ACME Group signs land deal for green ammonia project in Oman

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The agreement was signed with The Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones, a Government authority of Oman, an official statement said.

In March 2021, The Oman Company for the Development of the Special Economic Zone at Duqm (Tatweer) and ACME Group signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to set up a large scale facility to produce Green Hydrogen and Green Ammonia. The plant will be an integrated facility using 3 GWp of solar and 0.5 GWp of wind energy to produce 2,400 TPD of green ammonia with an annual production of approx. 0.9 million tons. The facility is being built to export green ammonia to demand centres like Europe and Asia with an investment of approx $3.5 billion, the statement said.

ACME Group Founder and Chairman Manoj K Upadhyay said, “The signing of land reservation agreement will allow us to kick start pre-construction activities. We have hired environmental consultants and owner’s engineers Black & Veatch and we plan to start the construction at Oman as soon we commission our first green hydrogen and green ammonia plant at Bikaner in India. The plant in Oman would be developed in phases and the first phase is likely to be commissioned by end of 2022.”

Source:https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/renewables/acme-group-signs-land-deal-for-green-ammonia-project-in-oman/articleshow/85563860.cms

Egypt’s economy to grow 5% in 2021-22 as rebound continues

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Egypt’s economy will grow 5.0% in the fiscal year that ends in June next year, a Reuters survey predicted on Monday, unchanged from analysts’ expectations in a similar poll three months ago and slightly below the government’s target of 5.4%.

Gross domestic product (GDP) of the Arab world’s most populous country was seen growing 5.5% in the fiscal year ending on June 30, 2023, the July 5-26 poll showed.

The government has said it expected the economy grew 2.8% in the 2020/2021 fiscal year despite the huge disruption across the global economy, retaining its place as one of the few emerging markets to achieve GDP growth despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic caused tourism to collapse in March 2020 and other parts of the economy to slow, as Egypt maintained a large trade deficit, which rose 9% to $30.6 billion in July 2020-March 2021 compared to the year prior.

Allen Sandeep of Naeem Brokerage said Egypt’s high current account deficit was partly a result of lower tourism revenues.

“The hope is that non-oil foreign direct investment picks up, local industry, local manufacturing takes over, and then you have substitution for imports,” he said.

Inflation was forecast at 6.0% in the fiscal year that ends in June, down slightly from an expectation of 6.4% three months ago. The headline price index is seen at 6.8% in the 2022/2023 fiscal year, revised up from an April projection of 6.2%.

Inflation has slowed as inventories have piled up after the market was throttled by supply chain disruptions last year due to the pandemic. Lower household consumption has also led to lower inflation.

“Now, if we see this COVID dragging on and tourism being quite weak … there will be a time when we cannot go on borrowing,” Sandeep said, adding that Egypt already pays debt investors a large premium over its central bank rates.

Source:https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/egypts-economy-grow-5-2021-22-rebound-continues-2021-07-26/

Global industrial services to execute Bharain steel mill

Global industrial services and engineered products company Harsco Corporation has announced three multi year contract awards for onsite steel mill services from new customers in Bahrain, Sweden and Chile totaling more than USD 135 million in projected revenues.

The contracts include the first steel mill to be built in Bahrain, the all new United Steel Company steelworks now nearing completion in the Hidd Industrial Area of northeastern Bahrain. The mill will be the Gulf Region’s first fully integrated producer of medium and heavy beams and structural steel sections, and is also envisioned to become the lowest cost producer of its kind in the world. Harsco’s new five year contract, scheduled to begin in the second half of this year, will service the mill’s anticipated production levels of close to one million tons per year, with objectives for further capacity expansion in the coming years. The SULB works becomes the second Harsco Metals & Minerals group operating site in Bahrain, joining Harsco’s AluServ aluminum dross processing facility at Askar which will now also provide slag processing support for the SULB contract.

The award in Sweden comes from SSAB, the largest Nordic manufacturer of heavy steel plate, and calls on Harsco to provide a range of scrap management services at SSAB’s plant in Oxelosund over a ten year period. Harsco’s services will enable the mill to better maximize its usage of internally generated scrap for improved efficiency and lower costs, while also enhancing the sorting and segregation of highly alloyed scrap materials for various production recipes. Harsco’s work will include a high-productivity Ferrocut(R) operation for reducing oversized scrap material into production-ready sizes.

In the third award, Harsco will begin services at the Gerdau AZA steelworks in Chile, a leading regional producer of steel products for the construction sector and other markets. Gerdau AZA is one of the two largest steel plants in Chile, and with this latest award, both are now served by Harsco. Harsco’s work will include slag processing, metal recovery and the sale of slag aggregates. The Company’s services are scheduled to start up in the third quarter of 2012 and, following completion of a slag processing site, the Company expects to be fully operational with all service activities by the first quarter of 2013. The six year contract adds to Harsco’s relationship with the Brazil based Gerdau Group, the largest producer of long steel in the Americas and one of the main suppliers of special long steel in the world.

Source:https://newsonprojects.com/news/global-industrial-services-to-execute-bharain-steel-mill

Bahraini Ministry of Industry and Commerce to set up a polyester film plant in Salman

Mumbai-based JBF won a USD200 million contract from Bahraini Ministry of Industry and Commerce to set up a polyester film plant in Salman Industrial City, Arabian Business reported.

Under the agreement JBF will carry out the construction works of the plant on a 65,000sqm site, expected to start early next year.

The new plant is expected to provide 300 jobs, with a production capacity of 90,000 tonnes in the first phase which can be expanded at a later stage.

The plant’s polyester film, which is used in packaging of electronics and food products, will mainly be marketed in the European Union and the US in order to benefit from the free trade agreement with the US.

Source:https://newsonprojects.com/news/bahraini-ministry-of-industry-and-commerce-to-set-up-a-polyester-film-plant-in-salman

Saudi sovereign fund PIF to invest in Investcorp-Aberdeen infrastructure fund

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Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund PIF will become an anchor investor in an infrastructure fund being launched by Bahrain’s Investcorp and Aberdeen Standard Investments.

Aberdeen Standard Investcorp Infrastructure Partners (ASIIP) received a capital commitment from the $430 billion PIF for up to 20% of the total size of the fund ahead of its anticipated first closing, Investcorp said in a statement on Thursday.

The statement did not give the size of the fund, but the Financial Times reported on Wednesday it could be as much as $800 million and its first close will be $250 million.

The new fund has also received board approval from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to commit $90 million, the statement said.

It could be joined by other global institutional investors including pension funds, insurance companies, endowments, family offices and private clients, the fund said.

ASIIP aims to participate in the post-COVID-19 economic recovery and reform in countries across the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the wider Middle East and North A ..

Investcorp is a global alternative investment manager with around $35.4 billion in assets under management.

source:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/saudi-arabia/saudi-sovereign-fund-pif-to-invest-in-investcorp-aberdeen-infrastructure-fund/articleshow/83393202.cms

UAE launches Sinopharm vaccine trial for children under 18

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Some members of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family are participating in a trial administering China’s Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine to children aged 3-17, the emirate’s media office said.

The trial will monitor the immune response of 900 children “in preparation to vaccinate children in the near future”, Abu Dhabi Media Office said in a Twitter post on Wednesday.

Sheikh Theyab bin Mohammed, a son of the United Arab Emirate’s de facto ruler and Abu Dhabi’s crown prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, accompanied his children, nieces and nephews to participate in the immune bridge study, it said.

The UAE in May approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use in children aged 12-15. Dubai, the second-largest member of the UAE federation, started inoculating that age group this month.

The UAE, which has among the world’s highest immunisation rates, on Wednesday registered 2,011 new coronavirus infections to take its total to 603,961 cases with 1,738 deaths. It does not provide a breakdown for each of its seven emirates.

The Gulf state led Phase III clinical trials of the vaccine produced by China’s state-owned drugmaker Sinopharm and has started manufacturing it under a joint venture between Sinopharm and Abu Dhabi-based technology company Group 42.

Source:https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/uae/uae-launches-sinopharm-vaccine-trial-for-children-under-18/articleshow/83597158.cms

Dubai airport targets 28 million passengers this year

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Dubai’s state airport operator is hoping for a “flood” of travelers as the coronavirus pandemic eases, targeting passenger traffic through Dubai International Airport to grow 8% to 28 million this year as demand rebuilds.

Terminal 1 is reopening this Thursday after a 15-month closure. Operations were consolidated through Terminals 2 and 3 last year as the pandemic took hold.

“People think it will trickle back. I don’t believe that. I believe it will be an absolute flood of demand when people get the confidence to travel again,” Dubai Airports Chief Executive Paul Griffiths told Reuters on Sunday.

The airport, one of the world’s busiest, could see over 40 million passengers this year if it was “really, really lucky,” Griffiths said, though it was likely to be somewhere between 24.7 million and 34.3 million.

“We’re comfortable with that mid-range of about 28 (million).”

Terminal 1 has an annual passenger capacity of 18 million, while the entire airport can handle up to 100 million.

Griffiths estimated the terminal’s reopening would result in 3,500 additional jobs at the airport, including those working in retail, hospitality, security and immigration.

By the autumn, 90% of the 260 destinations served from Dubai airport prior to the pandemic could be restored, Griffiths said, up from 63% today.

Dubai announced on Saturday some restrictions on passengers flying from India, South Africa and Nigeria would ease from Wednesday.

The airport handled 5.75 million passengers in the first quarter, a 67.8% fall compared to the same quarter in 2020 before the pandemic halted traffic.

In 2020, passenger traffic plummeted 70% to 25.9 million from 86.4 million in 2019. The airport is the base of state carriers Emirates and flydubai whose entire operations are international flights.

Over a two-week period starting Thursday, 66 foreign airlines will move from Terminal 2 and 3 to Terminal 1.

Terminal 3, where Emirates operates from, will continue to operate with two of its three concourses for the time being.

Dubai’s second airport, Al Maktoum International, will also remain closed to commercial passenger flights.

Source:https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/uae/dubai-airport-targets-28-million-passengers-this-year-ceo-says/articleshow/83684690.cms

Bahrain tops global financial attractiveness rankings for 3rd consecutive year

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Bahrain has topped the globally-recognised AIRINC Global 150 Cities Index financial attractiveness ranking for the third straight year, leading impressive rankings for MENA capitals – with seven leading MENA cities in the top 16 places. Aside from the capital of Bahrain in first place, others cities ranked included Riyadh, Kuwait City, Amman and Abu Dhabi.

The rankings evaluate the salary levels, cost of living, and taxes in a particular market in order to create an overall score for financial attractiveness.

The news of Bahrain’s win follows its recent success in the InterNations Expat Insider 2021 survey, where the country led the GCC across different indicators that included quality of medical care, political stability, ease of settling in and job satisfaction. The country was ranked fifth globally for ease of settling in, and a high number of respondents in Bahrain said they had no immediate or future plansto return home despite the pressures of the pandemic.

The Government of Bahrain was one of the first in the region to develop an economic diversification strategy away from hydrocarbons, successfully creating an economy where more than 80% of its GDP comes from non-oil sectors, providing a broad range of opportunities for Bahrainis and expats working in the country. Bahrain has since become known for its great regional connectivity, regulatory innovation, and best-value operating costs.

AIRINC describes itself as ‘the leading authority on international mobility data since 1954’ and supports multi-national corporations and others with the workforce globalisation strategies. The rankings are put together by an in-house team at AIRINC who ‘continuously research the costs and living conditions of many cities around the world to evaluate international mobility’.

Source:https://www.bahrainedb.com/latest-news/bahrain-tops-global-financial-attractiveness-rankings-for-3rd-consecutive-year/

Manama listed in the top 5 globally for FDI strategy in latest fDi Magazine ranking

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The Kingdom of Bahrain’s capital Manama has been named as the fifth globally amongst all-sized cities and first amongst small and mid-sized cities for FDI strategy in the 2021 Global cities of the Future index produced by the Financial Times’ fDi Magazine. Both Abu Dhabi and Dubai similarly ranked in the top 10, with Abu Dhabi placing sixth and Dubai placing eighth.

Commenting on the latest rankings, the Bahrain Economic Development Board’s Chief Executive, His Excellency Khalid Humaidan said: “In 2019, FDI stock made up 80% of our nominal GDP which is double the world average. We are very proud of this achievement and for being recognised for our FDI strategy. What is more promising is that three GCC cities have ranked in the top ten, highlighting the clear attraction for FDI in the region.

“This independent recognition is further confirmation that our board has set the right strategy for us to go forward and they continue to be supportive of our agenda.”

The Kingdom’s FDI strategy is pinned on a diverse multi-sectoral approach which is showing results and gaining recognition, as evidenced by Bahrain’s leading performance in the survey.

In addition to the Kingdom’s ranking in FDI Strategy, Bahrain was also ranked highly in cost-effectiveness and business friendliness, being 6th globally and third in MENA, and seventh globally and second in MENA respectively for small and mid-sized cities.

Bahrain has undertaken an ambitious and comprehensive programme of economic reform, which has been further recognised by other independent studies and surveys. The 2020 World Bank Doing Business Report named Bahrain the fourth most improved country in the world, and research by KPMG in a Cost of Doing Business Report highlighted that Bahrain is between 20-30 percent more cost-effective than some of its neighbors across multiple industries.

Source:https://www.bahrainedb.com/latest-news/manama-listed-in-the-top-5-globally-for-fdi-strategy-in-latest-fdi-magazine-ranking/

Bahrain real estate sector deals valued at US$ 1.9 billion in 2020

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The real estate market in the Kingdom of Bahrain is gaining pace despite the challenges faced by the pandemic, with a series of major projects and initiatives driving sector growth. The rebound of Bahrain’s real estate sector fuelled a 14% and 20% rise in real estate deals in the third and fourth quarter of 2020 respectively, with the total value of real estate transactions in Bahrain reaching $1.9 billion (BD 717.4 million) in 2020.

Bahrain’s National Real Estate plan for 2021-2024 is set to further increase the sector’s contribution to the national economy as part of continued economic diversification efforts. The plan includes five initiatives and 17 projects, including laws and regulations, long-term plans and operational initiatives for developing the real estate sector.

Mixed-use major real estate projects in the Kingdom set to exceed US$ 12 billion which includes Eagle Hills Marassi Al Bahrain, Diyar Al Muharraq, Dilmunia and Bahrain Bay, which are creating prosperity through attractive and unique real estate destinations. Bahrain is a multidimensional marketplace that enables investment in a diverse range of properties that focus on addressing the growing consumer demand in Bahrain and the region for integrated communities that offer opportunities for the live, work, play lifestyle.

Commenting on the latest real estate developments, Ali Al Mudaifa, Executive Director – Investment Origination at Bahrain Economic Development Board said, “Bahrain’s bounce back in the real estate sector is testament to the Kingdom’s dedication towards economic growth.”

“Seeing these projects come to life has been a rewarding experience and we are confident that Bahrain’s real estate sector will continue to grow in the coming years.”

In addition to delivering a total of 30,000 homes over the past five years, Bahrain’s housing ministry is currently in the process of digitising their services to improve their offering. During 2020, the ministry completed around 45,000 transactions online, increasing efficiency and resulting in a 75% reduction in congestion time for housing service applications.

Source:https://www.bahrainedb.com/latest-news/bahrain-real-estate-sector-deals-valued-at-us-1-9-billion-in-2020/