUDGET $3,600,000,000

REGION Egypt

CLIENT Carbon Holdings (Egypt)

DESCRIPTION Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract to build a petrochemical plant with capacity of

PROJECT NAME: MASHREQ BANK HEADQUARTERS - DOWNTOWN

BUDGET $250,000,000

REGION Kuwait

CLIENT Ministry of Electricity & Water (Kuwait)

DESCRIPTION Construction of a water distribution complex with pumping capacity of 335 million gallons of potable water in Mina Abdullah

STATUS Current Project

PROJECT NAME: MIXED-USE TOWERS PROJECT - LUSAIL DISTRICT

BUDGET $275,000,000

REGION Qatar

CLIENT Real Estate Services Group (Qatar)

DESCRIPTION Construction of two mixed-use towers comprising a 35-storey building, including a five-star hotel, restaurants, villas and apartments; and a 27-storey building featuring offices, retail and other commercial uses

STATUS New Tender

PROJECT NAME: MINA ABDULLAH WATER DISTRIBUTION COMPLEX PROJECT - PHASE 2

BUDGET $600,000,000

REGION Saudi Arabia

CLIENT Saudi Electricity Company - Central Region (Saudi Arabia)

DESCRIPTION Construction of an Independent Power Project (IPP) with capacity of 550 MW

STATUS New TenderREGION Dubai, UAE

CLIENT Mashreq Bank

DESCRIPTION Construction of new headquarters building comprising (32) storeys for a Bank

STATUS New Tender

PROJECT NAME: PETROCHEMICAL PLANT PROJECT - AIN SOKHNA

PROJECT NAME: DHUBA 1 IPP

Learn more: Call +971 50 451 79 43 (UAE) or +966 535 29 37 66 (KSA) or visit us at info.meridiansystems.com/owner-solutions-ME

Copyright 2013 Trimble Navigation. All rights reserved.

Software Solutions for Building Owners, Developers and Program Managers

Capital Project and

Program Management

Capital Planning and

Cost Modeling

Estimating

3D for Everyone

Trimble offers comprehensive software solutions to confidently manage multiple construction, renovation and facility projects within a portfolio/program/project hierarchy to efficiently execute your capital plan. Trimble addresses today’s realities with a breadth of tailored solutions that deliver powerful tools and deep business insight. With this in hand, you can track, plan, oversee and collaborate with new levels of accuracy, cost savings and confidence.

Reduce YourRisk With:

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UAEELITE DOWNTOWN RESIDENCES PROJECT - BURJ KHALIFA DISTRICT

PROJECT NUMBER ZPR1271-UTERRITORY DubaiCLIENT Triplanet International FZC (Sharjah)CITY Sharjah PHONE (+971-800) 8747 52638FAX (+971-6) 557 4317Email [email protected]

WEBSITE www.triplanet- group.comDESCRIPTION Construction of a 26-storey residential building comprising (200) fully furnished apartmentsBUDGET $136,000,000STATUS Current ProjectMAIN CONTRACTOR Triplanet International FZC (Sharjah)TENDER CATEGORIES Prestige BuildingsTENDER PRODUCTS High-rise Towers, Residential Buildings

W HOTEL & RESIDENCES DEVELOPMENT PROJECT - PALM JUMEIRAH

PROJECT NUMBER MPP2870-UTERRITORY DubaiCLIENT Al Sharq Investments (Dubai)CITY Dubai PHONE (+971-4) 325 3338FAX (+971-4) 325 3339EMAIL [email protected] www.alsharqinvestment.com

DESCRIPTION Construction of a hotel comprising (360) rooms, including two other apartment buildings with (75) luxury unitsSTATUS New TenderMAIN CONSULTANT RMJM (Dubai)PROJECT MANAGER Mace International Ltd (Dubai)COST CONSULTANT Bruce Shaw (Abu Dhabi)TENDER CATEGORIES Construction & Contracting, HotelsTENDER PRODUCTS Hotel Construction, Residential Buildings

HAIL OFFSHORE OILFIELD DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

PROJECT NUMBER MPP2864-UTERRITORY Abu DhabiCLIENT Abu Dhabi Oil Company Ltd. (ADOC)CITY Abu Dhabi PHONE (+971-2) 666 1100FAX (+971-2) 666 1327WEBSITE www.adocauh.cts-co.netDESCRIPTION Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract for the development of an offshore oil field

MIDDLE EAST TENDERS PROVIDED BY

Tel +9712-6348495Web www.MiddleEastTenders.comEmail [email protected]

SPONSORED BY

Tel +9714 346 6456 Web www.ccsgulf.comEmail [email protected]

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TENDERS




STATUS New TenderPROJECT MANAGER Mott MacDonald Ltd. (Abu Dhabi)TENDER CATEGORIES Oilfields & RefineriesTENDER PRODUCTS Oilfields Exploration & Development

OMANKEMPINSKI HOTEL PROJECT - THE WAVE DEVELOPMENT

PROJECT NUMBER SPR527-OTERRITORY OmanCLIENT The Wave Muscat S.A.O.C (Oman)CITY Muscat PC 118 PHONE (+968) 2453 4400FAX (+968) 2453 4709EMAIL [email protected] www.thewavemuscat.comDESCRIPTION Design and construction of five-star Kempinski Hotel comprising

(309) rooms and (77) hotel apartmentsBUDGET $300,000,000 PERIOD 2015 STATUS Current ProjectINTERIOR DESIGN CONSULTANT Woods Bagot (Dubai)MAIN CONTRACTOR Carillion

Alawi L.L.C (Oman)MEP CONTRACTOR Voltas (Oman)FOUNDATIONS, ENABLING & PILING CONTRACTOR Douglas OHI (Oman)TENDER CATEGORIES Leisure & Entertainment, Construction & Contracting, HotelsTENDER PRODUCTS Hotel Construction

QATARINTEGRATION & CONSTRUCTION WORKS - PRODUCED WATER TREATMENT & CRUDE OIL DESALTING PROJECT

PROJECT NUMBER WPR077-QTERRITORY QatarCLIENT NAME Doha Petroleum

Construction Company Ltd. (Qatar)ADDRESS Gate No 185, Street 25, Salwa Industrial AreaCITY Doha PHONE (+974) 4460 0350FAX (+974) 4460 1066EMAIL [email protected] www.dopet.comDESCRIPTION Integration and Construction Works for a Produced Water Treatment and Crude Oil Desalting (PWT/COD) projectBUDGET $16,000,000PERIOD 2015 STATUS Current ProjectMAIN CONTRACTOR Total E&P (Qatar)TENDER CATEGORIES Oilfields & RefineriesTENDER PRODUCTS Offsites & Utilities, Oilfield Supplies & Services

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BAHRAINWAREHOUSE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT - BAHRAIN INVESTMENT WHARF

PROJECT NUMBER BIP146-BTERRITORY BahrainCLIENT Majaal Warehouse Company (Bahrain)CITY Manama PHONE (+973) 1756 7553FAX (+973) 1756 7554EMAIL [email protected] www.majaal.comDESCRIPTION Construction of a warehouse spanning a land area of 252,000 square feet, which will serve as a new distribution centreBUDGET $45,000,000 PERIOD 2014 STATUS Current ProjectMAIN CONSULTANT Mohammed Salahuddin Consulting Engineering Bureau - MSCEB (Bahrain)DESIGN CONSULTANT Mohammed Salahuddin Consulting Engineering Bureau - MSCEB

(Bahrain)COST CONSULTANT: Baker Wilkins & Smith (Bahrain)MAIN CONTRACTOR Abdulaal Construction Services (ACS) – BahrainTENDER CATEGORIES Construction & ContractingTENDER PRODUCTS Warehouse Construction

SAUDI ARABIAMECCA BUS RAPID TRANSPORT SYSTEM

PROJECT NUMBER MPP1907-SATERRITORY Saudi ArabiaCLIENT Makkah Municipality (Saudi Arabia)CITY Makkah PHONE (+966-2) 573 9555FAX (+966-2) 574 8633EMAIL [email protected] www.holymakkah.gov.saDESCRIPTION Development of Mecca Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) System covering a total

length of 123 kilometres and (147) stations, including major highways and smaller local roadsSTATUS New TenderPROJECT MANAGER Parsons Brinckerhoff International (Saudi Arabia)TENDER CATEGORIES Public Transportation ProjectsTENDER PRODUCTS Roads Construction, Roadways

IRAQBASRA - HADITHA CRUDE EXPORT PIPELINE PROJECT

PROJECT NUMBER MPP2868-IQTERRITORY IraqCLIENT NAME State Company for Oil Projects - SCOP (Iraq)

ADDRESS Ministry of Oil Complex, Port Said StreetCITY Baghdad PHONE (+964-1) 817 7000/ 817 7021FAX (+964-1) 817 7119 / 876 3744EMAIL [email protected] / [email protected] www.scop.gov.iqDESCRIPTION Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract to build a 680-kilometre-long crude export pipelineSTATUS New Tender FEED CONSULTANT SNC-Lavalin International Inc. (Abu Dhabi)TENDER CATEGORIES Oilfields & Refineries, Gas Processing & DistributionTENDER PRODUCTS Crude Transportation, Storage & Distribution, Gas Export/Import Terminal




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BAHRAINWAREHOUSE DEVELOPMENT PROJECT - BAHRAIN INVESTMENT WHARF

PROJECT NUMBER BIP146-BTERRITORY BahrainCLIENT Majaal Warehouse Company (Bahrain)CITY Manama PHONE (+973) 1756 7553FAX (+973) 1756 7554EMAIL [email protected] www.majaal.comDESCRIPTION Construction of a warehouse spanning a land area of 252,000 square feet, which will serve as a new distribution centreBUDGET $45,000,000 PERIOD 2014 STATUS Current ProjectMAIN CONSULTANT Mohammed Salahuddin Consulting Engineering Bureau - MSCEB (Bahrain)DESIGN CONSULTANT Mohammed Salahuddin Consulting Engineering Bureau - MSCEB

(Bahrain)COST CONSULTANT: Baker Wilkins & Smith (Bahrain)MAIN CONTRACTOR Abdulaal Construction Services (ACS) – BahrainTENDER CATEGORIES Construction & ContractingTENDER PRODUCTS Warehouse Construction

SAUDI ARABIAMECCA BUS RAPID TRANSPORT SYSTEM

PROJECT NUMBER MPP1907-SATERRITORY Saudi ArabiaCLIENT Makkah Municipality (Saudi Arabia)CITY Makkah PHONE (+966-2) 573 9555FAX (+966-2) 574 8633EMAIL [email protected] www.holymakkah.gov.saDESCRIPTION Development of Mecca Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) System covering a total

length of 123 kilometres and (147) stations, including major highways and smaller local roadsSTATUS New TenderPROJECT MANAGER Parsons Brinckerhoff International (Saudi Arabia)TENDER CATEGORIES Public Transportation ProjectsTENDER PRODUCTS Roads Construction, Roadways

IRAQBASRA - HADITHA CRUDE EXPORT PIPELINE PROJECT

PROJECT NUMBER MPP2868-IQTERRITORY IraqCLIENT NAME State Company for Oil Projects - SCOP (Iraq)

ADDRESS Ministry of Oil Complex, Port Said StreetCITY Baghdad PHONE (+964-1) 817 7000/ 817 7021FAX (+964-1) 817 7119 / 876 3744EMAIL [email protected] / [email protected] www.scop.gov.iqDESCRIPTION Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract to build a 680-kilometre-long crude export pipelineSTATUS New Tender FEED CONSULTANT SNC-Lavalin International Inc. (Abu Dhabi)TENDER CATEGORIES Oilfields & Refineries, Gas Processing & DistributionTENDER PRODUCTS Crude Transportation, Storage & Distribution, Gas Export/Import Terminal




THE LARGEST CONSTRUCTION EVENT IN SAUDI ARABIA

Register for FREE entry at: www.thebig5saudi.com/cpi9

9 – 12 March 20148 - 11 جمادى ا�ول 1435ه

Jeddah Centre for Forums & Events

Host Venue:Supporting Organisations:Under the Patronage of: Diamond Sponsor: Organised by: Co-organised by:

Under the Patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Mansour bin Mutaib bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs.

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Big5_KSA_2014_Big_Project_ME_Ad_224x280mm_Eng.ai 1 1/7/14 12:24 PM

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DIARY MIDDLE EAST ELECTRICITY BIGPROJECTME.COM

BIG PROJECT ME PREVIEWS THE MIDDLE EAST REGION’S LARGEST POWER, LIGHTING, RENEWABLE AND NUCLEAR ENERGY SHOW

TAKING PLACE AT the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Middle East Electricity focuses on the power, lighting, renewable and nuclear sectors, and featuring over 1,200 exhibitors from 100 countries.

The three-day event is strategically located in Dubai, a hub of regional economic activity, providing exhibitors the ideal platform to showcase their latest energy related products and services to more than 18,000 decision makers from around the world.

“One of the key drivers of the surging power demand in the MENA region is due to rapid population growth,” said Anita Mathews, director of Informa Energy Group, organisers of Middle East Electricity.

“Others include increasing urbanisation and lifestyle improvements that come with growing economic prosperity, further enhanced by the resurgent construction boom that has now returned to the region,” she added in a statement to Big Project ME.

POWER BOOSTThis year’s Middle East

Electricity will see more than 1,200 exhibitors

from 100 countries.

Middle East Electricity is co-located with Solar Middle East, the region’s most comprehensive gathering of solar technology providers.

The combined events feature two dedicated one-day industry conferences: the Green Energy Middle East conference on 11 February and the Solar Middle East Conference on 12 February. Also returning are the popular Middle East Electricity Awards on 11 February, celebrating the achivements of individuals, departments, teams or organisation that have contributed to the growth and development of the region’s energy industry.

HAPPENING THIS MONTH...MIDDLE EAST ELECTRICITY

CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY SHOW 2014DAMMAM, SAUDI ARABIA16 – 20 FEBRUARY, 2014The region’s biggest dedicated construction machinery show, returns, this time in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, following its successful run in Jeddah last year.

MIDDLE EAST RAILDUBAI, UAE4 – 5 FEBRUARY, 2014The largest annual gathering of Middle East government officials and railway operators, Middle East Rail represents the best opportunity to access this $250 billion market.

BIG 5 SAUDI ARABIAJEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA9 – 12 MARCH, 2014Saudi Arabia’s largest building and construction event, Big 5 Saudi 2014 brings together real estate developers, government bodies, contractors and investors for a four day event.

MIDDLE EAST ELECTRICITYn When: February 11-13, 2014, Dubai

n Contact: Team Middle East Electricity

n Tel: +971 4 336 5161

n E-mail: [email protected]

n URL: www.middleeastelectricity.com

THE OTHER DAY I came across some statistics

that illustrate just how worrying the energy

consumption situation is in the GCC.

A report in Gulf News estimates that

the average UAE resident consumes 8,271

kilogrammes of oil equivalent energy (kgoe) on

an annual basis. As huge as that number is, it’s

dwarfed by its neighbours Qatar and Kuwait who

have a per capita energy consumption of 12,799

kgoe and 12,204 kgoe respectively.

To put this in stark contrast, the per capita

energy consumption in the UK and the USA are

3,254kgoe and 7,164kgoe respectively, while on

average, Indians consume 556kgoe per annum.

With figures like that, it’s no surprise that the

governments of the GCC are pushing so strongly

for a revamp of energy consumption habits

and an upgrade of existing power and water

infrastructure.

“The status quo of high income and low

energy prices has created some inefficiencies,

adding pressures on hydrocarbon resources

and the environment,” Suhail Mohammed Al

Mazrouei said ahead of the 5th Gulf Intelligence

UAE Energy Forum, which was be held in Abu

Dhabi on 13 January under the theme, Global

Energy Outlook 2020.

“A general change in habits would help drive

the region’s competitiveness and boost efficiencies

in the longer term,” the minister added.

With the projected demand for electricity in

the UAE alone expected to rise by 9% per annum

through to 2020, it’s becoming increasingly vital

for governments in the GCC to look elsewhere

for sources of power, which is why events

such as the World Future Energy Summit have

become incredibly vital for the future of the

power and water industry.

By finding and using alternative sources of

energy, not only does the region move away

from being dependent on oil and gas for its

growth, but it also provides a beacon to those

who advocate the use of sustainable and

renewable energy sources.

With plans for some of the world’s largest

solar power plants already underway in

the region, it’s clear that this technology

is of considerable interest and viability for

governments. Couple that with the investment

and investigations into nuclear energy, and

we could very well see the GCC relinquish its

dependence on carbon fuels within the next few

decades or so.

Not only are we seeing the energy sector

revamp itself, we’re also seeing it impact the

water sector and help it embrace sustainability.

Metito’s Bassem El Halabi tells me that the

governments of the region are looking to

integrate both solar and nuclear power with

desalination, a move that will considerably

enhance sustainability efforts.

Furthermore, there is now considerable

interest in recycling wastewater and turning

it into potable, usable clean water. This

experiment has been successfully trialled in

places like Singapore and it seems like the GCC

is now picking up on it.

El Halabi puts it perfectly: “Water sources

in the Gulf are scarce, it’s a semi-arid zone. It’s

scarce. We can’t rely on these resources, they

have to look at renewable resources, there’s no

other way.”

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CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM BIGPROJECTME.COM

GAVIN DAVIDS

Gavin Davids says that the GCC’s embrace of sustainability and renewable energy resources is a giant leap forward for the region

Waste Not, Want Not

“WITH PLANS FOR SOME OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST SOLAR POWER PLANTS ALREADY UNDERWAY IN THE REGION, IT’S CLEAR THAT THIS TECHNOLOGY IS OF CONSIDERABLE INTEREST AND VIABILITY FOR GOVERNMENTS”

THE OTHER DAY I came across some statistics

that illustrate just how worrying the energy

consumption situation is in the GCC.

A report in Gulf News estimates that

the average UAE resident consumes 8,271

kilogrammes of oil equivalent energy (kgoe) on

an annual basis. As huge as that number is, it’s

dwarfed by its neighbours Qatar and Kuwait who

have a per capita energy consumption of 12,799

kgoe and 12,204 kgoe respectively.

To put this in stark contrast, the per capita

energy consumption in the UK and the USA are

3,254kgoe and 7,164kgoe respectively, while on

average, Indians consume 556kgoe per annum.

With figures like that, it’s no surprise that the

governments of the GCC are pushing so strongly

for a revamp of energy consumption habits

and an upgrade of existing power and water

infrastructure.

“The status quo of high income and low

energy prices has created some inefficiencies,

adding pressures on hydrocarbon resources

and the environment,” Suhail Mohammed Al

Mazrouei said ahead of the 5th Gulf Intelligence

UAE Energy Forum, which was be held in Abu

Dhabi on 13 January under the theme, Global

Energy Outlook 2020.

“A general change in habits would help drive

the region’s competitiveness and boost efficiencies

in the longer term,” the minister added.

With the projected demand for electricity in

the UAE alone expected to rise by 9% per annum

through to 2020, it’s becoming increasingly vital

for governments in the GCC to look elsewhere

for sources of power, which is why events

such as the World Future Energy Summit have

become incredibly vital for the future of the

power and water industry.

By finding and using alternative sources of

energy, not only does the region move away

from being dependent on oil and gas for its

growth, but it also provides a beacon to those

who advocate the use of sustainable and

renewable energy sources.

With plans for some of the world’s largest

solar power plants already underway in

the region, it’s clear that this technology

is of considerable interest and viability for

governments. Couple that with the investment

and investigations into nuclear energy, and

we could very well see the GCC relinquish its

dependence on carbon fuels within the next few

decades or so.

Not only are we seeing the energy sector

revamp itself, we’re also seeing it impact the

water sector and help it embrace sustainability.

Metito’s Bassem El Halabi tells me that the

governments of the region are looking to

integrate both solar and nuclear power with

desalination, a move that will considerably

enhance sustainability efforts.

Furthermore, there is now considerable

interest in recycling wastewater and turning

it into potable, usable clean water. This

experiment has been successfully trialled in

places like Singapore and it seems like the GCC

is now picking up on it.

El Halabi puts it perfectly: “Water sources

in the Gulf are scarce, it’s a semi-arid zone. It’s

scarce. We can’t rely on these resources, they

have to look at renewable resources, there’s no

other way.”

56 FEBRUARY 2014MID

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EA

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CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM BIGPROJECTME.COM

GAVIN DAVIDS

Gavin Davids says that the GCC’s embrace of sustainability and renewable energy resources is a giant leap forward for the region

Waste Not, Want Not

“WITH PLANS FOR SOME OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST SOLAR POWER PLANTS ALREADY UNDERWAY IN THE REGION, IT’S CLEAR THAT THIS TECHNOLOGY IS OF CONSIDERABLE INTEREST AND VIABILITY FOR GOVERNMENTS”

fast, stable, versatileAFGHANISTANFAMCO (Al-Futtaim Auto & Machinery Co. LLC)+ 971 4 213 5100 (UAE) [email protected]

AZERBAIJANAztexnika Ltd+ 994 502 452 [email protected]

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GEORGIAElite Motors Ltd+ 995 577 769 [email protected]

IRAQSardar Automobile andMachinery Trading Co.+ 964 750 344 [email protected]

KUWAITAl-Zabin International Group Co.For Heavy Equipment+ 965 2433 [email protected]

LEBANONAMTRAC (Abdelmassih Trading Company) + 961 3 [email protected]

PAKISTANVPL Limited+ 92 42 111 875 875uzair.shahid @panasiangroup.com

QATARArabian Agencies Company WLL+ 974 44 50 [email protected]

OMANGENSERV (General Engineering Services Est)+ 968 244 90755 [email protected]

SAUDI ARABIA FAMCO (Al-Futtaim Auto & Machinery Co. LLC)+ 966 2 680 4444 [email protected]

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UAEFAMCO (Al-Futtaim Auto & Machinery Co. LLC)+ 971 4 213 5100 [email protected]

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