Construction, plans and project news

[elusive]

60 foreign firms propose to execute railroad around Baghdad

April 18, 2010 - 11:23:43
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: More than 60 foreign firms have proposed to execute a railroad around Baghdad.
“The firms are based in Germany, France, Italy, U.S., South Korea, Turkey, China, Canada, Britain, and Iran,” Iraqi Transportation Ministry said in a release on Sunday received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
It explained that the project will be among the biggest railroad systems in the Middle East and Arab world.

[elusive]

Canadian firm to invest in 5,000 housing units in Baghdad
April 19, 2010 - 09:27:01

BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: A Canadian firm is investing $299 million in 5,000 housing units in Baghdad.
“The units will compose a complete city including all the related services,” the Baghdad Investment Commission said in a release on Monday received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
It said that at least 20 thousand people will live in this city.

[dude01]

Originally Posted by elusive

60 foreign firms propose to execute railroad around Baghdad

April 18, 2010 - 11:23:43
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: More than 60 foreign firms have proposed to execute a railroad around Baghdad.
“The firms are based in Germany, France, Italy, U.S., South Korea, Turkey, China, Canada, Britain, and Iran,” Iraqi Transportation Ministry said in a release on Sunday received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
It explained that the project will be among the biggest railroad systems in the Middle East and Arab world.

pff railroads...the only time i saw articles like that was in history class when the railroad just arrived to north america back in 1800's..these days its all about TGV and UNDERGROUND METRO NOT RAILROADS!

[BigDreamer]

railroads are still needed for the logistics industry, even in Europe and north america where TGV is used mostly for public transport.

[elusive]

exactly, railways are still needed to transport goods from other countries like turkey into iraq or even across iraq...

[dude01]

Housing and a link-up of ministries typify the current ambitions in Iraq's capital.

There is a lot going on in Iraq at the moment - too much, quite frankly for most who simply want to make a living with mechanics or in construction to be concerned with. With Iraq's government in even greater upheaval than normal amid the legal wrangles of the election, it would have taken a lot for construction and development in the capital to retain the headlines.

However, three major announcements which many PMV professionals might have missed may well bring the area back into a country in which business can be done. Firstly, the General Secretariat approved the referral of the Al Raheed residential complex last week to an unnamed UAE company at a cost of more than US $20 billion (AED 73.4 billion) - heralding one of the largest investment projects in its history.

The decision was reached following protracted meetings of the Council of Ministers, according to Ali Al Alaak, UN Secretary-General of the Cabinet, with the Emirates company the pick of three shortlisted. The infrastructure project is to be presented to the next cabinet, he added, with the final signings expected within the next few weeks after modifications and resubmission by the Investment Authority.

This came soon after an announcement by the Investment Commission that it had awarded eight investment permits to projects in the capital. In a statement to Aswat Al-Iraq news agency, the Commission said it had prioritised housing, of which it aims to build over 1 million in the next three years in the country as a whole, a total investment of $50 billion (AED183.4 billion).

Meanwhile, investment is slowly tricling back into Iraq. As reported elsewhere in this issue, trucks are being assbled from kit form at a factory, which has re-opened after a very long hiatus. Elsewhere, engine suppliers are doing a good trade as gensets have become the country's de-facto power grid.

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/587365-baghdad

[BigDreamer]

Lafarge Launches $200 Mln Iraq Plant Renovation

France’s Lafarge, the world’s largest cement maker, launched a $200-million renovation of an Iraqi manufacturing plant on Thursday to boost production and grab a bigger share of the local cement market.

On a tour of the plant, one of Iraq’s biggest non-oil industrial projects in recent years, Lafarge chief executive in Iraq Marcel Cobuz said he expected that revamping the 27-year-old factory would help increase its output tenfold to 2 million tonnes annually within two and half years.

“Definitely a lot of revamping is needed here,” he said, referring to the factory’s dilapidated machines. “They are old, but they are working. They need to be rehabilitated and replaced by more modern ones.”

“Our ambition is to have one tonne out of 4 tonnes sold in Iraq,” Cobuz said.

Iraq imports about 10 million tonnes of cement each year and consumes around 15 million tonnes, he said. The factory, located in the southern province of Kerbala, has been producing 200,000 tonnes of cement annually.

Iraq is trying to shake off the legacy of years of violence, sanctions and economic decline by opening up its financial and industrial sectors and luring foreign investment and expertise to help it rebuild.

Iraq wants to form joint ventures with foreign investors to overhaul some 240 idle factories around the country over the next five years, Deputy Minister of Industry and Minerals Adel Karim said in March.

Many of the factories are either outdated, were looted in the aftermath of the 2003 invasion or are located in areas still controlled by Islamist insurgents.

The country has multibillion-dollar oil deals in the pipeline, but analysts say it must grow its non-oil sectors if it is to have a viable economy and reduce unemployment, which is still high seven years after the U.S. invasion.

Cobuz toured the factory on Thursday with Boris Boillon, the French ambassador to Iraq, who said the delay in forming a new government in Iraq after a March 7 election produced no outright winner is not an obstacle for French companies interested in investing in Iraq.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSANS62840620100506

[elusive]

UAE companies seek to establish 150 million residential units in Iraq - NIC
May 19, 2010 - 01:18:48

ARBIL / Aswat al-Iraq: UAE companies have presented a request to establish 150 million residential units in Iraq, according to head of the Iraqi National Investment Commission (NIC).
Speaking at the first Iraqi-Emirati Businessmen Forum which started in Arbil, Sami al-Aaraji said “the Iraqi economy will grow by 7% in the coming five years, which is a sign of good development despite the current economic problems.”
He pointed out to the significant relations with Emirati companies, which work in tourism and real estate sectors.
“The Emirati investments in Iraq reach $70 billion,” he added.
SH (P)

[BigDreamer]

150 million units !! that can't be right, do they mean 150 thousand ?!!

[BigDreamer]

5-star hotel in Amara

The Missan Investment Commission granted permission to a Spanish-based firm for investing in constructing a 5-star hotel in central Amara city.

“The hotel will be close to the Tigris River that divides the city into two parts,” a source from the commission told Aswat al-Iraq news agency on Saturday.

He noted that the hotel will consist of 12 floors, and will occupy an area of 8,000 squared meters.

[kurd123]

Originally Posted by BigDreamer

150 million units !! that can't be right, do they mean 150 thousand ?!!

True there arent even 150 million people let enough families to fill that

[BigDreamer]

LOL I know !! if they can build 150 million units, they will solve all housing problems for atleast the next 100 years !

[kurd123]

Originally Posted by BigDreamer

LOL I know !! if they can build 150 million units, they will solve all housing problems for atleast the next 100 years !

HAHA we could save half of africa with that much housing or yeah wed be sorted for 100 years

[elusive]

hahaha yeah it must be a typo, i wanted to post it anyway :P

[kurd123]

Originally Posted by elusive

hahaha yeah it must be a typo, i wanted to post it anyway :P

[elusive]

Italian designs of Basra Big Port

May 23, 2010 - 10:23:19
BASRA / Aswat al-Iraq: A meeting was held on Sunday in Basra city between the Iraqi Ports Company and a number of Italian firms that will design Basra’s Big Port.
“The meeting discussed the port’s basic designs,” a source from the Iraqi company told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
He did not mention further details.
It is expected that the project of Basra’s Big Port will cost around $80 billion, and will be executed by an Iraqi-U.S. firm in four years according to Italian designs.
The oil-rich city of Basra lies 590 km south of Baghdad.
MH (P)/SR



where the heck are they going to get 80 billion from?

[BigDreamer]

where did you get this article from

This cant be right, if they are refering to the Al-Faw port, then it's no where close to 80 billion..

[elusive]

Originally Posted by BigDreamer

where did you get this article from

This cant be right, if they are refering to the Al-Faw port, then it's no where close to 80 billion..

im getting all these articles from Aswat Al Iraq. do you know how accurate they are?

[elusive]

$6 million residential project in Baghdad

June 1, 2010 - 12:38:45
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: The Baghdad Investment Commission on Tuesday approved a residential project in the capital at a cost of $6 million, according to the head of the commission.
“The commission’s board agreed to give an investment license to establish a residential project in Haifa street in Baghdad,” Shaker al-Zameli said in a statement received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
“The project will be established in a strategic region and will overlook the Tigris river,” he added.
“It will provide 192 apartments in the coming two years,” he said.

[elusive]

Baghdad Mayoralty handpicks 10 firms for Sadr City rebuilding project

June 1, 2010 - 10:16:34
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: A list of 10 out of a total 52 companies were selected to start working on the first stage of the 10×10 project to rebuild Sadr City, according to a press release by mayoralty’s information office on Tuesday.
“The 10×10 project envisages the construction of 75,000 housing units over an area of 14 square kilometers in the eastern Baghdad district of Sadr City,” Baghdad Mayor Saber al-Issawi was quoted in the release received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
“The project is a very important one for the development of Baghdad, improvement of its urban fabric and a solution to the problem of impoverished families,” Issawi said.
He noted that the mayoralty has included the project within its budget for the year 2010 as one that would continue until 2020 with appropriations amounting to 10.8 billion dollars.
“The project involves all the necessary infrastructure like hospitals, health centers, universities, schools, playgrounds and sports facilities, trade centers and other services,” Issawi said.