Foundation date set
Manama: The foundation stone for the $1.8 billion Bahrain-Qatar Friendship Causeway will be laid at the beginning of next year, Bahrain’s Southern Municipal Council chairman Khalid Shaheen Bu Alainain said.
The Supreme Cooperation Joint Committee has already completed the technical study and decided on the final course of the causeway, he added.
Projects worth $1 trillion in pipeline
Doha: An estimated Dh3.67 trillion ($1 trillion) worth of projects are in the pipeline in the region, which are expected to keep the project finance sector busy for the next eight to 10 years, a top Qatari official said. Shaikh Mohammad bin Ahmad Al Thani, Qatar’s Minister of Economy and Commerce, told delegates at the recent Meed Project Finance conference, that the scale of projects to be undertaken in Qatar, would amount to over $130 billion in the next 10 years. They encompass the development of infrastructure needed to exploit natural gas and to invest in water and power projects, airports, hospitals, free zones, sports complexes, hotels, roads and educational institutions.
QP plans major housing project
Doha: Qatar Petroleum (QP) has awarded a QR826 million ($227 million) contract to Qatar Real Estate Investment Company (QREIC) for a major housing project at Mesaieed Industrial City, Qatar.
The first phase of the project to be completed by mid-2007 involves the construction of 1,244 housing units for QP and its subsidiaries and will include an international school, kindergarten, a power substation, road networks and landscaping.
Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Industry Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah said QP and QREIC have already built contractors' compounds to accommodate 30,000 people who will be working on several projects in Mesaieed in 2007, such as Qatofina, Q-Chem II, the expansion of Qasco and Qapco.
Meanwhile, QREIC is currently undertaking a separate major expansion project at Al Khor involving 1,600 housing units at the cost of approximately QR800 million to cater for the new industries coming up at Ras Laffan.
Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Jassim Al Thani, chairman and managing director of QREIC said that the contractors for the first of the project are already on site and that the housing units would cater for employees of industries currently set in Mesaieed.
He added that the second phase of project would involve the construction of additional 1,500 units.
“We are building another city on an area of approximately 1 million sq m with all the facilities that are required for people working in Mesaieed,” he said, adding that this would accommodate a total of 6,000 people including families.
HHI to build $170m power plant
Riyadh: Saudi Aramco has recently awarded Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) a SR637.6 million ($170 million) contract to build a gas turbine power generation plant.
HHI will provide a turnkey service of engineering, procurement, start-up and commissioning of three 65 MW gas turbine units and electricity facilities including switchyard, which supply captive electricity to the gas and oil separation plant (gosp) of Saudi Aramco to be located at Shaybah in Saudi Arabia.
The project is scheduled for completion in 2008.
Zamil to supply for BFH project
Manama: Zamil Air Conditioners (ZAC), a leading manufacturer of air conditioning systems, has been awarded a SR5 million ($1.3 million) contract to supply climate control solutions for Bahrain Financial Harbour (BFH) project. In addition, Zamil Glass Industries (ZGI) has also been awarded a contract to supply specialised glass as part of a total construction industry solutions approach.
Under this agreement, ZAC will supply 84 chilled water double-skin air handling units and more than 1,600 chilled water fan coil units, which will provide a total cooling capacity of 10,700 tons for the landmark architectural project located on the northern coast of Bahrain.
ZAC will execute the project in co-operation with project consultants, Ahmed Janahi Architects and Gemac, and contractor, Al Hamad Construction and Development Company.
BWTC opens multi-storey car park
Manama: The Bahrain World Trade Centre (BWTC) has opened its new multi-storey car park, facilitating public access to the Bahrain Commercial Complex.
The new four-storey parking structure - for the exclusive use of visitors and shoppers - will initially provide some 420 parking spaces located on the ground, first and second floors of the facility.
An additional 180 parking spaces, to be located on the fourth storey, are under construction and set for completion later this month.
Once complete, the project will offer a total of 1,700 parking spaces to tenants and visitors of the landmark twin towers currently under development and the Bahrain Commercial Complex.
Gaweea set to open new offices
Al Khobar: In a move to meet the growing demand for its products, Al Khobar-based Gaweea Global Trading Establishment is planning to open new offices in Bahrain and Kuwait for the repair and testing of valves, among other services for its clients.
The company is the leading approved vendor for valves, pipes, hydrants, manholes and fuel efficiency equipment for Saudi Aramco as well as other consultants, contractors and inspection agencies in Saudi Arabia.
