Published: March 2nd, 2010
Work has begun on Qatar’s multibillion-dollar metro and ground rail projects, set to be completed in phases until 2016, and central to the emirate’s dreams of hosting the 2022 football World Cup.
The three projects – a metro network within Greater Doha, overground railways covering Qatar, and then links to the rest of the GCC region – are expected to cost as much as $40bn.
Metro rail project will cover a total distance of 354km and the trains will run at speeds of 80 to 160km per hour.
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Tags: 2022 Football World Cup, 2022 World Cup, GCC railway system, Greater Doha, Projects, Qatar's 2022 World Cup, Rail Projects
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Published: February 19th, 2010
Egypt will sign a deal this week with Abu Dhabi’s Masdar to build a 200 megawatt wind farm, as part of a plan to generate 20 percent of the country’s energy needs from renewable sources by 2020, an official said on Wednesday.
Egypt, an oil and gas producer, has been developing wind power along its eastern Red Sea coast. It already has wind farms at Zafarana and Hurghada in the area and now has installed capacity of 430 megawatts of wind energy.
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Tags: Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi's Masdar, Egypt, Egypt wind farm, Masdar, wind farm
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Published: February 14th, 2010
Prices of most construction materials in Abu Dhabi fell in 2009 with steel leading the declines after plummeting nearly 44 percent, latest figures released by Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi have showed.
The fall in prices of most types of building materials were as a result of the impact of the global economic crisis, SCAD said.
Construction of residential units in the UAE, and especially Dubai, slowed dramatically last year and house prices fell in Dubai by up to 50 percent in the downturn that swept the world in the fourth quarter of 2008.
However, the average price of aggregate and sand bucked the trend and registered a rise of 6.7 percent in 2009 in the UAE capital compared to 2008.
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Tags: construction materials prices, construction materials prices in UAE, construction prices
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Published: January 19th, 2010
Qatar-based conglomerate Aamal Company on Tuesday announced it had signed a deal with Argentinian transport infrastructure firm Cometrans Group, to develop the Gulf’s new rail system.
The joint venture, Cometrans Qatar, will also work on the proposed GCC rail system, as well as create a manufacturing facility for the assembly of buses and other industrial vehicles.
Contracts for the multi-billion dollar GCC rail project are set to be awarded by the end of this year with the project fully operational by as early as 2016, it was reported on Monday.
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Tags: Aamal Company, al-Thani, Cometrans Group, Cometrans Group Qatar, Cometrans Qatar, GCC projects, GCC rail projects, GCC rail system, Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani
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Published: January 19th, 2010
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister of Turkey, used his appearance in Abu Dhabi yesterday at the World Future Energy Summit to promote the ambitious project, which could supply gas to Europe through a Turkish hook-up with the proposed Nabucco pipeline.
Mr Erdogan said the Qatar-Turkey pipeline project was “important” for his country, and “will provide remarkable opportunities for Gulf countries”.
He also described last year’s signing of an inter-governmental agreement on the Nabucco pipeline as the year’s “most significant development” for Turkey’s energy strategy.
The transit agreement between five EU states and Turkey cleared the way for a final investment decision on the EU-backed project to reduce European dependence on Russian gas.
Several Central Asian and Middle East gas producers have recently expressed greater interest in supplying gas to Nabucco, although the project’s backers have yet to conclude any firm agreements.
Turkey has long sought to establish itself as a hub for energy flowing from Asia and the Middle East to Europe. The idea has gained traction with the EU in the past two years, as European concerns over energy security have intensified due to recurring spats that have threatened to disrupt westward flows of Russian oil and gas.
Tags: Qatar-Turkey pipeline project, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey, Turkey Qatar, Turkey Qatar Pipeline, World Future Energy Summit
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Published: January 14th, 2010
Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, today inaugurated the groundbreaking ceremony of DOHALAND’s signature project, renaming ‘Heart of Doha’ as ‘Musheireb’, given the historical significance and importance of the area.
The unique groundbreaking ceremony also witnessed Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned, Chairperson of DOHALAND, reviving an age-old Qatari tradition by leaving her royal handprint on the cornerstone of the ‘Musheireb’ project.
Tags: DOHALAND, Emir of Qatar, Heart of Doha, Musheireb, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani
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Published: January 12th, 2010
Mazaya Qatar will announce its first project soon, its chairman said in a statement today.
The company revealed the news as it announced plans to offer 50% of the company in an IPO open only to Qatari citizens and firms.
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Tags: Mazaya Qatar
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Published: January 12th, 2010
A consortium led by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has put the brakes on construction work on the Dubai Metro due to a disagreement over payments, oneof the firms said Thursday.
“We are slowing the pace of the construction for the purpose of negotiating the terms of contracts,” said Toshitaka Kawahara, a spokesman for Obayashi Corp., which is one of the constructors.
The consortium also comprises Mitsubishi Corp., Kajima Corp., and Turkey’s Yapi Merkezi.
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Tags: Dubai Metro, Dubai Metro construction, Kajima Corp, Mitsubishi Corp., Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Obayashi Corp., Turkey, Turkey's Yapi Merkezi, Yapi Merkezi
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Published: January 12th, 2010
Exxon Mobil Corp and Qatar Petroleum have agreed to build a $6 billion plant in the Middle East country to produce chemicals for export to Asia.
The project will be completed by 2015, the companies said today at a press conference in Doha, Qatar.
Exxon will hold a 49 percent stake in the plant, which will have a 1.6 million ton a year steam cracker. Other units include two 650,000 ton a year polyethylene plants and a 700,000 ton ethylene glycol plant
The Qatar project will help Exxon increase chemical production capacity in the Middle East 50 percent in the next six years, said Stephen Pryor, president of Exxon Mobil Chemical Co.
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Tags: Exxon, Exxon Mobil Chemical Co., qatar jobs, Qatar Petroleum, Stephen Pryor
Posted in Construction, Economy | No Comments »
Published: January 1st, 2010
Monday sees the long-awaited opening of the Burj Dubai, not only the world’s tallest building but the world’s tallest building by some 1,000 feet. At 2,683 feet (2683 feet = 817 meters) tall, it is the height of the current highest skyscraper, Taipei 101 in Taiwan, with the Eiffel Tower perched on top.
It has been designed so that those who wish to do so will never have to leave, or even descend below the 108th floor, at about 1,300 feet.
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Tags: Burj Dubai, Burj Dubai opening, Taipei 101, world's tallest building
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