RIYADH: The Saudi Electricity Co. has extended the deadline for submission of contracts for the construction of the network linking Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Additionally, China’s Midea Group and air conditioning technology firm Taqeef are set to launch new smart cooling technology in the Middle East and North Africa region. The Saudi Power Procurement Co. has pushed the deadline for a major independent power project in the Kingdom. Meanwhile, UAE’s G42 Cloud and America’s Kyndryl are set to facilitate cloud adoption in the Middle East. · The Saudi Electricity Co. has extended the deadline for the contract to construct the electricity interconnection network linking Saudi Arabia and Jordan, MEED reported. Submission dates for the contract have been pushed two months to the end of July, from the end of May previously. · Chinese electrical appliance manufacturer Midea Group and leading air conditioning technology firm in the UAE, Taqeef, are collaborating to launch a new smart cooling technology to cater to the MENA region’s multifaceted infrastructure, Trade Arabia reported. Such a solution is expected to help owners and developers address resource efficiency in an attempt to reduce carbon emissions in line with net-zero goals. · Saudi Power Procurement Co., or SPPC, has pushed the deadline for bidders to submit contracts to construct the 3,600 MW Taiba independent power project, MEED reported. The tender closing date for the contract has been extended by four months to October. SPPC is contemplating the integration of decarbonizing measures to the gas-fired power generation plant, according to industry sources. · UAE-based artificial intelligence and cloud computing provider G42 Cloud has sealed a deal with American multinational information technology infrastructure services provider Kyndryl to accelerate the adoption of cloud in the UAE and the Middle East as a whole, Trade Arabia reported. While G42 is expected to manage the region’s cloud computing infrastructure, Kyndryl is anticipated to offer holistic and innovative solutions to businesses.