Qatar opens tenders for $39bn infrastructure projects

Qatar has started tendering multi-billion-dollar infrastructure projects as public-private partnerships over the next five years.

The new infrastructure projects are worth $38.5 billion, with the initial tendering processes commencing immediately, the state-run Qatar News Agency reported, quoting prime minister Sheikh Mohammed Jassim Al-Thani at the Qatar Economic Forum.

The projects are part of the newly launched Doha Investment platform, which intends to manage and grow the Qatar Investment Authority’s (QIA) domestic investment portfolio and boost the local economy.

“Through this platform, Qatar aims to expand private sector participation to serve as a driver of economic growth. The platform will support leading companies, help startups grow, deepen capital markets and attract international capital and expertise,” he said.

Al-Thani said separate projects in the real estate and hospitality sectors are expected to attract $22.5 billion in private investment, including the $6 billion Simaisma Beach project.

“These projects and investment opportunities, combined, represent a value exceeding $60 billion over a five-year period,” he said.

Qatar does not underestimate the current uncertainty, but it will not let short-term disruptions dictate its long-term direction, the prime minister said, adding the country is working to enhance regional stability through diplomacy.

“Qatar will remain a committed partner in mediation efforts, a reliable energy supplier, and a long-term investment partner.”

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The US-Iran war has entered its seventh month following a short-lived interim peace plan agreed in June.

In March, Iranian strikes knocked out nearly 17 percent of Qatar’s LNG export capacity, with QatarEnergy CEO Saad Al-Kaabi estimating annual revenue losses of $20 billion.

Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG export facility is the world’s largest, accounting for about 20 percent of global supply.

Production at Ras Laffan is currently “very minute”, but QatarEnergy can begin normal operations, subtracting the 17 percent, within some weeks if the Strait of Hormuz reopens, Al-Kaabi said at the Qatar Economic Forum.