The big picture

01 SPAIN ACCIONA becomes world’s largest motosharing operator

ACCIONA says it has increased its network of electric motorcycles to 10,000 units, making it the world’s largest motosharing operator by number of vehicles.

The firm’s shared transport service operates in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Zaragoza, Lisbon, Milan and has been recently launched as well in Rome, deploying an initial fleet of 500 vehicles.

Since its launch in October 2018, ACCIONA’s mobility service has prevented the emission of 1,000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere, the equivalent of the amount that 100,000 cars generate in one day.

04 TURKEY Marr Contracting completes world record lift for Turkey’s 1915 Çanakkale Bridge Marr Contracting, an Australian-based heavy lifting tower crane specialist, has announced that it has completed a world-record lift during the construction of the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge in Turkey.

In a statement, Marr said that the recordbreaking construction feat saw one of Marr’s M2480D Heavy Lift Luffers (HLL) undertake the world’s heaviest (155 tonnes) at height (318 metres) craneage lift on what will be the world’s longest span suspension bridge.

The European side was completed 24 hours later, the statement added.

02 GERMANY Liebherr begins sales of self-service concrete plant Liebherr has started sales of its new selfservice concrete plant which is designed to help building material suppliers extend their range of services and supply their customers in a more flexible manner.

According a statement from Liebherr, the new plant enables smoother supply of different types of concrete to endcustomers in a time-saving manner and incorporates independent weighing of the individual components for a high output rate of up to 30cbm/hour.

Using the new self-service plant, suppliers are able to serve a wide range of customers.

05 JORDAN Yellow Door Energy commissions 1.2MWp solar park for Jordan’s Jabri Restaurant Yellow Door Energy has commissioned a 1.2 megawatt-peak (MWp) solar park for Jabri Restaurant in Al-Salt, Jordan

The solar park covers an area of 22,000sqm and will generate 2,145 megawatt-hours of clean energy in the first year of operation. The sustainable energy provider said that this will reduce carbon emissions by 1,500t and meet over 70% of Jabri Restaurant’s annual energy needs.

The solar park operates under a build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) wheeling agreement. 03 GERMANY Exactal rebrands to RIB and revamps product range Exactal says its rebranding to RIB, conducted with a revamp of its product range will clarify the company’s ‘position and messaging to the market’.

In a statement, the company said the CostX estimating platform has been renamed to iTWO costX, while CostX Benchmark is now known as iTWO benchmark. iTWO refers to RIB Software’s flagship cloud-based platform, which provides the world’s first enterprise cloud technology based on 5D BIM with AI integration for construction industries.

06 EGYPT Palm Hills announces $215m mixed-use development

Palm Hills Development has inked a co-development and revenue sharing agreement with Al Shorouk for Touristic Developments for a new $215 million mixed-use community in the Ain Sokhna region of Egypt.

As per the deal, Palm Hills will be responsible for all work related to construction, development, infrastructure, marketing and sales activities.

The project will occupy an area of 487,200sqm and is located on the Red Sea. It will be developed in five phases and will feature 1,201 residential units.

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07 SAUDI ARABIA DGDA begins work on $20bn Diriyah Gate project

The Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA) has broken ground on the first phase of the $20bn Diriyah Gate gigaproject. As part of phase one, the existing Bujairi district will receive a major upgrade in terms of beautification and infrastructure, which will enhance quality of life of the community.

Diriyah Gate is a mixed-use cultural and heritage development and will showcase 300-plus years of authentic history by delivering heritage experiences, empowering education, entertainment, shopping and dining. 08 SAUDI ARABIA Amaala appoints Foster + Partners to design destination’s international airport Amaala, the high-end luxury destination located along Saudi Arabia’s northwestern coast, has announced that a design by the UK-based architectural and design firm Foster + Partners has been chosen for its new international airport.

In a statement, Amaala said that the airport design by Foster + Partners is inspired by the optical illusion of a desert mirage. The firm conceptualised the terminal and control tower design, while the airport masterplan has been designed by Egis.

09 SAUDI ARABIA JLL strengthens GCC healthcare offerings as investor interest rises

Following high-profile advisory project wins in Saudi Arabia and across the region, JLL has announced that it has strengthened its healthcare offering.

JLL’s healthcare team recently advised on a partnership between Al Murjan Group, and Mediclinic Middle East for the establishment of a private hospital with 200 beds in Jeddah.

JLL is growing its offering to respond to upcoming PPP projects in KSA, UAE and Oman, as it believes that these projects will attract interest from in international healthcare operators looking to partner with local investors and developers.

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10 BAHRAIN King Fahd Causeway likely to open by July end

The King Fahd Causeway connecting Saudi Arabia and Bahrain is likely to reopen by the end of July.

Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported that a meeting of the Bahrain Coordination Committee disclosed the possibility of reopening of the bridge on July 27. It added that the opening plans will include strict protocols to limit the spread of coronavirus.

The 25km long causeway was closed on March 7, 2020 as part of precautionary protocols to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

11 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Ecolog and Siemens Energy’s Water Solutions join forces Ecolog International and Siemens Energy’s Water Solutions business are working together to provide an efficient and serviceoriented treatment option for the water and industrial wastewater industry. Industrial wastewater is a rapidly growing waste stream of downstream and energy industries, which has adversely impacted the environment and water resources over the last century.

The integration of Siemens’ Zimpro Wet Air Oxidation and PACT biological treatment solutions, as part of the overall services provided by Ecolog, will lead to greater efficiency and local value add.

12 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES RTA carries out intensive maintenance on Dubai Metro network

The RTA’s Rail Agency capitalised on the lockdown period of the National Disinfection Programme by carrying out intensive maintenance works on the Dubai Metro network.

Teams carried out key maintenance activities of some parts of the metro railways in a record time equal to 50% shorter than the planned period. Preventive maintenance works on nine railway curves, vis-à-vis planned five curves, were also carried out, a completion rate of 180%.

Also completed was the preventive maintenance of rail pads.

13 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES SEWA completes 305km natural gas network in Rahmaniyah

A 305km natural gas network in Rahmaniyah has been completed by the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (SEWA). The total length of the network in Sharjah is now 1,750km.

SEWA is working on implementing a strategic 16km line from the Rahmaniyah station to the Muwailih commercial area. The line will serve the region including development projects such as Al Waha, Nasma, Al Zahia.

The utility company aims to deliver services to the people of the Rahmaniyah area, taking advantage of the natural gas pumping station.

16 OMAN Al Mouj Muscat begins construction work on Juman Two apartments Al Mouj Muscat has begun initial construction works at its marina facing Juman Two apartment project. The move follows the completion of ground-breaking and piling works.

Located on the Al Mouj Muscat oceanfront, Juman Two consists of 152 one- and two-bedroom living spaces.

Al Mouj Muscat is a public-private venture between UAE-based Majid Al Futtaim Properties and Oman’s tourism development company, Omran, and investments development company Tanmia.

14 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Dubai Municipality and DSOA ink deal for geospatial data

The Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA) has signed a MoU with the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Centre of Dubai Municipality. The collaboration aims to enhance geospatial infrastructure development to accelerate digital transformation.

The MoU grants DSOA access to the interactive planning and survey mapping of Dubai, provided by the GIS Centre at Dubai Municipality. DSOA will acquire geographical data in addition to other specialised systems, smart applications and three-dimensional models of geospatial data.

17 UZBEKISTAN Masdar to develop 500MW wind farm in Uzbekistan

Following the signing of a deal with Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Investments and Foreign Trade and JSC National Electric Grid, Masdar has announced it will design, finance, build and operate a 500MW utility-scale wind farm in the country.

The project will take shape in the Zarafshon district of the Navoi Region and is expected to begin commercial operations in 2024.

Masdar and Uzbekistani government representatives signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and Investment Agreement for the project.

15 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES $114m Al Taif Business Centre project in Fujairah reaches 85% completion Al Taif Investment, the Fujairah-based joint venture between Dubai Investments and Fujairah Investment Establishment, has announced that 85% of work has been completed on its new mixed-use retail, hospitality and residential project, Al Taif Business Centre, and that the project is due for handover by the end of 2020.

The $114 million project has a total built-up area of 96,400sqm and consists of two towers – hotel plus residential tower with basement + ground floor + 19 floors and an office tower.

18 CHINA Zoomlion announces ‘world-first’ all electric truck crane Equipment major Zoomlion says its new ZTC250N-EV, the first unit of which rolled off the production line at its plant in Quantang Industrial Park in Changsha, China, is the world’s first “pure electric powered truck crane”.

The truck crane uses a five-section boom and has a three-axle chassis.

Zoomlion said it can reach a maximum speed of 90km/h and has a maximum gradeability of 50%. The ZTC250N-EV can deliver over 260km of range powered by its high-density lithium iron phosphate battery pack.