Construction, plans and project news

[sheytanElKebir]

STX heavy industry is one of the big chaebols. 44k employees / $23Bn assets.
http://www.stxhi.co.kr/eng/

good stuff. However i am a bit confused that they signed such a contract with "basra" as opposed to the Oil ministry which actually manages such projects. Similarly they state the project is an EPC contract meaning that the Iraqis are paying cash for this... basra's budget won't cover such a project (not by a longshot). therefore i suspect that this project should be an oil ministry contract (though to be honest they don't have the budget for this either!).

[alankurdi]

this is a roller coaster in the Kurdish city of Erbil . enjoy

[wasta]

http://en.aswataliraq.info/Default1....&id=140261&l=1

This is good news, inshalla this will ease the sand storms

[makaay31]

Rail Project to Ease Baghdad TrafficPosted on 17 January 2011.

The Iraqi National Rail Company announced on Sunday that under its supervision the urban rail project in the Iraqi capital will be completed in 2013..

According to AKnews, the company’s press secretary, Jawad Kharsani, said the project will be carried out in conjunction with the French company Tharyom (sic) [Iraq Business News believes it to be the French company Systra].

“The railway will start from the eastern Baghdad district of Ahzamya, cut through Utaifiyya and end at the central station in the Alawi neighborhood,” he explained.

Kharsani said the railway will have sub-stations above the ground in residential areas where electronic tickets will be available.

The French company will oversee the technical work and the trains will be managed by its staff in exchange for the revenues from the line for 20 years, before handing it back to Baghdad council, he said.

The 25km rail project will ease the traffic in Baghdad by 50%, Khasrani said.

“The Ministry of Transport will work to repeat the experience of this project in all Iraqi provinces,” he said.

Asked when work on the project would begin, Khasrani said that, “the final cost of the project will determine the timing of the French company’s arrival in Baghdad.”

Baghdad’s traffic jams have been attributed to the large number of security checkpoints and increasing numbers of vehicles on streets that desperately need to be expanded.

(Source: AKnews)

[sheytanElKebir]

forgive the google translate!

Declaration on the designs of modern industrial neighborhood in Karbala

08/02/2011



Announced in the province of Karbala for modern designs of the neighborhood industrial and international exhibitions.

The head of the Coordinating Committee for future projects in the governorate of Karbala Hani left, the press section at the National Center for Public Information, said the committee announced that modern designs in the neighborhood of industrial and international exhibitions, which will be implemented on an area of more than 150 dunums, situated on the road to Karbala - Najaf.

The Ialisari that the new design includes a 660 and a workshop area of 120 square meters, and the number of 72 garage and a coefficient of aluminum, wood, iron, an area of 200 square meters and the number of 142 plants, as well as garages for washing and lubricating an area of 1500 square meters, with the availability of areas of public services and government buildings, and centers for civil defense, and the police, health, and a large mosque, in addition to the parks and green spaces within the region and along the front.

He left to the adoption of modern machinery for car parking in the areas of the industrial district does not affect the smooth flow of traffic.

[Persi]

Construction Starts on $135m Hospital in Diwaniya

09 February 2011.

AKnews reports that an Australian company has started construction on a new 400-bed hospital in Qadisiya.

The five-story hospital, costing about $135 million, will be built on an area of 6,648 square meters by the Australian Construction Company (ACA) over a period of 33 months in the provincial capital, Diwaniyah.

The hospital is divided into several sections, including a special department for cancer, and general operations halls.

“Upon completion, the hospital will be equipped with sonar and other advanced equipment,” says Qais Fulayyih Hasan, the supervising engineer responsible for the implementation of the project.

The project also has two parking lots, one for the doctors and the hospital workers and another for the people visiting the hospital, according to Hasan.

“The hospital will be built to Australian standards and it will provide good services to citizens,” he said.

The project is being funded from the investment plan of the Ministry of Health

[Persi]

Licences to Build $1.9 Billion Houses in Najaf

09 February 2011.

The Najaf Investment Commission approved 17 investment licences to build a total of 19,000 houses in Najaf at a cost of $1.9 billion, according to the chairman of the commission, Wafi al-Bahash.

Aswat al-Iraq reports that the Commission has recently approved more than 125 licenses in all fields, including 17 to Iraqi and foreign companies to establish 19,487 houses in the province at a cost of $1.9 billion. The projects will be implemented over the next two years.

“The projects will solve the housing crisis in the southern province,” he added.

[IraqSpirit]

New bridge in Basrah





Src.
http://basraelc.com/news.php?action=view&id=4686

they r saying its the biggest since 2003.

[BigDreamer]

nice

but isn't it too narrow..

[alankurdi]

Ali Rashid head of Agriculture committee announced today in early March the project will commence which will be done by a private local company.

he said " the project will hold 3 Billion cubic meters of water and it will be 93 meters high and it will produce 250 megawatt of electricity which will be built below Dukan's lake on small Zab and will be 50 kms long. the cost of the project will be 100 Million US.

aim of the project will be to further make the area greener , electricity produce , fishing , and tourism . it also will be capable of watering 26000 and 400 acres of agricultural land.

source : Kurdistani nwe

[Persi]

Drake & Scull Eyeing Tenders in Iraq

18 February 2011.

Dubai contractor Drake & Scull International is eyeing project tenders in Iraq in the second half of 2011 as it looks to break into new markets and diversify its income.

Drake, whose biggest market is Saudi Arabia, is also keeping a close eye on political unrest in Egypt, where it is bidding for $200-300m worth of projects, chief corporate affairs officer Zeina Tabari told Reuters in an interview.

Drake, which specialises in mechanical, engineering and plumbing businesses (MEP), won a $126.6m contract in Egypt in January, and the project is on track, Tabari said.

“The majority of our contracts this year will be from the GCC,” she said, adding: “We have a business development team in Iraq, but it is a new market for us and will take some time to start tendering. Probably in Q3 and Q4.”

Gulf Arab companies see growing opportunities to invest in Iraq in sectors including energy, telecoms, finance and infrastructure, as the war-torn nation battles to recover from years of bloodshed.

Drake has been rapidly expanding its operations outside Dubai, where house prices have plunged some 60 percent since their peaks in 2008 as a result of the financial crisis.

[makaay31]

Baghdad Lord-Mayor's office begins campaign to plant 300,000 trees:
2/20/2011 2:33 PM


BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Baghdad Lord-Mayor's office has announced on Sunday the beginning of a huge campaign to plant 300,000 trees in the Iraqi capital, as part of its plan for the next spring season, the office said.

"Baghdad Lord-Mayor's office is planning to plant 300,000 trees, 270,000 of which were bought from the UAE's Desert Company Group, 25,000 from a Turkish Company, for a total cost of about 8.5 billion (b) dinars," the Mayor's statement said.

"The trees, chosen by agricultural specialists to burden the climate and high temperatures, aim at increasing the green areas and to beautify the Iraqi capital, as well as improving its environmental conditions," he said."

PT / SKH

[Persi]

German Investment in Ninawa

20 February 2011.

Nineveh Investment Commission announced this week that it had signed investment contracts with two German companies to build tourist facilities on the banks of the Tigris River.

Jabor Abed Rabu, Chairman of the Commission, told AKnews that the companies involved are Zalmania and Backmana, but the value of the contracts were not disclosed.

“The two companies will build tourist facilities next July,” said Rabu, adding that “Nineveh Council will provide all facilities and support necessary requirements to facilitate the work of these companies and complete the project.”

“The Council also received delegations from other German companies to discuss other opportunities to invest in the city.”

Mosul, 405 km north of Baghdad, has many monuments, and religious sites, as well as forests, but they are neglected and suffer from lack of services.

[sheytanElKebir]

The ministry of transport has completed design for the revamping of the Nahdha Garage and Bab Al Muadham Garages in Baghdad.





here's the new bus garage for Najaf also by the transport ministry.

[elusive]

the Najaf one is much nicer lol

[Persi]

UK Construction Industry Looks to Iraq

21 February 2011.

The Financial Times reports that Iraq is an increasingly popular destination for British construction firms, with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasting a rise in GDP of 6.75 per cent during 2011.

A project manager at one construction company bidding for work in Baghdad, says: “For the very bravehearted among us there is a huge opportunity there, but the totality of destruction in parts of the country makes planning any rebuild far from straightforward.”

The University of Salford is setting up a built environment research centre in Basra to establish building and civil engineering practices tailored to the country’s needs.

Professor Mustafa Alshawi, the Associate Dean at Salford’s College of Science & Technology, says: “Iraq has some very specific needs in its built environment sector, and there are some areas where it lacks expertise and a critical mass. By opening this new centre we will be able to train more researchers and provide staff and students with new skills and ways of working.”

“Iraq is certainly one of the next big places for the industry,” says John Barrow, a senior principal at Populous, the UK practice behind Wembley, the O2 Arena and Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.

Populous is in advanced bidding talks to secure the design contract for a 100,000-seater stadium in central Baghdad and is eyeing work on five other stadiums across the country.

Rider Levett Bucknall, a UK construction consultancy, has been in talks with former military personnel about providing security assistance for projects in the region.

“Part of the job of project management is going to be the provision of security on developments,” says Lance Taylor, chief executive of RLB. “There is a real risk in doing work there and if you are going to manage construction projects you need to man up and make sure the security is tight.”

[alankurdi]

the master plan is to double lane all main roads in Kurdistan by end of 2012. And the materials used in the pavements are up to world standards also they can take pressure from heavy vehicles .






Hawler (Erbil) - Koya Highway
Length: 65,6 KM
by Romanian Company Delta
Cost: 80Billion IDs.
completion: 750 days









Slemani - Dukan | Completed
Length: 77 KM

image hosted on flickr







Dukan - Ranya includes a tunnel



Haji omaran - Erbil
Length: 18,2 KM
Cost: 40Billion
completion: 750 days



Kore - Qandil 51 kms



sorry text is Kurdish
http://www.pukmedia.com/kurdish/inde...-11&Itemid=179

[Persi]

$90m Water Supply Contract in Dohuk

27 February 2011.

Kurdistan’s Ministry of Municipality and Tourism sealed a contract on Monday for the construction of a drinking water supply project for Amedi, in Dohuk province.

According to a report from AKnews, the ministry said the minister, Samir Abdullah Mustafa, singed the $90m contract with Ster Group and Homan Ederson.

With the project getting underway, the town of Amedi and the townships of Deraluk, Sarsing, Qadash, and Bamarne, as well as four surrounding villages will be provided 2,400 cubic meters of drinking water pre hour on average.

The project is expected to get started soon and finished in about two years.

[Persi]

Nineveh Signs Housing Contract with German Firm

06 March 2011.

The head of Nineveh Investment Commission has said that a German company plans to develop German-style housing complexes in Mosul, 405 km north of Baghdad.

Muafaq Mahmud told AKnews that the German company Markina signed an investment contract with the investment board in Mosul and work is scheduled to begin on the housing complexes in July.

“Nineveh needs to build thousands of housing units to contribute to solving the housing crisis,” he said, adding that the project would “provide jobs for the unemployed”.

Nineveh Investment Commission announced earlier this year that contracts had been signed with British and Turkish companies for construction totaling 30,000 housing units in Mosul and Qayyarah.

[elusive]

Baghdad’s al-Rashid Street– from perfume and music to motor oil and mortars
Wednesday, March 9th 2011 2:09 PM


Baghdad, March 9 (AKnews) – Of all Baghdad streets, al-Rashid Street, described as the beating heart of Iraq, holds the most cherished memories for many of the city’s citizens.Rasheed Street Photography Walid Mazidi

Opened in 1916 to connect the Mutham and Sharqi gates of the city, Rashid street has been home to government buildings, cafes and shops; artists, writers and clergymen, since the Ottoman occupation.

Having lived on Rasheed Street since his birth, 64-year-old Jamal Abdul Karim al-Qaisi told AKnews that the area once buzzed with writers, politicians and artists.

“The cafes in the street such as Umm Kulthum, Zahawi, Barlaman, Hassan Ajami, and Braziliya witnessed the greatest poetic movements of the time with (the frequentation of) poets such as Bader Shaker al-Sayyab and Mohammad Mahdi al-Jawahiri”.

The area remained symbolic of Baghdad’s thriving cultural and intellectual right up until the 1970s, Qaisi said.

Rasheed Street bookshop owner Hakim Jawad spoke with nostalgia of the street’s golden era: “The street was a source of inspiration for all writers, poets and intellectuals, as well as for clergy men and reciters of the holy Quran”.

“Among the most prominent visitors to the street were the Quran reader Sheikh Abdul Sattar al-Tayyar who was always sitting in the Zahawi cafe with a lot of merchants, intellectuals, and businessmen,” he continued.

Jawad went on to recount the changing times and how “the bright image of Baghdad has now faded”, particularly since the US-led invasion in 2003 and the ensuing violence and chaos.

“…al-Rasheed Street has lost its beauty,” he said, “the smell of motor oil has replaced the scent of the perfume stores and the sound of mortars has replaced the night whispers of the Tigris River.”

Jawad said that the years of siege and neglect have taken their toll and parts of the street are now in danger of collapsing.

One of the most famous streets in the Iraqi capital, al-Rasheed Street, known during the Ottoman rule as Khalil Pasha Avenue, was widened and paved in 1910.

The street contains some of Baghdad’s most famous mosques such as the Haidar Khana mosque, built in 1819 by Dawood Pasha, and the Hussein Pasha Mosque. Lively markets such as those of Haraj and Saray continue to bring daily bustle and a flash of colour to the area.

Many of the buildings on the street date back to the 1920s and are constructed in a combination of European and local styles. A pedestrian colonnade running along the street shades residents and visitors from the summer sun and shelters them from the winter rains.

The chairman of Baghdad’s Construction and Housing Committee Ali al-Attar, said that the city council has plans to renovate the street and the surrounding area in the immediate future.

“Once the rehabilitation is complete,” he said, “Baghdad will be making preparations to host the 2013 Arab Cultural Capital conference”.

"The executive bodies of the government must give due importance to al-Rashid Street,” he went on “because of the important place the street holds in the hearts of Baghdad citizens and in the hearts of all Iraqis”.

Reported by Laith al-Hadi

Rn/Ka/AKnews