Harbin Electricity International and ACWA Power, preferred bidder of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority’s (DEWA) Hassyan clean coal power plant in Dubai, has chosen Alstom as the lead EPC contractor. The plant will be the first ultra-supercritical (USC) coal power plant in the Middle East. It will be operational by March 2021 with a net output of 1.200MW, representing a 12.5% boost of the Dubai current grid capacity. Alstom will provide its popular ultra-supercritical technology which is boiler and steam turbine generator, and will have dual fuel capacity that is able to fire both sub-bituminous coal and natural gas as…
Author: Paromita Dey
Hunter Douglas’s new light-weight sound-absorbing ceiling solution, TechStyle Islands, is now available in the Middle East. Reducing reverberation to comfortable levels, TechStyle Islands can absorb 75% of sound at frequencies between 250 and 4,000 Hertz, which includes the frequencies for human speech and the sound of a telephone. “TechStyle Islands was developed in response to a need for an affordable, simple and flexible solution for acoustic problems in existing buildings. It certainly is a simple solution; for small-scale application, you don’t even need an architect or installer. The next step, as far as I’m concerned, will be to integrate lighting…
Expert revealed strong demand for high quality office space to drive GCC’s construction market to be worth $125bn in 2016. In the GCC, large, small and medium-sized enterprises are expanding and upgrading offices, as the GCC’s construction sector is set to grow by 38% from 2013 to 2016 according to Alpen Capital. “GCC companies of all sizes are upgrading their office space, placing employee productivity on top,” said said Santosh Vallil, Sales Manager of Hunter Douglas Middle East, the multinational ceiling manufacturer. In Dubai alone, office supply is set to increase from 7.6 million square metres in 2014 to 9 million square metres…
Aconex to enable Drake and Scull International (DSI) to manage its project data and documents across all offices and projects. The agreement between two entities will implement highly advanced Software-as-a-Services (SaaS) platform built for construction and engineering. Through the use of the Aconex solution, DSI will be able to improve document control, increase productivity, reduce print outs, and recover lost time. Ahmad Al Naser, managing director of Drake & Scull Engineering (DSE), said: “We have selected Aconex to implement its project collaboration solution across all DSI offices and project operations with an aim to reduce project risks, increase productivity and…
Price of construction materials have remained stable over the last year, according to Colliers International’s report released this week. The Q3 2015 Construction Cost Benchmarking for Dubai and Abu Dhabi provides a consolidated construction cost image of a proposed development type based on the historic movement of global construction commodity trends, movement in construction materials, shifts in manpower and construction workload & competitiveness, recorded a variance of just -0.5% to + 1%, in the price of main construction materials. Bob Flanagan, director and head of project management and cost consultancy for Colliers International in the MENA region said: “Whilst the…
This year began with various international governments and commercial enterprises pledging over $92bn in the energy, housing and transportation sectors across Egypt. In addition the expansion of the Suez Canal, there are plans for the development of the surrounding area as well as the development of an entire new city, east of Cairo, that will accommodate five million people along with all the civil infrastructure. Though this might sound good for the construction sector, development in Egypt is fraught with challenges. The government has imposed very tight schedules on the completion of its projects which will require contractors to employ the latest construction…
The Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) has upgraded its data collection and information sharing strategy earlier this week. It has created a database of Abu Dhabi’s real estate developments in a bid to further enhance future land management. At a charter organised on October 12, UPC signed a charter with 19 developers for enhanced data sharing on residential, commercial and retail project portfolios. The developers are going to provide detailed information on their completed and ongoing projects, which builds on the existing data sharing agreements. This will in turn strengthen working relationships with the UPC. The information will enable…
Sustainable and green designs to be highlighted in upcoming Leaders in Design MENA summit this year. In an interview with Construction Business News ME, Saeed Al Abbar, chair of Emirates Green Building Council, said that there is an increasing knowledge and understanding in the region of what green projects are. “Today, we see significant strides being taken in the region to promote energy-efficiency in the built environment. Authorities throughout the GCC are increasingly implementing regulations and rating systems that are setting high standards for new construction projects and throughout the industry. “In the UAE particularly, a focus on sustainability has…
The Qatar edition of the Construction Business News industry awards, will award companies across 15 categories recognizing the projects and people who have contributed towards the industry’s greatest innovations in the Gulf powerhouse that is Qatar. For information on nominations and attendance, email melanie@bncpublishing.net Date: 18 October 2015 Venue: Ritz-Carlton Doha
Falconcity of Wonders LLC hosted recently a group of high-profile Indian media members at its site, “Falconcity of Wonders” (FCW). The visit aimed to familiarise Indian investors with FCW’s extensive business opportunities through a tour that covered the site’s development stages—opening investment possibilities for regional and international investors. Indian nationals residing in the UAE account for a big share of FCW’s current portfolio of investors. Given that India’s property investors top the list of estate investors in Dubai, the visit provided a comprehensive and diverse combination of leisure, entertainment, lifestyle and commercial elements patterned under a unique ‘World in a…