Qatar - National US-Arab Chamber of Commerce

Qatar’s Infrastructure Boom Through 2022 and Beyond
The 2022 World Cup has yet to begin,
and Qatar is already a winner. The run-up
to the World Cup will see more than $100
billion in new infrastructure projects on top
of the already extraordinary infrastructural
development taking place in and around Doha.
With numerous mega-projects launched or
soon to be underway, companies from around
the globe hope to score big with a broad array
of opportunities.
Below is a sampling of these infrastructure
opportunities.
Public Works
Approximately $20 billion will be spent
on roads, bridges, wastewater treatment, and
related services through Ashghal, Qatar’s
Public Works Authority.
Ashghal’s President, H.E. Nasser Ali
Al-Mawlawi, is spearheading the nation’s
public works priorities to help Qatar achieve
its National Vision 2030, which will transform
the emirate into a world-class sports, business,
and tourism hub in the years to come.
Earlier this year, at an event co-hosted by
the National U.S.-A rab Chamber of
Commerce, the U.S. Commercial Service,
and the U.S.-Qatar Business Council, President
Al-Mawlawi noted, “In order for us to
achieve this ambitious vision and to secure
this tremendous investment in infrastructure,
we are working to strengthen our local,
regional and international expertise – and
developing strategic partnerships.“ He added,
”We are really looking forward to all the
Qatar Projects
Source: Commercial Section of U.S. Embassy in Qatar
different entities in the United States
participating in this development of infrastructure
in Qatar.”
Qatar’s rapid expansion has outgrown its
roadways. The Doha Expressways Project will
add nearly 350 miles of new roads to better
serve Qatar’s growing population and the
dramatic increase in visitors who are expected
over the next decade. The North Road Project
alone is an 80-mile highway that will link
Doha to Al Khor, Al Ruwais, Zubarah and,
finally, to the causeway to Bahrain.
The Qatar-Bahrain
Friendship Causeway
The Qatar-Bahrain Friendship Causeway
is a 25-mile bridge – accommodating vehicles
and future railway traffic – that will connect
the State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The estimated budget is over $3 billion. With
a targeted completion date of 2014, this will
be the longest fixed link bridge in the world.
Although this project has faced some delays
and budgetary issues, Government of Qatar
officials characterize this project as a national
priority in Qatar’s quest to be part of an
ambitious Gulf Coast rail link that would run
from Istanbul, Turkey to Muscat in the
Sultanate of Oman.
Doha Airport
Qatar’s existing airport connects Doha
with over 100 international destinations. The
New Doha International Airport will service
50 million passengers by 2025 and two million
tons of cargo annually. The estimated cost of
creating this world class point of entry is $14
billion, and the new facility will serve the
Qatar Airways fleet, which is expected to
double in size by 2015.
Seaports
Qatar’s three main ports are already
operating at capacity and are undergoing large
scale renovations. The Port of Doha is Qatar’s
main commercial seaport and is one of the
largest container shipment centers in the
Arabian Gulf. Ras Laffan is the world’s largest
liquefied natural gas exporting facility, and it
has played a central role in Qatar’s ability to
export 77 million tons per annum of LNG.
(See related story on page 19.) Mesaieed is
Qatar’s main export terminal for oil and
import terminal for building materials.
A new $7 billion port is planned between
Mesaieed and Doha. The three-phased
construction will accommodate up to six
million 20-foot container equivalent units by
2025. The new facilities will include three
container terminals, cargo berths, a terminal
for vehicles, a livestock terminal, flour mills,
and a facility for Qatari and foreign navy
vessels. Plans for the port were set in motion
in 2008, and recent forecasting suggests that
the proposed port will face stiff competition
from the new regional rail network.
Rail
Over $30 billion has been allocated to
create an integrated railway system in the
Arabian Gulf. The Qatar Railway Project will
link all major industrial and residential areas
via long distance passenger trains, freight
trains, and metro facilities. Qatari Diar and
Deutsche Bahn have formed a consortium to
manage the Doha Metro System, which will
be built in three phases by 2026. The Metro
System will be linked to a national railway
network that will integrate the railway systems
planned throughout Qatar.
The national rail network will span 350
kilometers and is targeted for completion by
2017. A high speed rail link is planned between
the New Doha International Airport and
Doha city center, extending on to Bahrain
across the Qatar-Bahrain Friendship Causeway.
There are also plans to link Qatar’s network
with the GCC rail network subject to such
challenges as inter-operability, regulations,
technical capabilities, and financing among
the six GCC countries.
World Cup Stadiums
As part of its 2022 World Cup bid, Qatar
pledged to build twelve open air (but
air-conditioned) stadiums that will later be
dismantled and donated to African nations.
Three billion dollars has been allocated to
build nine new stadiums, renovate three
existing stadiums, and install a state-of-the-art
carbon neutral cooling system.
Opening and final matches will be held in
the planned Lusail Stadium, with a proposed
continued on page 18
US-Arab Tradeline • Spring 2011 15