ABU DHABI // Abu Dhabi has pushed ahead with a construction programme that began before crude prices slumped in 2014. From a branch of the Louvre museum in Paris, a new airport terminal and a nuclear power plant, here are the 10 biggest projects under way in the emirate.
With a combined value of Dh134 billion they are expected to be completed by 2020, according to a list provided by the government this month in response to questions from Bloomberg.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi
The Jean Nouvel-designed building is set for completion soon. The Dh15.35bn centre includes a children’s museum and a 280-seat theatre.
Louvre Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island at night. Ravindranath K / The NationalBarakah Nuclear Power Plant
The first nuclear plant will supply 25 per cent of the UAE’s electricity needs from May 2020, according to the Emirates Nuclear Energy Cooperation. The Dh84.4bn project includes four reactors producing a combined 5,600 megawatts.
The Barakah site. Courtesy WamSewage Tunnel
At 41km in length, Abu Dhabi says its sewage tunnel is among the world’s longest. With an additional 43km of smaller linking tunnels, the Dh5.5bn project is due to be completed later this year.
E11 Highway
The new highway and road upgrade programme will link Abu Dhabi with the Saudi border, via the industrial hub of Ruwais, the site of the UAE’s first nuclear plant. The project includes 15 flyovers, and costs Dh5.5bn.
Zayed City infrastructure
The government says the road network, sewerage, lighting, electricity and water infrastructure for Zayed City, a new district in Abu Dhabi, is about 20 per cent complete. The Dh3.3bn project is expected to be finished by January 2020.
Midfield Terminal
At a cost of Dh12.85bn, Abu Dhabi’s new terminal will have 49 gates and will double the airport’s capacity to 30 million passengers a year. Built over six levels, it will include a hotel, shops and restaurants when it is finished in January 2019.
Midfield Terminal in Abu Dhabi. Courtesy ADACJabel Hafeet Housing Development
At a cost of Dh5.5n, the project near Al Ain includes homes for 3,000 people, including a school, a clinic and other facilities. It is due to be finished by the end of the year.
Al Ain New Hospital
The 719-bed hospital will have cost Dh4.4bn when completed in December 2018.
Al Ain New Hospital. Courtesy WamAin Al Faida Residential Development
Another residential project in Al Ain, the $1.14 billion government project includes homes for 2,000 people, and will be completed by the end of July.
Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City
The first hospital to provide advanced treatment for burns, it includes 739 beds when it opens at the end of January at a cost of Dh4bn.
* Bloomberg
