China Petroleum & Chemical Corp (Sinopec) and Kuwait Petroleum Corp on Friday started building their joint refining and petrochemical complex in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, the top Chinese oil refiner said.

The 59bn yuan ($9.3bn) project, including a 300,000-barrel-per-day refinery and a 1m tonne-per-year ethylene cracking unit, was expected to come on line in 2015, Sinopec said in a press release.

The National Development and Reform Commission, a powerful ministry in charge of major project approvals, gave its nod for the project in March.

KPC has said it is still looking to partner with an international oil company for some of its 50 percent stake in the project in Zhanjiang in western Guangdong.

The project will secure Kuwait, the world’s seventh-largest crude exporter, a stable outlet for its oil as it aims to more than double crude exports to China to 500,000 bpd, while giving the world’s second largest oil buyer a steady supply as demand keeps pace with solid economic growth.

In 2009, KPC briefly tapped potential investors Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Dow Chemical Co, but the companies did not commit to form a consortium.

Kuwait said in April that it was in talks with BP Plc and other major energy companies over a possible role in the refinery project.

Release Date: 3rd November 2011

UAE firms are expected to increase exports of local products and services to Saudi Arabia’s booming construction sector over the coming year, as a result of their recent participation at Saudi Build 2011, the Middle East’s largest construction and building material exhibition in the region.

An extensive business matchmaking event, organised by Dubai Exports, an agency of the Department of Economic Development (DED), witnessed a strong response from Saudi Build key buyers and investors. The event served as an important venue for mutual trade cooperation between companies from both countries including discussion of government facilities and services provided by Dubai Exports.

Engineer Saed Al Awadi, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Exports, said that Saudi Arabia’s booming building and construction sector provided potential opportunities for UAE exports. “Our successful participation at Saudi Build signifies a continuous growth of the country’s exports in the construction and building materials sectors. The business matchmaking event, one of our supports to UAE companies, provided them with a venue to meet with key buyers which aims to increase their export opportunities in regional markets such as Saudi Arabia,” he said.

The matchmaking event, which was attended by 35 local companies and more than 35 major Saudi buyers, resulted to overwhelming sales and business leads of export opportunities. Among the local companies that participated in the event were based in Dubai Investment Park and other companies from the manufacturing sector.

“We are keen to enter new markets for our companies at Dubai Investment Park and Saudi Build is an important exhibition for us to introduce our products to the Kingdom as well as enhance the awareness of the services our companies can provide to the construction sector. We have had remarkable success in our latest participation at Saudi Build and Dubai Exports’ support and the matchmaking event it organised was key in closing deals during the show,” said Abdul Aziz Al Serkal, Chief Executive Officer, Masharie, the private equity arm of Dubai Investments.

Saudi Build 2011, the largest business to business construction fair in the Kingdom, provided contractors, real estate developers and building owners with a full range of building solutions.

[Dubai, 02 November, 2011]- Drake and Scull Kuwait (DSK) aims to harness the international expertise of parent company Drake & Scull International (DSI) PJSC – a regional market leader in integrated design, engineering and the construction disciplines of Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP), Civil Contracting, and Water & Power to leverage its market share in the Kuwaiti construction sector .

Since its inception in 2004, DSK has been involved in some of Kuwait’s top engineering projects including the Special Training Centre for Public Authority for Applied Education and Training in Chuwaikh and the College of Basic Education- Boys Campus in Ardiya in addition to the Kuwait State Audit Bureau. DSK exclusively owns unique engineering technologies, especially in the MEP and Water and Power sectors, and enjoys close ties with governmental and private property developers.

DSK is eyeing new projects, especially those involving the residential, healthcare and infrastructure sectors, to sustain its momentum in the Kuwaiti market and to benefit from the lucrative opportunities emerging from the rapidly evolving construction sector. The company also intends to build new business channels and to expand its market reach to cover the Civil and Water and Power sectors,” said Khaldoun Tabari, CEO of DSI.

“We have a proven track record of prestigious projects in Kuwait and we are supported by DSI’s four decades of regional expertise in the MENA region, so we are well-positioned to further expand and grow in this promising and emerging market. After seven years of operation in the country we have become well-versed in addressing the dynamics and complexities of projects of different scales across all industries. We offer existing and potential clients exceptional value, particularly in terms of turnkey solutions, seamless engineering and procurement capabilities,” Tabari continued.

Tawfiq Abu Soud, Managing Director of Drake & Scull Water and Power reiterated, “We believe that Kuwait is one of the most dynamic construction markets in the GCC and is the ideal platform for expansion. The competition is high and we see a large influx of foreign contractors into the Kuwaiti market. However, DSI is distinguished by its integration of the European and Arab cultures and its long presence in the region which enable it to deal with the Kuwaiti culture and market dynamics in a faster pace than other foreign companies. New companies need two or three years to adapt and cope with the specificities of each market to be able to break the barriers of language and culture. As a publicly listed company DSI is treated as gulf contractor with international expertise which gives us access to more facilities and higher qualifications to bid on many projects in Kuwait.”

DSK will continue to focus on quality, health, safety and environment processes meeting international standards to further cement its position in the market. The company recently won an AED 73 million project for an administrative block and mosque for a public sector client which brings the total of value of projects won since the beginning of the year to AED 230 million.

Dubai Exports supports local firms to Saudi Build and Anuga 2011 exhibitions 

Release Date: 19th October 2011

Dubai Exports, an agency of the Department of Economic Development (DED), is continuing to spearhead the exports from the country through creating long term valuable overseas opportunities for UAE companies particularly in the building materials and food & beverage sectors by participating at Saudi Build, the Middle East’s largest construction and building material exhibition in the region; and Germany’s Anuga, world´s leading food fair for the retail trade and the food service and catering market.

The participation of Dubai Exports is built on its previous successes at both events last year after achieving record export orders for the exhibiting local companies. This year, Dubai Exports is hoping to set a new record through extensive business matchmaking events that took place on the sidelines of Saudi Build and Anuga.

“Dubai Exports is continuously looking for ways to aid local companies to expand their presence and increase their export opportunities in the Kingdom and Europe particularly in Germany. Through the Saudi Build and Anuga exhibitions, Dubai Exports is able to strengthen the country’s trade relations with the two countries by enhancing awareness on the products and services our local companies can provide in the construction and building sector as well as the food and beverage industry,” said Engineer Saed Al Awadi, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Exports.

Research produced by Dubai Exports showed that Saudi Arabia remains one of the main export destination markets for Dubai-based products and services. In 2010, Dubai’s direct export to Saudi Arabia amounted to AED2.47 billion, while direct re-export was valued at AED3.34 billion. Meanwhile, Free Zone exports posted AED21.03 billion in the same year.

“Through the matchmaking events supported by our overseas trade office we hope to identify export opportunities for Dubai and UAE exporters in the Kingdom. We are expecting to further increase our exports through linking out exporters with key buyers in the construction sector from Saudi Arabia and the region. We are confident that our activities with lead to future business deals for UAE firms,” Al Awadi added.

Dubai Exports worked with companies in the building materials and services sector to assist them in securing the deals. Current estimates showed that over AED1 trillion is expected to be invested by GCC countries in various construction and infrastructure-related projects over the next decade. Some of these projects are continual projects offering UAE companies long term opportunities.

Similarly, in the food and beverage sector, Dubai Exports has also sought to raise the capabilities and skills of domestic’s producers so that they can enter foreign markets particularly Europe. Dubai Exports is showcasing various products from the UAE at Anuga exhibition, which will help raise the global profile of the country as an exporter of high quality products as well assisting firms to penetrate foreign markets.

The Dubai companies that exhibited at Anuga were able to take advantage of the presence of an expected 150,000 trade show visitors from throughout the world as well as approximately 6,500 exhibiting companies from various countries representing the international food industry. The Dubai companies also networked and discussed business opportunities as well as learned the latest trends and newest markets in the food industry. 

Research from Dubai Exports showed that Germany is an important market for Dubai with its total direct export to the country amounting to AED1 billion in 2010, while exports from the Free zones was valued at AED1.2 billion.

“The Anuga exhibition provided an excellent opportunity for UAE companies to showcase their products and services, and present the latest in the UAE’s food industry including Dubai’s export capabilities,” Al Awadi said.

During the Saudi Build and Anuga exhibitions, Dubai Exports provided various services to the local exhibitors such as readiness assessment for exporters, and general information about the construction sector in Saudi and the food and beverage industry in Germany.

Dubai, UAE – October 16, 2011: His Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, inspected the current works at Al Warsan Centre which includes two buildings – one for electricity distribution control with the capacity of 33 KV and 11 KV, and the other for monitoring and controlling electricity generation and transmission with the capacity of 400 KV and 132 KV, as well as an administrative building. The two centres will work simultaneously, as control in the two buildings will be conducted separately according to areas. Moreover, each centre will receive monitoring signals from the entire Dubai Electricity Grid.  

Accompanying His Excellency were Abdullah Obaidullah, EVP – Water & Civil Engineering, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Sr. Manager – Civil Engineering Projects, and Arif Abdulkarim Julfar, Media & Marketing Manager.

His Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA said: “We go on steadily with our development projects to provide the necessary resources of electricity so as to meet the ever-increasing needs of the Emirate of Dubai in various fields. In this regard, DEWA is setting up such centres in order to effectively control Power Distribution Grid in the Emirate of Dubai, as well as applying the criteria of quality and excellence in performance and work. These, of course, will ensure promoting the quality of services delivered to all DEWA’s customers and maintain its vision as being “A Recognized World-Class Utility”.   

The total area of the premises allocated for the administrative compound reaches 570,000  sq.ft. However, floor built-up area reaches 76,000 sq.ft. It consists of 3 floors. It will absorb 220 employees. The floor built-up area of the premises allocated for control of power distribution and transmission reaches 109,000 sq.ft., and the building consist of four floors and absorbs 150 employees. Moreover, the compound comprises an administrative building designated for the power transmission division, warehouses, a laboratory, a mosque that can hold 350 people, a 1100-space car parking, out of which 600 spaces are located inside power transmission control building, whereas the other spaces are located outside the parking area.

In compliance with sustainable development and conserving resources and environment as per its strategic plan, which is in line with Dubai’s Strategic Plan, DEWA’s new building will be compatible with Green Buildings’ requirements and specifications. Further, this building will implement “Building Management System”, which manages cooling, air conditioning, and ventilation units in the building. This, of course, will save efforts and electricity consumption and will automate all monitoring operations. Besides, this new building complies with the standards of water and electricity conservation standards, using solar energy to provide electricity for lighting and heating purposes. Furthermore, this building observes the standard specifications of Green Buildings in terms of building materials, heat-isolating roofs so as to protect environment as part of DEWA’s duties and responsibilities towards society.

His Excellency concluded: “Construction works of the building are in accordance the approved programme, and these works are expected to be finished by end of current year.”

Custom-built complex to ensure consistent quality and environmental compliance in maintenance of Imdaad’s entire fleet of small, medium and heavy vehicles

October 1, 2011

Imdaad, a leading provider of integrated facilities management solutions in the UAE, has announced that it has started construction of a state-of-the-art complex in Dubai’s JAFZA South, which is designed to provide maintenance services for Imdaad’s entire fleet of more than 150 small, medium and heavy vehicles. The complex, which is being developed on a 30,000 square meter plot, will facilitate all in-house services for denting, painting, welding and tyre maintenance.

Imdaad further revealed that it has invested over AED 12 million for the first phase of the complex and expects to recover the cost of construction in three years. The complex, which has been initially built in a 10,000 square meter area of the plot, will be completed by June 2012.

Jamal Abdulla Lootah, CEO, Imdaad, said: “The construction of the complex will enhance the delivery of premium-quality services, while ensuring that our vehicles are maintained according to strict quality and environmental standards. Moreover, we have conducted extensive soil test and environmental impact studies for the project, while all the approvals had been received in early 2011. Imdaad’s continued success as a facilities management services provider of choice has certainly created new opportunities to further expand our capabilities and add greater value to our portfolio of services. The complex likewise underlines our strong commitment to invest in projects that strengthen our competitive advantage in the market.”

The complex will have ample space for all Imdaad equipments and will be equipped with four wash bays, which have been designed to ensure minimum environmental impact. The complex will also adopt recycling and water reuse facilities. The remaining undeveloped area will be used for future expansion.

Imdaad has been a leading proponent of environment-friendly technologies and sustainable business practices in the FM industry. The company has pioneered several initiatives that not only enhance its business performance, but also benefit customers, employees and the society in general.

Qatar,

Msheireb Properties’ focus on innovation, sustainability and green building was recognised last night at the Qatar Construction Week Awards 2011, where the developer tasked with regenerating Doha’s historical downtown picked up the Construction Sustainability Award at a gala ceremony at the Four Seasons Doha.

The Construction Sustainability Award was awarded to Msheireb Properties for the ground breaking sustainability practices implemented at its Msheireb Downtown Doha project. Construction Week chose the group’s signature project as the “winning initiative that will make a positive contribution to the advance of environmental considerations in construction, while also demonstrating clear practical applications”.

Mohamed M. Al Marri, Director of Projects, accepted the Award on behalf of the CEO Eng. Issa M. Al Mohannadi. Eng. Issa said: “We are honoured to receive this award which recognises our unique approach of developing projects that are sensitive to local norms, culture and environment and further underscores our leadership in actively promoting environmental awareness, sustainability and conservation. By creating the world’s first sustainable downtown regeneration project we hope that this will serve as a bold new template for the incorporation of practices such as passive cooling, energy and water conservation and use of renewable energy and reduction of carbon emissions across the world.”

Launched in 2009, Msheireb Downtown will have the highest concentration of LEED certified buildings in the world. The entire site will also be a LEED Certified Neighborhood Development (ND). The development focuses on 12 sustainability objectives that include maximising use of microclimate, reduction of car use, maximising water and energy efficiency, reduction of carbon emissions as well as facilitating community interaction and social exchange.

The Award acknowledges Msheireb Properties’ role in leading the way, with the first neighbourhood regeneration project in the region to have integrated urban sustainability as the paramount design direction, creating a unique architectural language sensitive to Qatar’s climate, culture and heritage.

Msheireb Properties has earned a number of other prestigious industry awards, including the MIPIM Architectural Review Future Projects Awards in Cannes France and the 2010 Arabian Business Award for excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility.

The Dubai Health Authority recently held a presentation and site visit with pre-qualified contractors of the Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital, to discuss all aspects of the tendering process and address all queries related to the construction of this project.

Fifteen pre-qualified contractors, DHA engineers and consultants attended the presentation at the Al Wasl Hospital premises, ahead of the process that will involve choosing one of the pre-qualified contractors for the construction of the Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital.

Engineer Saeed Al Shamsi, Director of Technical Operations at the DHA, said, “Several companies from across the world participated in the pre-qualification process, expressing their interest to construct the Al Jalila Hospital. We finally narrowed down the list to 15 pre-qualified contractors after going through a stringent qualification criteria. All the pre-qualified contractors are those who have built prestigious projects and have a clear understanding of the requirements of a healthcare project.”

He said, “We had to adhere to such a stringent screening process because the construction of this project is highly specialised and is being built to serve the paediatric and emergency needs of children.”

The hospital has already won two prestigious awards for its unique design and eco-friendly sustainability model.

In 2009, the Al Jalila Children’s Speciality Hospital won the ‘Future Health Projects’ award at the prestigious World Architecture Festival which took place in Barcelona, Spain.

The World Architecture Festival is one of the most important events which highlights architectural work from around the globe. It is a platform where the world’s architectural visionaries come together every year.

The 200 bed, Al Jalila hospital, which will specialise in paediatric care, won the ‘Future Health Projects’ award out of all 210 entries that were submitted from across the globe.

In 2011, the Al Jalila Hospital won the best sustainable hospital project award at the Hospital Build conference.

Al Shamsi mentioned that all the pre-selected contractors are reputable, well-established local companies either fully-owned by a UAE national or are international companies that have a UAE national partner with 51% share.

Al Shamsi said the hospital is the only one-of-its-kind hospital in the Gulf region that will specialise in paediatric care.

The state-of-the-art hospital will be equipped with a dedicated helipad that will be directly connected with the emergency department to accommodate any type of paediatric emergency excluding road traffic accidents.

Al Jalila Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Hospital was ordered to be built by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai as a gift to the children of the UAE.

Once completed, the hospital will be a state-of-the-art building 200 bed children’s hospital with a full-fledged Emergency Department and Outpatient Department supported by a comprehensive Imaging and Radiology Department, Nuclear Medicine, Clinical Laboratory Department, Hospital Pharmacy, Rehabilitation Services and several others specialities.

Furthermore, the design of the hospital takes into account energy saving strategies to facilitate reductions in the global energy consumption.

Thousands of trade visitors, exhibitors to attend Saudi Build 2011 and Saudi Stone-Tech 2011 in Riyadh

July 19, 2011

Shahid Bhatti

Saudi Arabia’s housing sector remains a major long-term growth catalyst for the country’s construction industry as studies reveal that over SAR 300 billion worth of pledged housing projects are now in the pipeline. Aggressive residential development projects are being initiated all over the country to address the growing housing requirements of the country, subsequently creating windows of opportunity for key players in the construction industry.

Saudi Build 2011, the leading construction trade event in the Middle East, will serve as a key business-to-business networking platform that will cater to the needs of regional and international exhibitors as well as trade buyers in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Build 2011 – The 23rd the International Construction Technology and Building Materials Exhibition, will run from October 16 to 19, 2011, at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre and will be held concurrently with Saudi Stone-Tech – The 14th International Stone and Stone Technology Show.

Shahid Bhatti, Project Manager of Saudi Build at Riyadh Exhibitions Company, said: “Saudi Arabia is increasingly grabbing the attention of global suppliers and technology vendors because of the sheer size of the Kingdom’s construction market. A large number of international companies are now exploring expansion opportunities in KSA, especially at a time when other markets continue to underperform. Saudi Build and Saudi Stone-Tech will therefore serve as an ideal platform for international suppliers to network with trade buyers and decision makers from the Saudi government. For years Saudi Build and Saudi Stone-Tech have gathered the largest collection of property developers, local and international builders, building merchants and high-profile investors, making it the definitive marketing venue for all stakeholders in the Saudi construction sector.”

Saudi Build 2011 expects thousands of industry-related visitors, including high-profile business leaders from the Kingdom and around the world, diplomats and high-ranking Saudi Government officials. The event will also gather hundreds of exhibiting companies from Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia, collectively offering a comprehensive collection of the latest construction products and services.

Saudi Stone-Tech caters to evolving requirements and changing trends in stone technology products, machinery and services. Supported by VeronaFiere (Verona Trade Fair Company), Italy’s top trade show organizer, and the Italian MARMOMACCHINE Association, a technical and promotional organization for Italy’s stone and allied industries, Saudi Stone-Tech will feature designers and landscapers who will showcase cutting-edge stone products, including marble, granite, travertine and stone derivatives, as well as cutting, polishing and manufacturing machinery.

Leading paints and coatings manufacturer to support sustainable buildings and infrastructure projects in Egypt

July 04, 2011

Jotun Paints, one of the world’s leading producers and suppliers of paints and coatings, is looking towards strengthening its market presence in Egypt with the introduction of its revolutionary ‘Green Single Source Solution’ concept across the country’s increasing number of construction and development projects. The move reflects the company’s commitment towards supporting the call for more sustainable buildings and infrastructure projects in the country. The ‘Green Single Source Solution’ is part of Jotun’s strategic initiative to provide a holistic approach to high quality and cost-effective, paints and coatings solutions that are energy efficient and have low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), to ensure less impact towards people’s health and the environment.

According to Jotun senior executives, the increasing number of construction and development projects in Egypt is accompanied with the call to implement more green building policies and guidelines. The company believes that paints and coatings to be used in these current and future crops of projects should leave less of a carbon footprint and offer key advantages like durability, high-performance, energy efficiency, and a strong capacity to minimize impact on air quality and add more aesthetic value to a project. In line with this, the manufacturer is launching the ‘Jotun Green Paint System’, which includes paints that qualify for many Green Building Rating Systems that is widely being followed across the globe. The launch follows after the company’s recent participation as one of the main sponsors of the ‘Cost-Effective Sustainable Design and Construction Exhibition’, which was held for the first time in Egypt.

“Egypt is currently experiencing rapid growth and development in its construction sector, with investments expected to grow to around USD 7.3 billion by 2015. The anticipated entry of strategic infrastructure projects over the next five years comes with the growing demand for buildings and other development projects to be more ‘green’ compliant,” said Tor Hatlo-Johansen, General Manager, El- Mohandes Jotun Egypt. “Developers are now hiring architects and consultants with local experience and knowledge of designing and constructing energy-efficient and sustainable projects. The three things at the top of everyone’s agenda are sustainability, efficiency and cost. To meet this demand, Jotun is introducing the use of its ‘Green Single Source Solution’ as an effective measure that adds more ‘green’ value to these current line of projects.”

The conference provided a venue for participants to discuss key issues and topics like the analysis of regional case studies and best practice implementations; the benefits of using cost-effective sustainable design and construction; launching the 360° approach to create the first LEED gold building in Egypt; identifying appropriate sustainable materials and technologies, and enforcing and measuring sustainable development for communities. During the three-day affair, Jotun presented its ‘Green Single Source Solution’ to the participants and was highlighted by a presentation made by Ashraf Wassef, Global Sales Director-Infrastructure Concepts, Jotun. Also, the National Centre for Research and Construction has extended an invitation to Jotun to become one of its members.

“Our recent participation at the ‘Cost-Effective Sustainable Design and Construction Exhibition’ has resulted in Jotun being named as the most recommended consultant for engineers, architects and consultants. Rest assured that Jotun continues to remain steadfast in its commitment to not only offer paints as a supplier but also offer services as a paint consultant - rendering single source solutions for the buildings,” concluded Tor Hatlo-Johansen.