Danieli to build Hadeed plant

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) affiliate Saudi Iron and Steel Company (Hadeed) has signed an agreement with Italy’s Danieli for the construction of a steel plant and a production line for galvanising long products in Jubail, Saudi Arabia.

The plant, which is scheduled to start-up in the second half of 2012, will have an annual capacity of one million tonnes of steel billets. It will increase the total production capacity of Hadeed to six million tonnes, of which long products will account for four million. The plant will make Hadeed self-sufficient in feedstock, intermediate and finished products.

Hyflux wins Omani contract

WATER treatment specialist Hyflux’s wholly-owned subsidiary Hydrochem has won a S$95 million ($68.4 million) contract for the design and supply of a desalination facility for the Salalah Independent Water and Power Project in Oman.

The contract marks the first desalination project in Oman for the Singapore-based Hyflux.

The desalination facility will have an estimated capacity of about 68,000 cu m per day. It is expected to be completed within 22 months from receiving the notice to proceed. The project is not expected to have a material impact on Hyflux’s earnings for the current year.

Cares to get new chairman

THE UK’s Certification Authority for Reinforcing Steels (Cares) is to have a new independent chairman, its fourth since it began operations in 1984.

Professor Les Clark OBE (left), ex pro-vice-chancellor (estates and infrastructure) of Birmingham University, is to take over from Dr George Somerville OBE, who has been in the chair at Cares for the past 10 years. Clark has held senior positions in the UK construction industry, is a past president of the Institution of Structural Engineers and has chaired the Thaumasite Expert Group and also the group charged with a review of structural design codes in construction.
Polysilicon plant for Saudi Arabia.

Bahrain-based First Energy Bank plans to build a SR3.8 billion ($1 billion) polysilicon plant in Saudi Arabia with a local partner to cater to rising regional investments in solar power. Polysilicon is used in the production of solar panels and the Gulf region is trying to capture more of its solar and wind energy, thereby reducing its consumption of oil.

Vahan Zanoyan, chief executive of First Energy, said the project would be financed through a 40 per cent equity stake and 60 per cent debt. A portion of the debt would be provided by the Saudi government and the bank was in talks with commercial banks to raise the remainder.

Kuwait to boost power output by 50pc

KUWAIT will boost its electricity production capacity by 50 per cent over the next four years, according to Minister of Electricity and Water Dr Bader Al Shuraiaan.

The minister’s comments came during the  Arab Electricity Conference held in Kuwait last month.
The plans  also envisage renovation and maintenance of the national power sector, in addition to harnessing renewable energy resources.

The three-day conference focused on renewable energy and witnessed Arab experts exchanging views on the production of electricity.

Septech enters Saudi Arabia

SEPTECH has expanded its Middle Eastern presence with the establishment of an office in Saudi Arabia. 

The water giant has entered into a joint venture with a Saudi partner, Mawrid Holdings, to form Septech Saudi Arabia.  Septech will have a 70 per cent stake in the partnership, while Mawrid Holdings will own 30 per cent of the entity.

Seminars on FM-200 held

DUPONT recently held seminars across Saudi Arabia to bring about awareness over developments in the clean agent industry since the halon ban and the use of FM-200 as a replacement.

FM-200 systems reach extinguishing levels in 10 seconds or less, says DuPont, adding that FM-200 gas has been used in over 300,000 applications in more than 70 nations.

DuPont’s Neil Roberts, business manager for fire extinguishants in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region, Dr Mark Robbin, senior technical services consultant, and Mohammed Shehabi, regional manager for specialty fluorochemicals in the Middle East region introduced DuPont, discussed halon replacement technology, and confirmed FM-200 as the best choice for halon replacement and clean agent systems, respectively.

Tender to be issued for ‘giant’ garden

A tender is to be put out for giant botanical garden commissioned by the City of Riyadh as a gift to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to celebrate his accession to the throne.

British consultancies Barton Willmore and Buro Happold designed the King Abdullah International Gardens (KAIG) after winning an international competition in 2007 to design the project.

Now, having completed the design with advisors from the UK’s National History Museum and Eden Project, KAIG is to be put out to tender to contractors.

KAIG’s design features a 10-hectare building which will house the world’s largest indoor garden – the size of 15 football pitches. It will be set within a 160-hectare site in the desert of the Saudi central region.

Bahra Cables wins UL certification

SAUDI Arabia’s Bahra Cables Company has received Underwriters Laboratories (UL) certification for its range of thermoplastic-insulated wires and power and control tray cable type TC.

Receiving UL certification as a trusted resource across the globe for product safety certification and compliance solutions is a major endorsement of Bahra Cables’ quality processes, says the company.

Commenting on the certification, Bahra Cables CEO Talal Idriss says: “The UL certification reflects that our products are truly one-of-its-kind with the latest technologies. This endorsement shows that our general operational processes are of high quality and it is a rewarding experience to receive this quality confirmation from an independent accreditation body.”

Bahra Cables was established in 2008 under CPC Group of Companies with Electric House as partner, to serve the Saudi Arabian and GCC markets.

New EMEA president for Kohler

RALF Becker (left) has been appointed as Kohler Kitchen & Bath’s president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), reporting to group president Jim Westdorp. 

Becker will be responsible for providing leadership at both the operational and strategic levels for the Kitchen & Bath – EMEA business, driving growth of market share, operational excellence and profitability. 

Prior to joining Kohler, Becker served as the managing director of  the ceramic sanitary ware and kitchen business unit for Villeroy & Boch, based in Germany. 

Founded in 1873 Kohler is one of America’s oldest and largest privately held companies and a leader in the manufacture of kitchen and bath products, engines and power generation systems, cabinetry, tile and home interiors.

Dilmunia design deal awarded

MOTT MacDonald has been appointed by Ithmaar Development Company to provide infrastructure design and supervision services for Dilmunia Health Island in Bahrain.

The new $1.6-billion health island is set to be an international health and wellness facility in a resort-style environment-based on a 125-hectare man-made island off the north-east coast of Bahrain.

Designs for the island were developed last year and Mott MacDonald’s commission will help move the project on to the next stage.

Mott MacDonald’s team in Bahrain is assigned to design and supervise the construction of all infrastructure services from roads, bridges, power network, water, sewerage and treatment services to a district cooling plant with associated distribution services and a canal – all due for completion by mid-2013.

Bahrain unveils new standards

BAHRAIN’S Ministry of Works (MoW) has launched what is said to be the first-of-its-kind standard reference in construction contracts in the GCC.

The Standard Specifications for Construction Works document provides a guide on accepted construction practices in projects by the ministry and establishes a minimum acceptable quality criterion for projects.

The specifications document consists of 21 stand-alone modules, each addressing a single distinct area of the construction process, essential to the overall management of any project.

The guidelines are based on the best international standards and specifications, and should be interpreted in conjunction with standards currently in use in the Gulf. The document will be updated periodically in order to keep design standards current with changing regulations and improved construction material and practices.

Alessa unveils $200m venture

ALESSA Industries of Saudi Arabia has established a joint venture with America’s Huntair at an investment of over $200 million. Huntair is member of the Nortak International group, which specialises the manufacture of air handing units.

Revealing the news at The Big 5 show in Dubai, UAE, last month, Alessa’s CEO Ahmed Saeed Al Omari said that the new company’s goal was to share its industrial and marketing expertise, in addition to increasing Alessa’s manufacturing lines through further innovation and technology.

The agreement includes training its Saudi engineers in the fields of manufacturing and design in the US, as well as educating technicians and market specialists at Huntair.

Bahrain set to award STP contract

WORK on Bahrain’s first private sector sewage treatment plant (STP) is expected to start in June next year.

The $200-million Muharraq sewage treatment plant and sewer conveyance system has been put out to tender on a 27-year build, own and operate (BOT) contract, with bidders given a January 20 deadline.

The signing of the agreement with the winning bidder is scheduled for June and work is expected to start shortly thereafter, and take up to 42 months to complete.

“The project is strategic for Bahrain’s privatisation programme,” said Khalifa Al Mansour, assistant under-secretary for sewerage networks, Works Ministry. “It also represents the first such project in the Gulf with a large network component involved.”

The plant will treat 100,000 cu m of sewage per day, and an expanded capacity of 160,000 cu m. The project is a partnership between the Works and Finance ministries as well as the Economic Development Board.