Qatar International Cables Company, a Nexans company, has awarded Amana Contracting & Steel Buildings a turnkey contract for the construction of its cable factory in Messaieed Industrial City.

The new-built plant will produce power cables, low-voltage, medium voltage and high voltage up to 80kV at Qatar's industrial city.

QICC, a joint venture company between Nexans, a leader in the cable industry (29 per cent), Special Projects Company (58 per cent) and Al Neama Industries Company (13 per cent) was established last June.

QICC plans to start production from the new factory in the second half of 2010, to meet the demands of the oil and gas, utilities, infrastructure and building sectors.

The factory, with a total floor space of 19,000 sq m and located on a 70,000 sq m plot, is expected to generate revenues of $100 million by 2011. The huge plot size allows future expansion of the facility as the regional demand grows beyond the current production capacity.

The factory is said to be one of the largest in the Mena region and among the first cable factories in Qatar. QICC said it will not only focus on Qatar market, but also target Gulf Coast Countries (GCC) and Yemen markets.

Cyprien Federspiel, general manager of QICC, said it was a big challenge to identify the plot location, finalise the design, and select the contractor for the project.

'With its experience in the Mena and Gulf region, Amana was the natural choice for a contractor due to its regional reach, its strong capabilities, and the strong commitment of Amana team to provide us with a competitive price, at the required high-quality standards, and in line with the tight time requirements for the project,' Federspiel noted.

Nexans has always been active across the Middle East region in oil and gas and infrastructure markets. The Group already supplies medium and high voltage cables for important utilities in Qatar, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

It has also been involved in major oil and gas projects with local and international operators for many years. Nexans has recently supplied cables for several projects in Qatar such as Shell GTL Pearl, Ras Laffan Port, Qatalum Port, Qatar Gas Berth 6, Kahramaa expansion multiple phases.

This contract is one of several secured by Amana in Qatar this year. Present in Doha for over 12 years, Amana is a leading provider of turnkey and design-build construction solutions to the industrial sector.

“More and more companies establishing process facilities in Qatar and across the region are recognizing Amana’s reputation for delivering high quality, turnkey solutions on time and within budget”, said Chebel Bsaibes, chief executive officer, Amana Contracting & Steel Buildings.

'We are very happy with the relationship with QICC/NEXANS and we look forward to building on it across the region,' he added.-TradeArabia News Service